Food Allergies In Children

By Author: Taalib Durden
Total Articles: 57
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Allergies are very common in Kids Nowdays, Many children build rashes on their skin or hold getting frequent bouts of diarrhea, for which you seem to have no plausible explanation at all. Chances are that your child may have a food allergy that is causing these reactions.

What is food allergy in Children?

A food allergy is a reaction to clear food substances in your childs body. These substances, when triggering an allergy, are called allergens. When they enter your childs body, they release a chemical called histamine. It is this histamine which causes an allergic rash or diarrhea. Food allergies commonly run in families. It is a susceptibility to build an allergy, and not an allergy itself that is inherited. If one parent has an allergy, any child has a 50% chance to have it, and 75% chance, if both parents have it.

Food allergies in children symptoms

Histamine, released in the tissues may result in one or more of the following symptoms appearing within minutes or several hours after you give a particular food to your child.
Tingling around the mouth or in the throat
Swelling ...
... of the lips or face
Runny nose
Coughing
Nausea or vomiting
Dizziness
Diarrhea
Itchy skin; bumpy or patchy hives may appear anywhere upon the skin
Chronic symptoms of food allergies are eczema and asthma
Difficulty in breathing or wheezing

Most Common food allergies in children
Milk Allergy in Kids: Allergy to cows milk is common in kids, affecting about 2.5 percent of every infants. These kids tend to react to other milk as well, since the allergy is usually directed against one or both major milk proteins, casein and whey. However, most kids outgrow milk allergy by age 5.

Eggs: Allergy to egg is another common food allergy in kids. They may be allergic to the white, yolk, or both. Many kids outgrow the egg allergy by age 5, although they are at increased risk of developing nasal allergies and asthma.

Peanuts: Allergy to peanut occurs in approximately 0.6 percent of every people, and tends to cause a severe form of food allergy. Peanut allergy can be associated with life-threatening allergic reactions, particularly in children with asthma. Only about 20 percent of children outgrow peanut allergy, making it the most common food allergy seen in adults.
Other food allergies include wheat, soy, fish and tree nuts like walnuts, cashews etc.

Preventing food allergies in Kids
If a food allergy runs in your family or if you locate that your child is prone to a particular food allergy, you can take these steps to prevent an allergic reaction in them.
Breastfeed your child till the age of one and avoid supplementing with infant formula or offering solids for at least the first six months.
While offering solids, it is best to begin with rice and oat cereals and introduce wheat cereals later. Next you can introduce vegetables, but avoid foods in the bean and pea family at first. This way you would be able to find out which of the solid food caused food allergy.
Meat and protein foods can be added once your child is 8-9 months old, but avoid egg until the age of one.

Avoid citrus fruits and juices till your child is a year old and peanuts and fish until your child is at least three years old.
When you do introduce new food, do so slowly and only give one new food every four to five days. This way, if your child does have an allergic reaction to that Food, then you will know which food caused allergy in the children, you will be able to avoid it.

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