Baby Food Allergies – All you Need to Know

January 12, 2010 by mbelcher · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS 
In recent year we have seen an increase in the susceptibility of allergies. Baby food allergies are of particular concern as the source may be difficult to detect.

Baby food allergies are as common as adult food allergies.

If your baby appears distressed for no apparent reason or has unexplained areas of itchiness to the skin, then perhaps he or she has a baby food allergy.

What is an Allergy?

An allergy can be defined as an intolerance to a particular substance when touched, inhaled, injected or ingested.

When our body is exposed to a substance that causes an allergic reaction the response may be nasal or respiratory congestion, itchy or runny nose, watery eyes, diarrhea, or itchy rashes anywhere on the body.

Baby Food Allergies – Can My Allergies be Passed on to my Baby?

If you tend to have an allergic reaction then your baby may have a tendency to be allergic also.

However you and your baby may not share the same food allergies or be allergic to the same substances.

You may have asthma, while your child may develop hay fever.

Baby Food Allergies – How to detect them

It can sometimes be difficult detecting the cause of baby food allergies. If you think your infant has a baby food allergy, eliminating the following products from their diet may help.

• Milk and dairy products

• Eggs

• Nuts

• Shellfish

• Citrus Fruits

Once you have eliminated each of these food groups from your baby’s diet, you can begin to reintroduce them gradually one by one.

Wait a few days before the introduction of an additional food group and do not mix food groups.

If your baby has a baby food allergy you be able to detect it by monitoring his or her reaction to the introduction of these individual food groups.

Baby Food Allergies – Can they be prevented?

Breastfeeding your baby for the first six months of his or her life helps to reduce the incidence of allergies earlier on in life.

Try to avoid giving your baby pre-prepared foods that contain additives, or tinned or packaged foods.

Baby Food Allergies – When are they Most Likely to Occur?

Baby food allergies can occur at any time. Many babies are allergic to, or have an intolerance to cows milk and your baby may develop an allergy to other milk or wheat products, shellfish, nuts or citrus fruits.

If your baby has an allergic reaction after eating a particular food, you should see the signs within an hour.

Baby Food Allergy – Signs to Look For

The symptoms of a baby food allergy could include swelling or itchiness of the lips or tongue, wheezing or a skin rash.

Some babies may develop an intolerance to particular food groups.

If your baby has a food intolerance, symptoms might include diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, colic or wind.

Treating Baby Food Allergies

As long as you can find the cause, then the best way to treat a baby food allergy is to refrain from giving your baby that particular food.

If your baby is experiencing related symptoms then the allergy could be pollen related rather than a baby food allergy. Non food substances that could also cause an allergic reaction include pet hairs, tobacco smoke, feather pillows, perfume or dust mites.

Baby Food Allergies – Healthy Alternatives

If your results indicated that your infant is experiencing baby food allergies, here are some non allergic foods that you can try introducing into their diet.

• Mangoes, apples, grapes

• Barley, oats, rye

• Cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes

• Chicken, salmon

If in any doubt you should seek professional help to determine whether it is a baby food allergy or something more serious.

Baby food allergies are quote common and with a little work are fairly easy to detect. Once you have detected the source of your baby’s food allergy, the simplest way to eliminate the symptoms is to remove the cause.



By: Sacha Tarkovsky

About the Author:

MORE FREE INFO

On all aspects of health and more on babies visit our website for a huge resource of articles, features and downloads and at http://www.net-planet.org/index.html



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What foods can I eat if I suffer from a food allergy?

January 7, 2010 by mbelcher · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS 
When someone suffers from a food allergy or food intolerance they automatically think that the solution is to remove the suspect food from their diet altogether. Although this does improve the symptoms a worrying concern is that my removing or restricting certain foods the person does not replace it with an alternative or suitable replacement.

The problem with removing foods from the diet is that nutrient deficiencies could occur leading to poorer health and illnesses.

Dairy products are often identified as a cause of a food allergy or food intolerance and people reduce their consumption of milk and dairy foods or remove them completely from their diets.

The problem with this is dairy foods are most peoples main source of calcium. A healthy intake of calcium is linked to lower rates of osteoporosis and other bone related illnesses.

Milk and dairy is also a major source of Vitamin D and a deficiency of Vitamin D has been linked to heart disease and cancer.

It is therefore important that if you remove milk and dairy products from your diet that you find suitablre alternatives. So what options are available?

Instead of Milk

Instead of drinking milk look out for products such as Soy Milk, Rice Milk or Lactose free milk. Lactose free milk is still made from cow’s milk, but it is altered so that its lactose levels are much lower.

Instead of Milk Chocolate

Instead of eating milk chocolate try chocolate made from carob, soy or rice milk. The difference in taste is marginal and you can try different brands until you find one which tastes great.

Instead of Ice Cream

Instead of eating milk based ice cream look out for soya based frozen desserts which come in all the popular ice cream flavours.

Instead of Cheese

Instead of cheese there are many different brands of dairy free cheeses made from soya. Some do not melt as well when the cheese is used for cooking, so you may need to shop around until you find the right brand.

Wheat is another common food allergy and food intolerance causing food which people remove from their diets. Removing wheat can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well as reducing a persons fibre content. What can be eaten when wheat foods are removed from the diet?

Instead of Cereals

Instead of wheat based breakfast cereals look out for corn or rice cereals. Porridge or soya based cereals are also a great alternative.

Instead of Bread

Bread can be replaced in the diet with rice cakes, crisp breads and corn thins. A good variety of wheat free breads are also available from shops and bakeries.

