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Allergen-Free Kid Food

August 6, 2010 – 6:56 pm

One of my friends, L,  has a sweet 13-month-old baby boy who is very sensitive to several foods, including eggs, milk (dairy), wheat, fish, beef, chicken, pork, corn, and lamb.  Basically he has to be on a gluten-free, corn-free, soy-free, vegan diet.  Eosinophilic esophagitis is the name of lil fella’s particular trouble.  I think they’ll do great on the allergen-free diet, and it should be able to provide everything Little Guy needs to grow and develop healthily.

I have another friend, A,  who also has a sensitive child.  Several months back, she was getting pressure from her pediatrician to give her little girl dairy milk to provide her with necessary fats. My friend didn’t feel good about this intuitively, as she notice her child had a runny nose after drinking milk, and was asking me for ideas for alternatives.

I myself have a history of food sensitivities, and, with my own little one on her way, I’m definitely keeping in mind the possibility of her having some too.  I’m also thinking about how best to eat now, so as to prevent her from having immune issues in the future.

So that’s all to say I’ve been thinking quite a bit about kid and food allergies/food sensitivities.  Parents should be on the lookout for signs of food sensitivity.  In particular, runny nose, excess mucous, skin rash, GI distress, headaches, and frequent infections can all be signals of a food sensitivity. Food sensitivities aren’t the end of the world, and usually there are plenty of ways to provide kids with the nutrition they need — it will just require a bit of extra planning and learning on the parents’ part

Here are some things I’d do if I had a child with food sensitivities (to dairy, soy, corn, wheat):

• Feed her avocados, coconut oil, and fish oil or flax oil for healthy fats.  Kids need DHA, which is found in high concentrations in fish oil, but if my child couldn’t tolerate fish, I’d give her flax, which contains the precursor to DHA: alpha-linolenic acid.  Coconut and flax oil can be mixed into foods like oatmeal or rice cereal or mashed veggies.  Coconut oil is an excellent source of healthy saturated fats (remember how not all saturated fats are bad? I’m reminding you.).
• Feed her a wide variety of legumes for protein (this is more important after weaning).  If she’s older than 12 months, I’d feel ok about giving her smooth almond butter and sunflower butter.  I’d wait till she’s older for peanut butter, as peanuts are more likely to be allergenic.
• I’d try to choose higher-protein grains like quinoa and amaranth, and always use whole grains that have all their fiber and minerals in tact.  Quinoa is actually a complete protein, containing all of the necessary amino acids, and is very versatile.
• In place of cow’s milk, I’d choose hemp, almond, and coconut milks; and I’d rotate them.  I wouldn’t give exclusively one or the other.  Hemp milk has approximately the same percentage of fat content as cow’s milk, roughly 3%, except the fats are a good mix of omega-3, 6, and 9. Cow’s milk has a higher ratio of omega-6 fatty acids, and it contains arachidonic acid, both of which are pro-inflammatory and may bother little immune systems.
• I’d supplement vitamin D, especially after weaning, unless I was certain my child was getting adequate amounts of sunlight.
• I’d supplement with a high-quality probiotic.  Studies show that kids who get probiotics have fewer ear infections, colds, and runny noses, and their immune systems are healthier.  Kids need healthy bacteria, especially, ESPECIALLY if they’ve been on antibiotics.  (Incidentally, I think nursing and pregnant moms should also supplement with probiotics.  Well, actually I think everybody should.  So there.)
• I’d try to nurse as long as I could.  We have tons of data that tells us that breastmilk helps kids have healthy, balanced immune systems.  Since food sensitivities are an immune system issue, I’d try to support my child’s immune system with breastmilk.
• I’d routinely offer a wide variety of fruits and veggies, in all colors.  This would ensure that she’s getting a wide array of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, as well as fiber.
• I’d do my best to feed her organic food.  If I know I’ve got a sensitive child, I want to try to keep toxins to a minimum to avoid over-burdening her already-hyper immune system.
• To try and prevent the appearance of food sensitivities in the first place (not always possible), I’d wait to introduce solid food until she was at least 6 months old.  Until then, I’d give her breastmilk. Some people with sensitive children wait even longer for solid food.
• I’d be vigilant about introducing new foods one at a time, and watching closely for any reaction.  The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, which is a great resource for low-allergen recipes, has an excellent section on introducing solid foods to infants
• And I’d try to remember that kids have sensitive, immature little pallets; if she doesn’t like it today, she may like it tomorrow; or it may take several introductions.

That’s where I’d start.  I’m not a doctor; nor am I a Dietician. I’m a person who just finished up a Master’s degree in Nutrition, and who has had food allergies/sensitivites myself, and I have my own bambino on the way.  This is what I would do, and I’ve based it on my own education and research.  You should talk to your trusted healthcare provider if you’re unsure about something.  And by all means, you should educate yourself; if my friend A. had just blindly done what the pediatrician told her to do and given her child cow’s milk, her kid would have a constantly snotty nose and who knows what else — but she went with her gut and made the decision to educate herself in order to help her child be as healthy as possible.

I think the chapter on feeding children in Natural Baby and Childcare by Dr. Lauren Feder, which I’ve posted about before,  has some great advice and would be worth reading through for parents of food-sensitive children.  However, I differ with her about coconut oil.

Do you have a food-sensitive child?  Have you developed strategies for feeding him/her that work? I’m all ears…