Watching for Food Allergies
Posted on July 27th, 2009 – 11:18 AMBy May Chen
Our guest blogger today is Missy a.k.a. Marketing Mama…
Like many parents, I was taught to introduce solids very slowly to my baby.
Start with cereals, then fruits and veggies. Wait two to three days between new foods to watch for an adverse reaction. I followed the rules carefully with both my children. With no history of food allergies in our family, I wasn’t very concerned with my first child, Alex. He loved solid foods and never had a negative reaction.
We had an entirely different experience with my 18-month old daughter, Avery.
Her food allergy story starts with a serious case of eczema. Our pediatrician put me on notice early on: food allergies are at the root of about 40% of all cases of children with mild to severe eczema. That made me nervous. When she was six months old, I began introducing solids. I followed the rules, and watched her closely for symptoms.
I later learned that although people can develop food allergies to anything, only eight foods are responsible for 90% of all food allergies in America: eggs, milk, soy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts (such as walnuts and almonds), fish and shellfish. I also learned (too late) that allergens can transfer to children through breast milk.
I started to worry about food allergies as we neared her first birthday. When she tried cow’s milk, and later ate cake at her first birthday party, she got really itchy, agitated and had red marks on her skin (now I know they were hives).
I gave her children’s Benadryl and were determined she get food allergy testing at her 12-month well-baby check.
With only one week until that appointment, I served Avery scrambled eggs (with milk) for dinner one evening, not realizing it was one of the most common food allergens. Within 2-3 minutes she became inconsolable, had red streaking and hives on her face and trunk. Her eyeballs turned pink. She was coughing.
I quickly gave her children’s Benadryl, called the doctor and brought her into Urgent Care to be seen. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. (Looking back, I should have called 911 and had an ambulance take us to an ER.)
The doctor who saw her ordered allergy testing and a few days later we realized what we were dealing with: Avery had food allergies to eggs, milk, soy and peanuts. We were also told to avoid tree nuts, fish and shellfish, as she could develop an allergy to them as well.
Our whole lives changed that day. Learning that my daughter could die if she had even a small taste of certain foods almost put me into shock. After picking up a prescription for two Epi-pen Juniors (the children’s dose of the self-administering Epi-pen shot), I quickly moved from shock into action and began researching food allergies.
I was amazed to learn that food allergies are increasingly common in children. Those under age five have higher rates of food allergy than those six to 18 (this is in part because many children can outgrow food allergies after years of avoiding the food).
When tracking food allergies diagnoses over time, the Centers for Disease Control reports that the rate of food allergies of American children in 2007 was 18% higher than it was ten years earlier in 1997. Despite all the recent media attention on food allergy research, I learned there is no cure for food allergies, but there’s a good chance we’ll see one in the next ten years. Right now, the only way to prevent a food allergy reaction is strict avoidance.
The scariest thing about food allergies in small children is they can’t tell you about their symptoms, which typically appear within minutes to two hours after eating the food.
Little ones are also at risk of touching food residue (think sticky peanut butter fingerprints) and then putting their hands in their mouths, or eating unsafe food from a sibling or friend because they are too young to understand their food allergy.
Symptoms to watch for include: a tingling sensation in the mouth, swelling of the tongue, mouth (lips) or throat, difficulty breathing (coughing), hives, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness and even death. If your child shows any of these signs after eating a food, call your doctor’s office or 911 immediately.
If your child needs to be tested for food allergies, or has already been diagnosed, it’s very important you seek the care of a board-certified allergist with an interest in food allergies. Although pediatricians have some knowledge of food allergies, they are not specialists in this area.
Our family has been living with food allergies for six months, and new challenges present themselves each day. From learning how to carefully read food labels to partnering with our daycare provider to keep Avery safe away from home, food allergies are a big part of our daily lives.
For more information about my family’s journey with food allergies, food and product recommendations, visit my blog post Marketing Mama: All About Food Allergies. For official information on food allergies, many professionals and families turn to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network and the Food Allergy Initiative. I’ve personally benefited greatly from the fellowship, education and support of the Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota, along with hundreds of other local families.
Do you have a kid with food allergies? What resources have you found helpful?
18 Responses to "Watching for Food Allergies"
Thanks for the very eye opening info Missy ~
I always learn something when you write about food allergies. While I watched when Boo got peanut butter and eggs, my sister-in-law didn’t. Her child is allergic to peanuts now, can’t even be around it for airborne reactions. It really opens your eyes.
I never really gave food allergies much thought because it has never been an issue with anyone in our families. Your experience has taught me an important lesson. Thanks again, Missy.
My third boy is almost three months old. Since my milk came in he has always had intense bouts of gas pain—much more severe than my first two. The doctor says his digestive system is just immature. That may be, but I cut out dairy (seems to help somewhat), but I am concerned about a wheat allergy, but haven’t found much research (and am not so concerned that I am willing to cut wheat from my diet for two weeks :)). I will check out the links—thanks!