Instead of Pasta

Instead of pasta look into trying rice, quinoa, amaranth, lentils or buckwheat (despite its name buckwheat is not wheat related).

Instead of Biscuits

Biscuits can be replaced with fruit bars, fruit fingers and different varieties of cereal or fruit biscuits.

If you are embarking on an elimination diet or removing foods from your diet due to a food allergy or food intolerance, take care to replace the foods you remove with suitable alternatives to ensure you maintain your health and wellbeing.



By: Jack Prime

About the Author:

For further advice on natural foods and diets, visit Food Advice and Support

For food allergy treatment, advice and common trigger foods visit the Help for Food Allergy website.



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How To Maintain A Balanced Diet With Food Intolerance

November 18, 2009 by mbelcher · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS 
Coping with food intolerance would mean that you will have to forgo certain food. Does that mean that you might not get the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs? It is not true that you will develop any deficiency when you follow a balanced diet plan. There are many foods that would healthily and readily replaced the vitamins and mineral found in the food which you are intolerance to.

The best diet plan for people with food intolerance is to have a Balanced Diet. Maintaining a balanced diet means ensuring that we have a balanced daily intake of protein, fats and carbohydrates.

Eat a balanced diet consisting of the following food group:

Meat and Fish are valuable for their protein and other nutrients. You can get iron from red meat, liver and calcium from fish. Meat, fish and eggs are sources of high biological value proteins. A meal with either fish or meat will ensure that we get the essential proteins per day.

Fruit and Vegetables are a major source of minerals and vitamins. Some fruit and vegetables also contain starch and sugar essential energy for our body. Take as wide a variety as possible to ensure a broad spectrum of nutrients.

Grains such as cereal and breads provide carbohydrates, vitamin B, calcium and it is also a good source of fibre. People that have a reaction to wheat can still get the desired carbohydrates from other non wheat grain such as millet, buckwheat and rye.

Milk and Dairy products provide calcium and other minerals, protein and fat soluble vitamins. Nutrients in dairy milk can obtained from other sources like soya milk and oat milk. Most of us obtained calcium through dairy milk hence in order to continue our intake of calcium, they are also found in fish, shellfish, parsnips, sesame seeds and walnut.

Beans and Pulses are an important low fat source of protein especially for vegetarians. They contain starch and dietary fibre which is an ideal energy food. Beans and pulses are also rich in vitamin B and minerals.

Nuts and Seeds are an important source of protein, fibre and essential fatty acids especially Omega 3 which have been proven to reduce heart disease. It also contains many essential vitamins such as A an E, minerals such as phosphorus and potassium.

Your intake of essential minerals and vitamins will not be reduced when you maintained a balanced diet in your daily meals. Not only will you discover new cuisines and new ingredients, you can be free from your ailments and feel well again.



By: Jenn Lim

About the Author:

Jennifer Lim has condensed her research and experiences which she hope could help others in similar condition. Get more information on food intolerances and tips on coping with food intolerance in facts on food intolerance



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Cure your Ibs Symptoms Through Ibs Diet

July 30, 2009 by mbelcher · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS 
Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS is a disorder that didn’t become commonly known until 1992. Although IBS is still largely a mysterious disease, it is now more easily diagnosed by doctors because more symptoms have been identified. Some symptoms of IBS include stomach cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. IBS is not a life threatening disease, but it can cause great discomfort, distress and embarrassment to people who suffer from it.

Many IBS sufferers claim that their IBS symptoms are exacerbated by certain foods. If you have IBS, you will need to do some trial and error before you can identify exactly which food trigger your IBS symptoms. Keep in mind that the foods that trigger IBS in other IBS sufferers may not trigger your IBS symptoms and vice versa. This is because IBS is a very individual disorder.

The first thing that most people do once they are diagnosed with IBS is get on a strict diet, avoiding most food groups. In general, this is not a good thing because it deprives the body of the necessary nutrients in order for it to function. If you have been diagnosed with IBS, the best thing you can do is start taking out the more common IBS trigger foods from your diet. These foods include the following:

* foods high in oil content such as cooking oil, butter, spread, sauce, salad dressing, fried food and fast food

* milk and dairy products

* solid chocolate

* alcoholic drinks

* caffeinated drinks like coffee and soda

* foods that contain MSG, preservatives, additives, and artificial flavoring and sweetener

* sugar alcohols, which cause diarrhea

* foods like broccoli, corn and cauliflower that can cause gas

* starchy foods like potatoes, pasta, pumpkin, noodles and rice

While there are foods that can trigger IBS symptoms, there are foods that are safe for people with IBS:

* foods that contain soluble fiber (e.g., oatmeal, rice, banana and white bread)

* foods that contain insoluble fiber (e.g., raw vegetables and fruits)

* tofu, which is a rich source of protein and is easily digestible

* probiotics, which provide good bacteria in the gut for strengthening the digestive system

If you are worried that you won’t be able to eat foods you like because of your disorder, there’s good news. You only really need to avoid IBS trigger foods for a while to give your digestive system time to stabilize. You can then slowly add back some foods into your diet. However, you need to do this one food at a time. If your digestive system accepts the food without triggering any IBS symptoms, you can continue consuming it. It can be very time consuming to identify the foods that are safe for you and the ones that can trigger your IBS symptoms, but there is no other way you’ll find out.



By: Jen Miller

About the Author:

Are you looking for an IBS Cure ?Then it is vital to first have a good knowledge of what IBS is and how to mange it. Symptoms Of IBS is a comprehensive resource with lots of information on Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Jen Miller is a health and fitness enthusiast. She currently runs a website at http://www.symptomsofibs.org to help people deal with IBS in their lives.



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