By this stage, your child's appetite for good food is expanding with every day. However, food allergy and intolerances are common in children and they show up in little ones quite often. Getting the difference right is crucial to manage the situation easily and help your child to have a balanced and safe meal.
Food allergy Vs. Food intolerance
When your child’s immune system reacts in a major way upon ingesting a food, it is called food allergy. This means children with allergy towards a particular food can develop rashes, difficulty in breathing, or hives. Food intolerance on the other hand can cause allergic reactions that are not very severe but only produce discomfort and can be managed better than having a food allergy.
What you need to know:
• Experts believe that cow’s milk, soya beans, nuts, eggs, fish, prawns, and peanuts are common food allergy triggers.
• In the event of a food allergy your child needs to take anti-histamine medications.
• Food additives, food colours, MSG – Monosodium Glutamate, dairy products, citrus fruits, and tomatoes are commonly seen foods causing lactose intolerance.
• These allergies and intolerance can sometimes be lifelong or go away after your toddler enters adolescence. It completely depends on the food and the immune reaction produced by the body.
• It is good to look out for other possible risk factors like eczema, asthma, or allergic cold if your child is showing food intolerance and food allergies.