My daughter has a dairy allergy which we discovered when she was 6 months old. I have found lots of great recipe ideas online. One favorite site is http://www.godairyfree.org, but there are a number of great blogs which post recipes and food allergy experiences. I’ve found that when you find a website or blog devoted to one type of allergy, you’ll usually find others. Vegan recipes are also good for avoiding dairy and egg.
We’ve found the dairy allergy to be very manageable and not so scary; however, the few times that she has had a reaction has been when she’s with other people and not in our care. Thankfully her reactions are mild, but it is sometimes still scary to have her in the care of others.
I just went to your website- very thorough and wonderful information for others who are going through this. Our little boy has gone through so much with allergies and Eczema. We carry and Epi-pen at all times and it has truly made us so aware of all of the chemicals and synthetics in our home and life. We read all food labels now and really try sticking to whole foods and organic when we can afford it! Our son was really miserable with Eczema and after trying everything we could we finally found something to really help him. He takes Vidazorb probiotics and loves them! THey have made a huge difference with his skin and foods that he can now eat- I really feel like it has helped him from the inside out- not just treating his symptoms with harmful meds. I hope this helps others….I am on a mommy mission to spread the word 
My daughter has dairy and soy allergies that manifest with mild eczema. This is just something we’ve determined by elimination diets–we have not had an actual diagnosis from an allergist. Her dad was also dairy allergic till age 8.
I’ve been wondering whether it would be beneficial in this case to seek out an allergist or push to get an actual diagnosis. Or would this just result in unnecessary pokes? Any input is welcomed.
In our case, it does not seem to be the life-threatening type, just very mild eczema. It’s been pretty easy so far to keep dairy and soy out of her diet–she mainly flares up a little when I consume foods with dairy or soy and she gets them through my breastmilk.
She did have a RAST blood test done at around 15 months, and it came back negative for everything. But the nurse practitioner who followed up with the results said that under 2 there is a good chance for false negatives.
I think we have been managing pretty well on our own, but at the same time, I think it might be helpful to meet with a dietition who has experience with childrens’ food allergies to make sure we are meeting her nutritional needs while avoiding dairy and soy.
Missy, have you ever met with a dietitian to discuss nutrition, and how to make sure her needs are met while avoiding the allergens? If so, was it helpful and do you recommend it? And would we need an actual diagnosis to be referred to a dietitian, or can we seek out a dietitian without a referral?
Our daughter had lower than desired weight gain at her 12 and 18-month checkups, but I think we have figured out enough ways to get fats into her now that I think she’s gaining more weight.
Thanks for the helpful links–looking forward to checking them out.
My 2 year old son has not seemed to have any problems so far — peanuts were introduced when he stole a sandwich made for my nephew before anyone noticed. Fortunately he was ok.
My 8 month old baby is a different story — after lots of vomiting up Similac (and yes, I breastfed at least part time until very recently), we tried soy formula. BIG mistake! She threw up all day after just 2 oz of soy formula. She puked green slime and dry heaved and it was the absolute worst. Fortunately, GoodStart seems to go down okay for her, so I don’t think she has a true dairy allergy. But I have to watch her solids — her soy sensitivity is such that the Gerber brand cereals, which have soy lecithin and other soy derivatives in them, make her gassy and fussy. I hope she outgrows it, but knowing that she has one allergy/sensitivity makes me think very carefully about what she eats next.
My almost 1 year old daughter started to get Hives when we first introduced bananas in her diet - and always did. We have eliminated that from her diet - even though she loved them. Her pediatrician recommended this.
More recently - not sure if anyone has heard of an allergy to this I didn’t until I did research. We gave her the lil’ Crunchies from Gerber Graduates and for the first time ever she formed eczema - in June of all times. Her daycare thought it was ringworm- almost a week of taking her to urgent care (I just needed a signed note that said she could go to daycare) and trying to get in to her pediatrician - found out it was probably just dry skin. when I thought about it further and a few days later when I saw it happen I figured out it had to do wiht the lil’ crunchies. Her eczema turned bright red to a purple, and a friend pointed it out - it looked like a bunch of bruises on her shoulders. The only thing in those that were different from any other food was - Maltodextrin.
Has anyone ever heard of an allergy to this? Or know anyone who has this? Since i stoppped giving her those lil crunchies the eczema cleared up in about 24 hours! I tried one about a week later and a few spots came back. I am going to bring it up at her 12 month check up in just over 2 weeks.
D-
I believe that maltodextrin is often derived from corn, which is a common allergen. I know one woman who has a corn allergy who mentioned she has to look out for maltodextrin.
So you may want to be on the lookout for a corn allergy.
