Common Signs of Food Allergies

Common signs of food allergies

Respiratory Passages:

Runny nose, sneezing, wheezing, stuffy nose, watery eyes, bronchitis, recurring ear infections, persistent cough, congestion, rattling chest

Skin:

Red sand paper like facial rash, hives, swelling in hands and feet, dry, scaly, itchy skin (mostly on face), dark circles under eyes, puffy eyelids, lip swelling, tongue soreness and cracks.

Intestines:

Mucousy diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gassiness, excessive spitting up, vomiting, intestinal bleeding, poor weight gain, burn like rash around anus, abdominal discomfort.


Specific to Infants:

•Redness around mouth usually within 1-2 hours or around the anus within 12-24 hours,

•Abdominal bloating, gas and distension

•Constipation, diarrheaa or foul odour to stools

•Vomiting or frequent spitting-up

•Nasal and/or chest congestion and runny nose, chronic middle ear infections, asthma

•Red, chapped eczema-like skin on face, groin, bottom or anywhere on the body.

•Colic, fussiness, difficult sleeping

•Failure to thrive, loss of appetite

*Allergic symptoms can occur within minutes or within days after the food is ingested.

Why does this happen?

A baby’s system is designed for maximum absorption of breast milk. From the mouth to the colon, their system is designed to digest and absorb the nutrients found in breast milk alone. They do not produce sufficient enzymes to digest a wide variety of foods. Their stomachs produce minimum amounts of gastric acid to ensure the survival of the live immune cells and beneficial bacteria found in breast milk. Finally, and most important, their small intestines are relatively permeable and absorb foods with much less discretion than that of an adult.
This enhanced absorption can and will allow undigested proteins from food to pass into the bloodstream and this is where allergies can be triggered. When an undigested protein enters the bloodstream the body recognizes the substance as a foreign invader (or antigen) and produces an immune response to fight it. This immune response is what we know as an allergic response. The allergy can be permanent or the baby may outgrow it at a later date. Either way it is a stress that you and your baby would probably rather avoid.
this is why it is so important, if you cannot breastfeed, to ensure that whatever you decide to give your baby is very easy to assimilate and as close to breastmilk as possible. 
*Please see our page on First Food Guidelines for more info.