64 March 2014 www.womanthismonth.com by DR JINAN DARWISH Spotting Food Allergies Since paediatricians are apprehensive about food allergies, the American Academy of Pediatrics tells parents to introduce one new food at a time and to wait a few days before introducing another new food. This, of course, proctors repetition, not variety. Clearly the policy is well-intentioned, but it does not help avert allergies; it just makes it easier for parents to identify food allergies. The policy does, however, make it difficult for parents to teach their children good eating habits. In France, where the child allergy rate is 3.24 percent there are no such ‘go slow’ recommendations. One study found French parents made an average of 18 changes in the foods they offered every day. This resulted in French children developing a more diverse palate. More importantly, they develop the habit of eating a variety of different foods. The early exposure leads to an imprinting-like phenomenon, such that those flavours are not only preferred but they take on an emotional attachment. Of course, food allergies can be grave; so do not undermine the need to be on the lookout for them. There are few things to keep in mind when developing a child’s food habits. • The classes of foods parents normally introduce first (rice, cereal, fruits and vegetables) are the least likely to be allergenic. Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a non-profit research organisation in LIFESTYLE | column Philadelphia, have identified several sensitive periods for taste preference development. One is before three-and-a-half months of age, which makes what the mother eats while pregnant and breast-feeding so important. • The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology now recommends that parents introduce potentially allergenic foods to their children when they are between four and six months old. Waiting any longer may escalate the risk of food allergies. • Allergic reactions to food are seldom fatal. A new study published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy shows that the incidence of children dying from a food allergy is more than 10 times lower than their chances of dying from an accident. Food allergies can always be recognised with hindsight. It is easy to imagine a policy that would not pit allergy identification against eating habits. Introduce as much diversity as possible during weaning. Researchers believe that the taste preferences that develop at crucial periods in infancy have lasting effects. In fact, changing food preferences beyond toddlerhood appears to be extremely difficult. If your family has a history of food allergies, then talk to your paediatrician about when and how to introduce foods like shellfish and peanuts. Paediatricians should alter their advice to parents on how to introduce solids to their infants’ diet. Right now, it is passé, overly guarded and in conflict with current research on how good eating habits develop.
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