Thanks for all the great comments, e-mails and visits over on my blog! I’m so happy some of you found this information helpful!
I highly recommend that anyone suspecting food allergies get a referral to an allergist who has an interest in food allergies. Our allergist (who is great) is Tom Helm, MD, and you can find him at Allergy and Asthma Care. http://www.allergy-care.net.
Many insurance companies will cover allergist visits if referred by a primary care/pediatrician. (Of course, please check this out yourself and don’t take my word for it).
Pediatricians, and even dieticians, are not qualified to give much advice on diagnosing and managing food allergies. They know some, but not enough, information for families to live on for the long term, in my opinion.
Yes, Blood RAST tests can have false negatives and positives, however they can also be very useful in determining if real allergies exist. A food allergist will look at the results in combination with history. If you eat bananas all the time with no ill effects, but the test says you are allergic - then they will dismiss that.
One of my friends recently had her 1 year old tested and everything came back negative. A few months later he had some peanutbutter and had a horribly scary reaction. He was retested and now showed positive for peanuts, eggs and soy.
An important note- many times children will not have a reaction the FIRST time they are exposed to a food. It is typically the second or third time, once the body has confused it with a poison and the immune system kicks into gear. So it may be the 2nd or 3rd time with peanut butter or eggs that they have the reaction.
In my case, the reactions were immediate to eggs because my daughter had already been exposed to minute levels through my breastmilk.
Allergy testing can be done by blood or the skin scratching - my only experience has been with the blood (RAST) testing, so I can’t comment on the other. However as a parent you have the right to accept or deny any test recommended to you.
Jennifer, regarding the dietician question - I have not personally met with a dietician, however I’ve attended a meeting of the Food Allergy Support Group of MN where a pediatric dietician presented all about food allergies and answered everyone’s questions. She recommended different supplements when needed. She is the same person Dr. Helm suggested to us to consult with - however insurance doesn’t cover it, it’s all out of pocket, regardless of a diagnosis or referral (at least in my case).
To “E” - I had the same problem with the soy in some of the baby cereals our daycare fed my daughter - she had issues with those too. The organic ones typically don’t have those additives, so that’s good news for people who catch it early enough.
Vomiting is definitely a strong symptom of an allergic reaction. Please watch your kiddo closely for any other incidents like that and other symptoms such as a tingling sensation in the mouth, swelling of the tongue, mouth (lips) or throat, difficulty breathing (coughing), hives, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness.
Our allergist was able to teach us what combinations were safe to simply give Benedryl for (just a few) and which ones needed the Epi Pen. In our case, vomiting after ingesting a known allergen would result in using the epi pen jr and calling 911.
Feel free to e-mail me directly through my blog marketingmama.com if you have other specific questions for me.
Another thing to be aware of is products that contain the allergen that are not “food”. My daughter’s allergy includes skin contact with dairy, so products that contain milk have to be avoided. I read ingredient labels for lotions and shampoos among others. I’ve also seen new products made from milk such as yarn. Just something else to be aware of that is not obvious.
My 22 month old son was diagnosed (through trial and error and eventually RAST test) to be allergic to eggs, milk, and peanuts. Eggs and milk make him vomit profusely. He hasn’t had exposure to peanuts yet but that’s the scarier one so we have an epi-pen just in case. I have heard mixed opinions regarding total elimination or allowing small amounts of an allergen if they don’t have a reaction. My son LOVES Gerber cereal bars and never had a reaction to them. I was dimayed to find out they have milk in them. His Ped. said she thought it was ok to still give them to him since he doesn’t have a reaction. Plus, current studies show that exposing the child to small amounts of the allergen over time will help them grow out of the allergy. Having had allergy shots as a teenager, I tend to agree with that line of thinking.
Thanks for posting about allergies. This is a timely topic in our house, since we recently had a scary incident on Delta airlines when we discovered our DS5 has a peanut allergy.
Our DS5 had known dairy allergies since he was 1 (we found out in a similar way to Missy - bits of cheese or yogurt before his first bday gave him a rash around his mouth, which we now know were hives). We had asked the pediatric allergist on a couple of our yearly visits if we should be concerned about peanut allergies, because DS never wanted to try peanut butter or peanuts and so we didn’t know what sort of reaction he might have. He said he didn’t like the smell of it. She said since we didn’t avoid peanuts at home, then he’s likely been exposed to it with no ill effects. Well, when on a flight last month, DS decided to try a peanut, which they serve on Delta (Northwest had stopped serving these for years, but Delta is committed to supporting Georgia’s peanut industry). Within 15 minutes of eating one peanut, he started coughing nonstop. He also has mild asthma, and although I thought it might possibly be related to the peanut allergy, we ended up giving him a puff of albuterol. This helped him breathe a little better, but what really helped is that he threw up to get the reaction to stop. As we later found out he should have been given
an epipen shot. (Albuterol does nothing to stop an allergic reaction, as we now know.) DS5 tested positive for peanuts and many tree nuts (even tree nuts he had eaten loads of in the past.) The doctor said that it is relatively common to hear of kids who don’t like the taste or smell of particular foods that they are allergic to, so I would say it’s a good idea to pay attention if you’re dealing with one of the top 8 food allergies.
