Immunity & Allergies In Children

HOW TO BUILD THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AFTER ILLNESS

Having read the above, it stands to reason that the best ways to help build your child’s immune system after illness is to ensure that they’re getting the right nutrition, enough good-quality sleep, and are being as active as they feel able (never push a child to exercise after illness if they still feel they need to rest). Offering healthy immunity-boosting snacks is one easy answer to how to improve immune system strength, so stock your cupboards with the following:

• Yogurts fortified with prebiotics
• Walnuts – a source of omega-3 fatty acids
• Fruit and veg – especially those high in vitamin C
• Lean meat – a source of protein and zinc

While building your child’s immunity through a healthy, balanced diet is the preferred option, illness can affect appetite. Supplements are available to ensure that your child gets the right immunity boosting nutrients.

“If you’re considering supplements or any other kind of medicine for immunity in kids, you should consult with your child’s doctor first.”

FOOD ALLERGIES

A food allergy is a reaction of the immune system to certain foods. Children can suffer from food allergies, so you should introduce new foods gradually when weaning and watch carefully for any signs of an adverse reaction.

The most common food allergens in children include:

• Egg allergy
• Milk allergy
• Peanut allergy
• Tree nut allergy (i.e. almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios and pine nuts)
• Fish allergy
• Shellfish allergy

A true food allergy can have symptoms ranging from mild to life-threatening, so you should seek immediate medical advice if you have any concerns about your child and food allergies.

What Is Gluten Intolerance?

You often hear about people being allergic to gluten, however, gluten allergy is not medically recognized at present.

“Symptoms that occur after eating gluten could be due to an intolerance to gluten, an intolerance to wheat, a disease called coeliac disease, or something else entirely.”

RAISING A CHILD WITH FOOD ALLERGIES

Raising a child with food allergies can be challenging. Your primary concern as a parent will naturally be to keep your child safe from harm, and protecting a child from a food allergy is something that you have to consider on a daily basis – especially as they get older and start spending more time away from home and in the care of others.

The four-point plan to protecting a child with a food allergy is:

1 – Identify

Identifying the allergen is the first step. Your child’s doctor should be able to confirm a food allergy and offer further advice.

2 – Educate

Educating your child and anyone he or she comes in contact with is important. Some food allergies can be life-threatening, so it’s vital that anyone your child spends time with is aware of the allergy, the potential symptoms and how to treat an allergic reaction.

3 – Avoid

Avoiding the allergen is key to avoiding an allergic reaction. But this can sometimes be difficult, especially in the case of ‘hidden ingredients’ that may not be obvious without reading the ingredients list, potential cross-contamination, or if your child is eating outside of the home.

4 – Treat

Of course, if your child has a food allergy you need to have an emergency treatment plan in place, in case they do come into contact with their allergen. This will vary depending on the allergy and the severity of the allergy. Your child’s doctor will be able to advise.

As mentioned above, a food intolerance, such as a gluten intolerance that you may assume to be a gluten allergy, is less severe and can usually be controlled by avoiding the food that causes the symptoms. Keeping a food diary can be useful for identifying an intolerance, but, as a balanced diet is crucial for child development, it’s important not to make any radical changes to your child’s diet without first consulting with their doctor.