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The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook: Two Hundred Gourmet & Homestyle Recipes for the Food Allergic Family
The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook: More Than 150 Recipes That Are Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Egg-Free, and Low in Sugar
The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook: Over 350 Natural Foods Recipes, Free of All Common Food Allergens: wheat-free, milk-free, egg-free, corn-free, sugar-free, yeast-free
Food Allergies and Food Intolerance: The Complete Guide to Their Identification and Treatment
Food Allergy Survival Guide: Surviving and Thriving With Food Allergies and Sensitivities
 
 
 
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Food Allergies In Children: Watch What They Eat
Hereditary Factor
Allergies occur when a person has a heightened sensitivity to what he has eaten, breathed in or touched. The hyperactive agent in this case is the body's immune system - specifically antibodies called Immunoglobulin E (IgE), which usually fight infectious likes colds.
The IgE overrects to foreign bodies like, say, peanut or egg protein. It binds with these allergens, activating a chain of events which releases chemicals causing swelling, redness, itchiness and somtimes pain. This in turn manifests on the skin (like eczema), lungs (asthma) or nose (runny nose).
Allergies are detected either through recalling what was eatne or touched before the reaction occurred, or from skin prick tests, in which various allergens are introduced in small amounts under the skin to test for reactions. They can also be detected from blood tests that measure IgE-specific levels to a particular allergen.
Why certain children develop allergies while others don't is a mystery, although genetics are known to play a part. If one has no family historu of allergies, there is a 15 per cent chance of developing it. That rises to 20 to 40 per cent if one immediate family member has it and 50 to 80 per cent if two members have it.
Eating Solids Too Early
While food allergies often come down to genetics, there is a theory that introducing solid foods too early for toddlers may trigger an allergy. The renowned Mayo Clinic in the US recommends introducing cow's milk only after the age of one, eggs after the age of two and nuts and seafood after the age of three.
This is because the child's immune system is still maturing in the first year. At this stage, exposing it to foreign particles might cause the body to produce antibodies unneccessarily, because the immune system isn't developed enough to respond appropriately. Subsequently, the body remembers the allergen, so when the child is exposed again, it leads to an allergic reaction.
Food allergies are not just limited to a runny nose or rash either - they could trigger headaches, coughing, constipation anf hyperactive behaviour. Another theory has it that children develop allergies because they are not exposed to germs enough. The argument is that if you are exposed to more germs, your antibodies are probably too busy fighting them to develop allergies.
Urban lifestyle, with its processed food and polluted air, contributes to this, what with figures showing he greatest allergy figures in developed countries. In some cases, the allergy subsides as children grow. For instance, 80 to 90 per cent of children with egg and milk allergies will outgrow these when they hit the age of six. Nut allergies, however may be more persistent.
So, spare a thought for the minority who have to live with these severe allergies. It's a handicap because like physical handicap, there are things they can't enjoy, they won't know what real chocolate or ice cream taste like.
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