Common food allergies affect around one in 17 children in the UK and cases are rising fast, if your child has a food allergy, the only way to keep them safe is to avoid any food to which they are allergic, however, if your child has an allergy to common foods e.g. milk, or multiple food allergies, this can be more of a challenge.
The only reliable way to know for certain if your child has a food allergy is to get them professional diagnosed, its important not to self-diagnose the allergy as you may be putting them at risk of nutritional deficiencies, e.g. a lack of calcium if you cut out dairy products.
According to the British Dietetic Association( BDA), around 5-8% of children have a food intolerance rather than an allergy, the symptoms aren't usually life-threatening, but they can cause significant discomfort and distress, they include diarrhea, weight loss, bloating and allergy-like rashes, there is no reliable test for most food intolerances, except celiac disease( gluten intolerance ), other than the elimination diet.
Allergy versus intolerance symptoms
Food allergies
Usually immediate reaction
Small amount of substance triggers symptoms
Often severe symptoms
Same reaction each time
Food intolerance
Slower or delayed reaction
Can usually tolerate small amounts of substance, excessive or prolonged exposure usually triggers symptoms
Much milder symptoms
Reaction may vary
Some children have an asthma attack or develop a rash on exposure to certain food additives, usually sulphites, benzoates and tartrazine.
There is also evidence that some artificial food colouring can affect children's behaviour, making them seem hyperactive, this is a form of food tolerance rather than an allergy, and common culprits are:
Sunset yellow ( E110)
Quinoline yellow ( E104)
Carmoisine (E122)
Allura red (E129)
Tartrazine (E102)
Ponceau 4R (E124)
Contact the Hyperactive Children's Support Group (HACSG) to learn more about the link between food and children's behaviour
Everyone should eat healthy balanced diet, but this isn't always straightforward if you have a food allergy or intolerance, you wont want to restrict your child's diet so much that they begin to resent eating or worry about whether foods are safe, this is why you should seek professional dietary advice from a dietitian, a dietitian can advise on a healthy eating for allergic or tolerant children and suggest suitable food substitutes, especially for wheat or dairy
The only reliable way to know for certain if your child has a food allergy is to get them professional diagnosed, its important not to self-diagnose the allergy as you may be putting them at risk of nutritional deficiencies, e.g. a lack of calcium if you cut out dairy products.
According to the British Dietetic Association( BDA), around 5-8% of children have a food intolerance rather than an allergy, the symptoms aren't usually life-threatening, but they can cause significant discomfort and distress, they include diarrhea, weight loss, bloating and allergy-like rashes, there is no reliable test for most food intolerances, except celiac disease( gluten intolerance ), other than the elimination diet.
Allergy versus intolerance symptoms
Food allergies
Usually immediate reaction
Small amount of substance triggers symptoms
Often severe symptoms
Same reaction each time
Food intolerance
Slower or delayed reaction
Can usually tolerate small amounts of substance, excessive or prolonged exposure usually triggers symptoms
Much milder symptoms
Reaction may vary
Some children have an asthma attack or develop a rash on exposure to certain food additives, usually sulphites, benzoates and tartrazine.
There is also evidence that some artificial food colouring can affect children's behaviour, making them seem hyperactive, this is a form of food tolerance rather than an allergy, and common culprits are:
Sunset yellow ( E110)
Quinoline yellow ( E104)
Carmoisine (E122)
Allura red (E129)
Tartrazine (E102)
Ponceau 4R (E124)
Contact the Hyperactive Children's Support Group (HACSG) to learn more about the link between food and children's behaviour
Everyone should eat healthy balanced diet, but this isn't always straightforward if you have a food allergy or intolerance, you wont want to restrict your child's diet so much that they begin to resent eating or worry about whether foods are safe, this is why you should seek professional dietary advice from a dietitian, a dietitian can advise on a healthy eating for allergic or tolerant children and suggest suitable food substitutes, especially for wheat or dairy
A dietitian may suggest that your child tries an elimination diet to check for food intolerances, it involves removing specific foods or ingredients from your child's diet to see if the symptoms clear up, you then reintroduce these foods, one at a time, to see if the symptoms recur.http://www.allergy-zero.com/
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