Food Allergies
&
Lactose Intolerance
In Children
throat. These symptoms usually develop fairly
quickly after your child ingests the food he is
allergic to, often within minutes to hours.
Symptoms may be mild or very severe,
depending on how much of the food your
child ingested and how allergic he is to the
food. A severe reaction can include
anaphylaxis, with difficulty breathing,
swelling in the mouth and throat, decreased
blood pressure, shock and even death.
Food intolerance vs. food allergy:
What's the difference?
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*This is the current guideline, but new studies
are leading researchers to believe that
introducing solid foods as early as 4-6 months
is possible and that avoiding what are thought
to be highly allergenic foods might not be
necessary. Parents who should take caution
are those who have food allergies themselves
as food allergies are shown to be hereditary.
Managing a food allergy
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How to Prevent Food
Allergy
Intolerance
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Common foods that children are
allergic to:
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Peanuts
Tree Nuts (Walnuts, Pecans, Etc.)
Fish
Shellfish
 Eggs (Especially Egg Whites)
 Milk
 Soy
 Wheat
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breathing, itchy skin rashes, including hives,
vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain
and swelling around his mouth and in his
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Not an immune
response
Common
Can tolerate
small amounts of
food
Discomfort
Cramping
Bloating
Gas
Diarrhea
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Allergies/Intolerances:
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Signs that your child may be
allergic to food: wheezing and difficulty
Immune response
Uncommon (2% of
adults and 6% of
children)
Triggered by small
amount of food
Tingling of the mouth
Hives
Swelling of the throat
Breathing difficulties
Dizziness
Fainting
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Breastfeed children until 4-6 months old
When using formula use partially predigested, protein hydrolysate formulas
No solid foods until 6 months old
Introduce new foods one at a time to watch
for reactions
At 6-12 months introduce vegetables, fruit,
rice, and meat.
At 1 year introduce milk, wheat, citrus,
corn, and soy
At 2 years introduce eggs
At 3 years introduce fish and peanuts
Check all ingredients
o Allergy alerts are only given when the
food may have come into contact with
an ingredient by accident. If the
ingredient is included on the list, a
notice is not posted
Listing ingredients is purely voluntary and
a company may not list all ingredients
o Just because a product doesn’t state an
allergy alert, doesn’t mean it isn’t a
threat, so parents should be prepared
for an emergency
Food preparation at public places
o You have to be careful of crosscontamination between your food and
a possible allergen. Voice to the chef
that there’s a food allergy, and again
be prepared for an emergency situation
Treating a food allergy
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Best method is to avoid food all together
o Check all labels before it is ingested
If food is ingested by accident
o An antihistamine can treat mild
symptoms (i.e.Benadryl)
o In severe cases of anaphylactic shock,
an adrenaline/epinephrine shot
must be given very quickly, so
have one handy if you know
your child has severe allergies
Lactose Intolerance vs.
Lactose Allergy
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Difficulty in tolerating milk can be caused
by 2 different substances: milk sugar
(lactose) and milk protein.
Lactose intolerance is a digestive condition
and results from the body not being able to
produce the enzyme lactase which breaks
down lactose.
-symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal
cramping, bloating, or gas after eating dairy
products
An allergy to lactose occurs when the body
releases immune factors in response to milk
protein.
-symptoms include dry, itchy rash or
swelling of the face, lips and mouth or
hives, runny nose and watery eyes.
Is lactose intolerance common in
children?
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Extremely rare in healthy, full-term infants
During the third trimester of pregnancy an
infant’s lactase level increases, therefore
intolerance is common in premature babies
who cannot produce adequate lactase yet.
Soy based formula can be used
Prevention and Treatment
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Since a child’s growth and development is
dependant on a healthy, balanced diet of
carbohydrates, fats and proteins as well as a
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wide variety of vitamins and minerals, care
needs to be taken when restricting the diet.
Get calcium from other sources like
broccoli, oranges, soy milk, etc.
Other nutrients to be concerned about are
vitamin A & D, riboflavin and phosphorus.
Reintroduce dairy into the diet slowly to
allow bacteria in the colon to adapt.
Sources:
American Academy of Allergy Asthma &
Immunology Brochure updated 2006,
copyrighted 2007
http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publiced
mat/tips/preventioninchildren.stm
Diagnosing and Treating food allergies.
http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510
,5692,00.html Updated 28, April 2001.
Food intolerance vs. food allergy: What's the
difference? June 6, 2006 By James Li,
M.D. and Mayo Clinic Staff.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/foo
d-allergy/AN01109
"Lactose Intolerance in Children." Grand,
Richard. Pediatric Views. April 2007.
"Lactose Intolerance." August 2006.
http://www.babycenter.com. accessed
July 10, 2008.
Managing food allergies.
http://www.nuconnexions.com/Allergy
/manage.htm 14, July 2008.
Questions for Final:
1.If you can eat small amounts of a trigger
food, do you have an allergy or intolerance?
2.In regards to question 1,which causes an
immune response?
3.At what age should fish and peanuts be
introduced to a child?
4.What is the best way to introduce new
foods?
5.When the body releases immune factors in
response to milk protein it produces a dry,
itchy rash or swelling of the face, lips and
mouth or hives, runny nose and watery eyes
= _______________.
6.What trimester of pregnancy does an infant’s
lactase level increase?
7.What is the key in managing a food allergy?
Answers:
1. Intolerance. 2. Allergy. 3.Three years of
age. 4. One at a time to watch for reactions. 5.
Lactose Allergy. 6. 3rd trimester. 7.check all
ingredients, beware of cross-contamination,
and be prepared with epinephrine shot if
needed.
Group Members:
Katie Cahill, Jennifer Heller, Kelly Lesemann,
Jacqui Grant, and Ember Beutel