Understanding The Effect Of Food With Child Food Allergies

Child food allergies occur when the immune system develops antibodies to proteins found in normal everyday foods. When the body comes in contact with a certain food protein, the immune system mistakenly identifies the proteins as harmful invaders.

The antibodies trigger a release of histamines into the bloodstream, which causes the allergic reaction. Currently, researchers aren't sure what exactly causes the body to develop a food intolerance.

Another one of the most prevalent child food allergies is the milk allergy. This allergy is caused by two types of protein found in milk; casein and whey. Generally, a few minutes or hours after consuming milk, the individual will begin wheezing, vomiting or will have hives.

Over time, other allergy symptoms may turn up, like loose stools, diarrhea, cramps, runny nose, watery eyes or colic (in babies). An allergy to milk is differentiated from lactose intolerance because allergies involve the immune system attacking the body.

On the other hand, a food related intolerance involves the digestive system, with other problems like bloating, gas, diarrhea and vomiting. The only way to treat milk allergies is through avoidance of dairy.

While it may seem overwhelming to deal with child food allergies at first, there are many cookbooks and websites dedicated to helping you out. For instance, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network has a section for food allergy recipes at www.foodallergy.org/recipes.html.

You'll be able to search by breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts. You can find recipes for egg, wheat, milk, soy, peanut and tree nut allergies here. Or, if you prefer, you can also order The Food Allergy Cookbook (at www.foodallergycookbook.com), which contains over 260 allergy-free recipes.

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