Say Aah!

Excluding highly allergenic foods from your babys diet to prevent allergy is a myth. So go on. Introduce your baby to cheese, eggs, wheat, and fish now.

While some girls have lip balms and lipsticks in their beauty arsenal, those who have allergies carry morecreams, antihistamines, inhalers, and everything that can lessen the effects of asthma attacks and eczema. But while these are incurable (unfortunately), developing them can be prevented, if you start early.

Doctors believe that kids already afflicted with one allergy are more likely to develop a more potent one. The early onset of atopic dermatitis or eczema, for instance, increases the likelihood of other allergies being developed. Experts call this allergic march, which can affect infants as young as three months old. And by the time a baby turns one, he or she may develop food allergies. These can develop into season allergies or, worse, asthma when they reach three to five years old. But of course, these are just possibilities. The allergic march may not happen at all, or be developed later in life.

SLOWLY BUT SURELY

Food is a common allergen. In fact, about 30 percent of the cases of eczema that infants, three months to one year old, develop are triggered by food. Knowing this, some parents have excluded highly allergenic foods (cows milk, soy, eggs, wheat, fish, and shellfish) from their babies diets, believing that doing so can help prevent allergies.

More recent studies, however, say that there is no reason to delay the introduction of these foods to infants beyond four to six months. In fact, depriving babies of those kinds of food can increase their risk of developing allergies and suffering from malnutrition. This, according to Dr. David Mark Fleischer, American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAI) allergy guideline author. The myth of not introducing allergenic food to kids at an early age is not true. In 2008, research even says that it is better to introduce them early to milk, eggs, and fish. We dont have enough data, however, on peanuts, explains Dr. David.

So, go on. Its okay. Introduce your kids to dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, cows milk protein, egg, soy, wheat, fish, and shellfish. AAAI, however, reminded moms to only introduce these highly allergenic foods in small amounts after other solid foods have been fed and tolerated. If their babies have no reaction, moms can gradually increase the amount every after three to five days. Single ingredient infant food such as rice or oat cereal, yellow and orange vegetables (squash, carrots, sweet potato), fruits (apples, pears, bananas), and green veggies can be introduced to a baby one at a time, every after three to five days. This process identifies and eliminates any food that may cause allergic reactions. But then again, nothing beats a consultation to a pediatrician, who will be able to tell you whether your baby is allergic to certain allergens, to peanuts, or have moderate eczema.

DRINK AWAY

But what about infant milk? Still the best milk for babies, breastmilk can help prevent the development of allergies. Exclusive breastfeeding for at least four to six months may reduce the incidence of atopic dermatitis/eczema, early onset of wheezing, and incidence of cows milk protein allergy. If, for some reason, you cannot breastfeed your baby, Dr. David recommends getting your baby to drink partially hydrolyzed whey formulas and extensively hydrolyzed casein formulas, which may also lower infants risk of developing allergies.

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Say Aah!