Can Food Allergies Among Children Be Prevented?

Filed in archive Allergy Basics , Food Allergies on March 7, 2007

Mayo Clinic has released a new feature article on food allergies, focusing on preventing food allergies among children. Can food allergies be prevented at all? Well, there's no guaranteed method to make sure your child doesn't develop allergies. Sometimes the wheels have already been set in motion upon conception, and there's not much you can do. However, here are some steps that are considered to lower the risk of your child developing food allergies:

• Avoid peanuts during pregnancy and while nursing. Eating peanuts during pregnancy and while breast feeding may increase your child's risk for developing a peanut allergy and other allergies - especially if you have a family history of allergies.


• Give your child only breast milk for the first 6 months, if possible. This is the best source of nutrition for your infant - and it may help prevent your child from developing food allergies that can last well into childhood or even adulthood.


• Wait until your child is 6 months old to introduce solid foods. Especially if you have a family history of food allergies, taking steps to prevent early exposure to foods that can cause allergies is a good idea. As a child grows older and the digestive system matures, the body is less likely to absorb food or food components that trigger allergies. Experts believe that waiting to introduce solid foods until your child is 6 months old may help prevent allergies to those foods.


• Introduce cow's milk after one year. Studies show that waiting to introduce cow's milk until your child reaches age 1 reduces the chance your child will develop a milk allergy.


• Introduce eggs at age 2. This may help prevent your child from developing an egg allergy.


• Introduce nuts and seafood at age 3. This may help prevent your child from developing an allergy to these foods. (Do not give your child whole nuts until he or she has molars and can chew them well.)


• Introduce all new foods gradually and one at a time. Before introducing mixed foods that could cause an allergic reaction, introduce each new food on its own. Don't mix foods until you're sure each individual food is tolerated.


• Give your child cooked or homogenized foods.

Remember, following these steps doesn't constitute a guarantee. I followed them all, but my son still turned out to have multiple food allergies, some of which he's starting to outgrow now at age 4.

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