The Basics of Child Food Allergies

Some children are susceptible for child food allergies; hence it is essential that the foods that cause discomfort or hazard to children with food allergies need to be identified and isolated from the child’s food items. This will provide food allergy relief by preventing the child from getting food allergic reactions.

Child Food Allergies—Allergy vs. Intolerance

Irrespective of the differences in the definitions of allergy vs. intolerance there are no functional differences except that the food intolerances have lesser negative effects on the child than allergy. Normally the food allergy could be severe and can become life threatening. Both allergy and intolerance can cause misery to the child and the parents are only interested in knowing how the child can become normal.

Common Child Food Allergy Triggers

Theoretically all food items can become an allergy trigger in a child; however in practice the child food allergy occurs when the child is exposed to a specific food item more. This is mostly the case, but there could be exceptions. This implies that the child food allergies in most of the cases occur when the child is exposed to most commonly eaten foods.

On the whole there are seven most common child food allergy triggers; these are:

	Milk – Normally the child is allergic to cow's milk; however, a child with a milk allergy is also susceptible for sheep or goat's milk allergy. The allergens affecting the children are milk protein, whey or casein. Reaction to lactose is categorized as child food intolerance. About 85% of the children do not have milk allergies beyond the age of five.
	Eggs – This allergy constitute the largest number of child food allergies and are caused by either the white or yellow (yolk) or both content of the egg. Only 15% of the children after the age of five suffer from egg allergies.
	Peanuts – Nowadays the food allergy reactions to peanuts are getting importance mainly because peanut allergies are severe and can be life threatening; further it is difficult to identify the products which contain peanuts. In 80% of the cases peanut allergies continue to affect children even after the age of five.
	Tree Nuts - tree nuts and peanuts are not the same and are totally different; it is not necessary for child having peanut allergy to also have tree nut allergy and vice versa. In fact, most of the people suffer either of these allergies; however, in places where peanuts and tree nuts are produced, there are cases of people getting allergic to both these nuts. Hence it is advisable that children having peanut or tree nut allergies are advised not to eat any nuts at all.
	Wheat – wheat protein causes wheat allergy in children and results in a variety of symptoms and reactions. Fortunately, most children outgrow wheat allergies beyond a particular age; this is an advantage since most of the common staple foods contain wheat and wheat proteins.
	Soy - Soy or soybean allergies are relatively harmless and children get over it early in most cases. Soy is a legume and is related to the peanut. Soybean allergens are “homologous” to known peanut allergens and are recognized by 44% of peanut-allergic patients. What that means is that a child with a peanut allergy can have an allergic reaction and even go into anaphylaxis after eating soy.  Because this cross-reactivity is rarely mentioned in the press, many parents are unaware of the potential health risks that soy may present to children with peanut allergies.
	Fish and Shellfish – the fish and shellfish are normally lumped and served together although they are physically different. A child with a fish or shellfish allergy will continue to have this allergy even after childhood and the reactions to this allergy are very severe. It is advisable to avoid all types of fish or shellfish in case the child has allergy for either of them.

Symptoms of Child Food Allergies

The child food allergies are varied just as the causes are varied. The symptoms of child food allergy are itchiness, hives, swelling, skin rashes, facial swelling and extreme difficulty in breathing.  It is not necessary that this allergy should occur immediately after eating food; this could be immediate or delayed and there could be other problems such as stomach upset, nausea, diarrhea or constipation.

Reacting To Child Food Allergies

The treatments for child food allergy are not different from the treatments given to any other form of childhood allergy; one main advantage in providing food allergy relief is that it is easy to avoid this allergy if we are able to identify the allergy triggers. The main worry will be when the child finds extreme difficulty in breathing and move air; under such circumstances urgent medical help is to be sought.