If you suspect food allergies, please see a pediatric allergist. The symptoms that you believe are mild now may get worse in the future, and if you are prepared with an epipen, you can save your child’s life. As for the choice of giving Benedryl versus epipen, our doctor told us that Benedryl has never saved anyone’s life — the epipen is the best way to stop the reaction. We are going to incorporate this into the plan for the school when DS starts kindergarten in the fall (we will not be listing Benedryl as a choice of treatment for an allergic reaction). The doctor said that if a teacher has a choice between epipen or Benedryl, they will almost always choose Benedryl. Epipen shots are safe for otherwise healthy children, even if it turns out they didn’t really need it. Parents need to go in to schools and daycares and make sure the teachers/caregivers know how to use the epipens and know what the signs of a reaction are so they know when to give a shot.
Anyone who discovers their child has food allergies will quickly become an expert label reader. There are allergens in some very surprising things (e.g., milk in McDonalds french fries). And companies change their products regularly, so you must read labels every time you buy something. To be safe, you should call companies to check if they also process any of the allergens your child has. (Although the labeling laws now require companies to list the major 8 allergens in bold, I do not think there is a law requiring companies to state if the food is processed in a facility that also processes the major allergens.) Lots of makeup, soaps, and lotions contain nut oils, so if your peanut/nut allergic child is highly sensitive. Deli meats are sometimes sliced on the same slicer with cheese or cheese-containing meats. Most breads have milk added to them.
Here is a great forum where you can talk about food allergies and find support, recipes, and loads of other resources. http://allergy.hyperboards.com/
You can even search for a particular food to see if people with similar allergies have had any problems.
We got a little bit of good news at our latest pediatric allergist visit. Our DS5 will likely outgrow his dairy allergy (which seems to be the hardest to avoid). The peanut allergy is likely with him for life, though. Oh, and since our incident with Delta, we have since flown safely. You must contact the airline ahead of time and request a peanut-free buffer zone, and you can board early to wipe down the seats, buckles, pockets, and windows. Peanut protein cannot be killed with things like purell - you must actually wipe it away. Luckily, support for food allergies is pretty easy to find.
Missy -
Congratulations on writing your article over here.
I just wanted to say - for everyone else that will read this - Missy has been an excellent resource for me to go to regarding my son’s allergies. Her blog is a great starting point to look at and she is definitely more than helpful if you have questions for her.
I appreciate your willingness to help as much as you do.
I guess I should also add for anyone who may have had a similar situation -
Our son has eczema and it is/was pretty bad. I just knew there had to be something wrong, that he was allergic to something - even though my gut said it was milk, it turned out not to be that.
We had him tested for allergies and the only reaction we got to anything was latex. Odd. Lots of dr visits later and after a scary encounter with peanut butter (he got a hold of his sister’s PB sandwich) we discovered he had an allergy to peanuts. It was bad enough that I had to call 911 - now that’s terrifying. I took the steps that I did because of things Missy had told me happened to Avery and I remembered this.
We made our trek into the dr’s office after the paramedics came so they could check him out and I FINALLY got a referral to go see Dr Helm (from Missy’s recommendation, of course!) We had him re-tested for allergies and this time they did a 20-food panel and the results came back that he was allergic to peanuts (duh!) egg whites and minimally to soy.
So, I just wanted to say, if you think there is something going on, try and get it tested. Don’t give up when the drs tell you no and if you don’t think something is right, GET A SECOND OPINION, don’t wait until it’s too late.
Thank you!!! This is very timely. My 8 1/2 month old son is allergic to egg and wheat. I insisted on allergy testing (even when the doctors said it wasn’t necessary) when he broke out in really bad eczema at 3 months. I am really glad I did, because I am breastfeeding and was eating an egg a day. After me eliminating egg from my diet, his ezcema got much better. However, as we are introducing solid foods (very carefully), we are finding additional foods he is sensitive to - such as cow’s milk yogurt and soy yogurt (my daughter had yogurt from 7/8 months and still eats it daily with no issues at all). So now I fear he has developed more allergies - soy and dairy. We have an allergist for him, however, I didn’t know about the resources mentioned in this blog so I am now in the process of looking into those. It is so hard to find good, solid information on all this - - and medical professionals all have such varying opinions on everything, it is hard to know what to do sometimes.
Missy,
Thanks for posting an insightful blog on childhood allergies.
