Food Allergies In Children

Children are very prone to food allergies as their bodies are not as strong as that of an adult. The number of children that are allergic to food is steadily increasing today – in actual numbers as well as a percentage. The most common foods that children develop an allergic reaction to are dairy products, eggs, milk, wheat, nuts and soy. Some of them though are only childhood allergic reactions and in most cases, the child will grow out their allergic reaction as they grow older. It means, the food allergies in adults are the ones which they have got in childhood.

Some common food allergies in children are as follows:

• Milk Allergy – this is not the same as lactose intolerance, where the child is allergic to the two main proteins in milk: whey and casein.

Among children, it is largely infants that develop this allergy: this is mainly to cows milk, goats milk and sheep milk.
• Egg Allergy – once again, it is mainly infants and toddlers that are allergic to the protein in either the yolk or the white of the egg. By their sixth birthday though, the child would have out grown this reaction. There are some vaccines that can be given to help combat this but it is best to wait it out.
• Wheat Allergy – it is to some of the proteins in the wheat that the children are allergic to. Usually by the time the child hits puberty, they will have outgrown this reaction. If not, it is best to get this checked as it can lead to other allergies – such as nasal allergy and / or asthmatic conditions. Children allergic to wheat are often not allergic to the other grains.
• Soy Allergy – this does not affect many children and the ones that are allergic to soy will outgrow it soon. It is best to avoid it in the child’s diet even though it is not a very serious allergy that can cause harm.
• Nut Allergy – this can be two types of allergies. Either a peanut allergy which is quite serious as it can lead to asthma and shortage of air in the wind pipe. Usually, this allergy is not outgrown even with the onslaught of adulthood. Children with this allergy need to seriously monitor their diet. The other nuts that children might be allergic to are cashew nuts, walnuts, hazel nuts, pistachios, almonds etc.

This condition is not as severe as the pea nut allergic reaction as most children out grow it by the time they attain adult hood.

Submitted on January 16, 2014