Food Intolerance and Allergies
Is food allergy the same as food intolerance?
Not exactly. Intolerance is a broader term that simply means that the baby’s body is not tolerating or accepting a certain food, which might result from numerous causes. Allergy is a type of intolerance where the reaction is due to sensitivity related to the immune system or the defense system of the body.
What are the symptoms of food allergy?
Food allergy affects especially the gut, the skin, or the breathing system. There may be one or multiple problems, such as vomiting, colic, diarrhea, skin rashes, itching, nose stuffiness, chest congestion, coughing, or wheezing. In rare instances, the allergy may be very severe and so sudden that it causes shock and even death.
How will I know if my baby is allergic to certain foods?
You may suspect food allergy if you have noticed on more than one occasion that certain symptoms appear after eating a particular food. The diagnosis, however, should be settled by a doctor who might need to perform special tests.
Can the baby be allergic to more than one thing?
Yes. The baby may become allergic to multiple foods or substances inhaled from the air.
If one child has a formula intolerance, will subsequent children have the same problem?
Not necessarily. If a child has allergy to food or other things, subsequent siblings have a higher chance than normal to develop allergy, in general. However, the most common cause of allergy in infants is food.
If babies spit up, does it mean they have an allergy?
Spitting up of small quantities of formula is common in babies, particularly if they were overfed, swallowed air from the bottle, or were jostled after feeding. However, if there is vomiting, the baby should be examined by a doctor to determine the cause. Food allergy is just one of numerous causes of vomiting.
My baby has colic; should I change the formula?
Allergy is just one of many causes of colic. Switching to various formulas, without asking the doctor’s advice, may not only be disappointing but also may delay the diagnosis and treatment of other causes of colic.
Do foods found regularly in prepared baby foods cause allergies, and should those foods be avoided in the first year?
Any food may cause allergy, but the most common during infancy are egg and cow’s milk, which should not be given until after 1 year of age. The baby can grow well feeding on breast milk or infant formula alone until 6 months of age; then juices and prepared baby foods can be introduced gradually.
Many of my friends have their babies on a soy formula. Are soy formulas as good as the other formulas?
Soy formulas are less commonly used than cow’s milk-based formulas. Both types are similar regarding their nutritional value and both may cause allergy. But a baby can be allergic to one and not the other.
I am allergic to milk. Could you advise me on a non-milk formula, since I want to have good nutrition for my breast milk?
If you are definitely allergic to milk, you should avoid milk and all its products. As an adult, you do not need to take a non-milk formula, even while you are lactating. The quantity and quality of your breast milk does not depend on your milk intake but on adequate nutrition in general. You may need a calcium supplement.
My baby has milk intolerance. Which formula should I use?
Babies may not tolerate milk for different reasons that need to be sorted out by the pediatrician. If milk allergy has been confirmed, the doctor might choose a milk substitute. This can be a soy formula (which may not be tolerated by about one-third of milk-sensitive infants), a milk protein hydrolysate formula (which rarely causes allergy), or an elemental formula.
Do solid foods cause allergies if begun too soon?
Yes, particularly if begun before 6 months of age in babies who are genetically predisposed to allergies.
My baby is allergic to cow’s milk. Will he tolerate goat’s milk?
It is unlikely. Several protein fractions are similar in both types of milk, which makes goat’s milk inadvisable for infants allergic to cow’s milk.
Will dry or powdered milk also cause allergy?
Yes. Most protein fractions in dry or powdered milk are similar to those in the regular formula or homogenized milk. Only a few milk-sensitive infants may tolerate dry milk.
Does heating the milk or formula make it nonallergenic?
No. Heating, or even boiling, may denature (change the chemical structure) of only a small fraction of milk proteins. However, that fraction is less responsible for allergies than are the fractions that resist heat.
Should beef meat be eliminated from the diet of my milk-sensitive child?
In general, no. It is very rare that a milk-sensitive child cannot tolerate beef meat. Although these two foods share a small fraction of protein, that fraction is mostly denatured in well-cooked meat.
Should I read the labels of commercially prepared food for possible presence of milk?
Absolutely! Manufacturers may add milk to adjust the flavor or taste of numerous other foods. You need to look not only for milk, but also for milk derivatives, such as cheese, casein, caseinate, and whey.
My 9-month-old baby is allergic to milk. I have not been giving him milk or any dairy products. His symptoms have become much better, but they still come back every now and then. Why is that?
Your baby might be intermittently getting small quantities of milk in a hidden way (eg, in bread or other foods) or might be allergic to additional foods that were not originally discovered.
I had a lot of allergies and am currently pregnant. Is there a way to prevent food allergies in my baby?
The chance for your baby to get food allergies can be substantially reduced by doing the following:
- Breastfeed from birth and for as long as possible, preferably for 6 months or more.
- Eliminate from your own diet, while lactating, the most common allergenic foods (cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, and fish).
- If supplementary feeding is needed, ask your pediatrician for a hypoallergenic formula.
- Do not introduce other foods before 6 months of age. Start with juices, baby fruits, and vegetables.
Do children outgrow food allergies?
They often do, either after months or years, depending on their degree of sensitivity and compliance with the elimination diet.
Can the infant outgrow one allergy and develop another?
Yes. As long as the infant is born with an allergic tendency, there is a chance of outgrowing one type or one manifestation of allergy, only to develop another.
I have heard that babies can actually bleed because of milk allergy. That is scary; is that true?
Intestinal bleeding from milk allergy often occurs in the small intestine in small quantities that would not be detected visually, but, over prolonged time, can cause anemia. On rare occasions, large quantities of bleeding occur from the colon and are thus seen in the stools; when this happens immediate medical attention is needed.
Can my baby catch an allergy from someone else?
No, an allergy is not contagious.
We suspect our baby is allergic to milk. When should I have the baby skin-tested?
Allergy skin testing can be done at any age. However, if only one food is suspected, the diagnosis may be settled by documenting the effect of a trial of elimination and then reintroduction of that food.
Are the common formulas different in regard to their ability to cause an allergy? Is there one formula with a particularly low likelihood of causing allergy?
Yes. The conventional infant formulas (whether derived from cow’s milk or soybean) cause more allergy than the protein hydrolysate formulas. The latter, particularly the extensively hydrolysed ones, are well tolerated by the vast majority of allergic infants.
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