Children are more prone to develop allergies due to their immature immune and digestive systems. Allergy is a debilitating condition that limits your child's ability to eat certain foods. One allergy is hard enough but sometimes your child is allergic to multiple foods. If your child is showing symptoms of allergy after eating, peanuts, tree nuts, milk or soy, avoid any foods that contain these ingredients and immediately consult your doctor. Allergies can cause a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction that requires a shot of epinephrine.
Milk and Soy
Children that are allergic to cow's milk can also show reaction to sheep, goat and buffalo milk as well as soy milk. Avoiding products that contain dairy can be a challenge since many foods contain milk or milk proteins, including yogurt, ice cream, chocolate, caramel, butter and cheese. In addition, any processed food that list whey, casein or lactose as an ingredient is off the limits. Unfortunately soy is the most common milk substitute in ice creams and yogurts, so replacing these products with a soy- and milk-free option is even more challenging task.
Nuts
Peanut allergy is a common food allergy in children and perhaps the trickiest since peanuts find their away into a lot of food products. A peanut is actually a legume and belongs to the same family as beans, lentils and peas. However, the proteins in peanuts are structurally similar to the proteins of tree nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, macadamias, pecans, pistachios and Brazil nuts. Therefore, children who have a peanut allergy have 30 to 60 percent chance of developing allergy to tree nuts as well, according to the AllergicChild.com.
Symptoms
Immediate symptoms of allergy can include skin reactions, such as hives and redness, itching around the mouth or throat, stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, wheezing and breathing problems. In case of anaphylaxis, your child may also experience constriction of airways, swelling of throat, drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness. If your child has a history of anaphylaxis, she needs to carry two doses of epinephrine with her at all times. Talk to your doctor if you suspect your child has an allergy. Many conditions have similar symptoms and thus, it is essential you get the correct diagnosis.
Substitute Foods
The only way for your child to avoid getting symptoms of allergy is to avoid any foods that may contain the allergens. Milk and soy can be replaced by potato, rice or oat milk, cheese with rice cheese, ice cream with sorbet, and butter with dairy and soy free margarine. Sunflower butter is an excellent substitute for peanut butter as long as your child is not allergic to seeds as well. Great substitutes for peanuts and tree nuts are pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds that contain similar nutrients and are excellent for snacks. Always check the ingredient list in food labels. Many foods you wouldn't even expect can contain nuts and dairy or are made in the same factory as products containing these. Luckily children usually outgrow their allergies by the age 3, according to the MayoClinic.com.
