How to Spot Food Allergies Early – How to identify a food allergy or food sensitivity. Common reactions to the foods children eat can help you locate problematic foods in their diets.
Know which foods to target in their diets so you can begin to identify troubles early start their path to wellness on the right food without all the guessing. Learn how to spot food allergies early on in development.
How to Spot Food Allergies Early
We hear conflicting stories from the news media and doctors about the rise of children’s food allergies. The standard scratch testing is good for airborne such as dust, pets, trees and grasses but not as accurate when it comes to foods. Your “mother’s” intuition may be right on because you are there when your child reacts. What no one tells you is that it can take minutes to days for your child to react to the allergen. There are different levels of allergens, too. From full blown life threatening allergies like peanuts to hard to detect “sensitivities” that affect skin, moods, bowels/gut and behavior to name a few.
How children become sensitive to foods may be because they eat the same foods every day. Studies have shown a correlation between eating the same diet and a reaction to foods, the most common food allergies being.
OAKLAND COUNTY MOMS FAMILY HEALTH ARTICLES
How to Spot Food Allergies Early – Common Food Allergies & Symptoms
- Egg – eczema and bowel problems
- Corn – stomach, mood and skin
- Cocoa and chocolate
- Beef, pork and chicken
- Peanuts
- Oranges and Grapes
- Sugar – mood and sleep (ADD/ADHD)
- Soy – it is an estrogen (soy is in everything now)
- Cow Milk – (cheeses and cream) – asthma, bowel, stomach, skin
- Wheat / Gluten – pasta, bread, crackers, cereal
- Food Additives & Dyes
How to Spot Food Allergies Early – Leaky Gut
Reactions vary from mild to severe depending on the quantity and frequency of the food eaten. A child will react to a food because they are having trouble breaking it down in the stomach, then the undigested food leaks out of the small intestine and the immune system reacts to it in the blood. This is called leaky gut. The more antibiotics your children have been on the more likely they are to have leaky gut.
How to Spot Food Allergies Early – Watch for These Symptoms & Reactions
- Nose – frequent nasal stuffiness or watery, runny nose, a small half wrinkle just above the tip of the nose from rubbing the nose
- Earlobes – The earlobes may feel warm and look very red. Red earlobe tips
- Cheeks – suddenly become red (blushing)
- Lips and mouth – puffy and swollen lips dry mouth. Cracked lips and corners of the mouth
- Runny nose – you have just eaten something you are sensitive to
- Skin – rashes may be associated with dairy
- Bowel problems
- Constipation – may be associated with wheat sensitivity, diarrhea may be associated with dairy sensitivity
- Stomach aches – may be associated with soy
How to Spot Food Allergies Early – The Dangers of Sugar
Sugars and high fructose corn syrup are Neuro toxins to the brain. Sugar affects the immune system, physical or sports performance, the immune system, and sleep and concentration levels. Sugar also interferes with normal appetite. It’s also VERY addictive!
Remember children usually crave foods they are allergic to. Also you may get an immediate reaction or it can take up to a week for the reaction to materialize. That is why sensitivities don’t show up well on standard allergy testing.
Many cases of ADD/ADHD can be traced back to sensitivities to sugar, wheat and food dyes/colorings.
Today’s children are being exposed to many more toxins in their food chain than we were and they are just reacting to it.
Food Elimination Tips To Get the Ball Rolling
My advice is to keep it simple. Get the sugar and dyes out first, then look at soy since it affects the hormones in both boys and girls. If you are still getting reactions start an elimination diet. Take one food a month out and see how they react. Remember it may take months of being off a food before the body can heal enough to reintroduce it.
The right enzymes and probiotics can be helpful in rebuilding the gut and healing the food sensitivities. Be sure and read your labels; there should be no sugars in the children’s probiotics.
Contact Lee Rossano of Advanced Nutritional Solutions at 248-652-4160 for more advice on how to spot food allergies early on visit her website at www.nutritional-solutions.com.
