Children as Special Patients 189proven right – just twenty years ahead of my time. The American College
of Asthma, Allergy, & Immunology developed a consensus document for
introducing solid foods into an infant’s diet to avoid development of food
allergies, and they published the new guidelines in the July 2006 issue of the
Annals of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.
In it they acknowledge that cow’s milk and dairy products should
be withheld from the diet of infants at-risk of allergy and intolerance. Based
on a review of fifty-two studies, they suggested that early introduction of
solid foods can increase the risk for food allergy, that avoidance of solids
can prevent the development of specific food allergies, that some foods are
more allergenic than others, and that some food allergies are more persistent
than others. The authors write: “Foods should be introduced one at a time
in small amounts. Mixed foods containing various food allergens should
not be given unless tolerance to every ingredient has been assessed.” [Ann
Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2006; 97:10-21.]
Incidentally, continuing breast-feeding beyond twelve months
seems to carry a slightly increased risk of allergic disease.
One step ahead
For those women with time to plan, the best time to look ahead to baby’s
health is before you become pregnant. It is a curious fact that humans go
to a great deal of effort to get animals into peak condition for breeding,
and yet we don’t trouble to do the same for ourselves. Farmers are very
familiar with the fact that sickly, ill-fed stock will breed young in similarly
poor condition. Prize animals are given the best of all they require in the
way of good food and nutritional supplements before going to stud. I think
it is high time we started applying this principle to parents-to-be.
Veterinarians are especially good at nutrition. We could learn a
great deal from them.
Obviously, if you are contemplating getting pregnant, now is the
time to sort out your own personal health and get rid of those harmful
foods that don’t suit you; the same applies to your partner. After you have
conceived may be too late. The reward of a healthy, bouncing child full
of energy and free of the sadly common complaints of colic, snuffles,
crying attacks, hyperactivity and the whole catalogue of ‘normal’ childhood
problems is surely well worth the effort. You may follow up the dieting
regime with nutritional supplements. Just bear in mind that any vitamin or
mineral supplement pills and formulas can be allergenic.