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Infant Feeding
Introduction to Food Allergy
in Children
Case
Studies
Health
Problems
Tonsils
& Lymph Nodes
Ear Nose
& Throat
Digestive Problems
Eczema
& Hives
Asthma
Headaches
Food Allergy
Milk Allergy
Learning Problems
Hyperactivity
Bladder & Kidney Problems
Leg
Pains
 Children's Health Center
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Children are exposed to major health problems from their food supply.
In affluent countries, the children's food supply tends to be the most processed and
chemically contrived of any age group. Food manufacturers and vendors advertise their
synthetic, processed foods directly to youngsters, and generally succeed in marketing
their products. Boxed, canned, and bottled foods, fast foods, snack foods, candies,
chocolate bars, slushies, burgers, pizzas, and pop all form the food vocabulary of our
adolescents and many of our younger children. wedding photographer connecticut
Some problems, such as food-borne infection, insufficient food and malnutrition, are
painfully obvious in third world countries but also occur closer to home because of
poverty, ignorance, and neglect. Other food problems are less obvious and may not be
recognized; these include major, pervasive biological disturbances from inappropriate food
choices, food excesses, nutrient deficiencies, food allergy, and chemical toxicity from
food additives and contaminants. Children of poor families with limited food choices are
more obviously at risk of malnutrition but children of more affluent families may also
suffer malnutrition in the form of wrong food choices, caloric excess, nutrient
disproportion and even vitamin mineral deficiencies when packaged and processed food
replaces real food. md5 checker
Food Allergy is Common
During the first year of life, the infant diet is the most powerful determinant of the
growth and development of the child and food allergy is the most common health problem.
Many studies show that breast feeding is best and that the feeding of solid foods is best
delayed to 6 months or longer to reduce the chance of food allergy.
Food allergy in infancy is expressed as crying, colic, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes,
eczema and cold-like respiratory congestion. Some infants with food allergy become
seriously ill and fail to thrive unless their allergy is recognized and corrected. Infants
who develop food allergy in their first year may "outgrow" the first effects but
tend to grow into children with more pervasive health, behavior and learning problems
unless their diet is properly managed.
Food allergy is a complex series of events which involves the interaction of food
materials with the immune system inside the child's body. The effects can be multiple and
symptoms can stretch out over time, involving the child in a series of repeating health
problems. We refer to delayed patterns of food allergy as the "great imitator",
since immune responses to food materials can produce the symptoms of many diseases. The
most common problems are sore throats, ear infections, lymph node swelling, digestive
disorders, skin eruptions, especially eczema and hives, respiratory problems from runny
noses to asthma or pneumonia, headaches, muscle and joint pains, and abdominal pains.
Physical and Behavioral Problems are Linked
We recognize the association of physical symptoms with emotional, behavioral and
learning disturbances. The emotional-behavioral problems we see in children with faulty
diets range from depression to attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity.
The earliest disturbances are often irritability, moodiness, and sleep disorders,
especially nightmares and night terrors. Some children are hyperactive and become
difficult to manage at home and later in school; they tend to be impulsive, easily
distracted, and may be unusually aggressive or prone to anger and tantrums.
Other children wilt and withdraw, often with chronic or recurrent symptoms such as
headache, stomach aches, leg pains, sore throats, middle ear infections and complaints of
general malaise and fatigue. The depressed children express grave self-doubts and
occasionally alarming thoughts that life is not worth living. At school, learning
difficulties are caused by inattention, memory loss, distractibility and often the
inability to carry out instructions without constant reminders.
Problems with Common Food Rules
For years, official food rules suggest that children eat from the four food groups:
milk, eggs, meat, and whole grain cereals as staple foods. Boxed cereal and milk is a
common breakfast. The cereal has been nutritionally fortified, and so has the milk;
nutrient intake may be satisfactory by nutrient accounting, but what about the impact of
the food on the child as a whole?
We have found that milk and wheat allergy is common in children and may cause both
physical symptoms and also contribute to learning and behavioral problems. A peanut
butter-jam sandwich and a carton of milk must be the most common school lunch, followed by
the most common afternoon symptoms - flushing, congestion, fatigue, irritability, and
inability to concentrate.
There are many ways for food problems to interfere with a child's normal functioning
and to promote disease. We assume that several problems interact in a complex manner
to produce the symptoms and dysfunction that we seek to remedy. It is always necessary,
therefore, to correct nutritional problems by complete diet revision using the the Alpha
Nutrition Program.
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