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Six to eight percent of children aged 4 and younger suffer from food allergies. The good news is that only two percent of adults do. Thus, there is hope that child will outgrow his allergies. Allergic reactions can vary from mild rashes to difficulty breathing. In severe cases anaphylactic shock with resulting death can occur – though these cases are rare. A child’s quality of life can be severely hampered by symptoms like colic, bloody stools, congestion and ear infections.

More than 160 different foods have been linked to allergies. The top eight, responsible for 90% of allergic reactions are

1. Peanuts has tremendous potential for anaphylactic shock. Just coming in contact with utensils  that was used in preparing food containing peanuts can set a severe reaction in motion.
2. Tree nuts including Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews and walnuts. A child can be allergic to only one type of nut, not necessarily to all three.
3. Fish like bass, cod and flounder
4. Shellfish such as crab, lobster, prawns (shrimp) can also cause anaphylacsis.
5. Egg is a common allergy with children and has the potential for anaphylactic shock. Sometimes an allergy can be limited to either the yellow or the white of the egg.
6. Dairy – this is a allergy to the protein in milk found in casein and whey. This is the most common childhood allergy with a whole array of nasty symptoms.
7. Cereals like wheat, rye, barley, oats and rice is rarely a cause of anaphylacsis but can cause many other symptoms. The more exposure a child has to a certain cereal, the bigger the chances of developing an allergy. For example in cultures where bread is a staple food, a child will most likely develop a wheat allergy.
8. Soy is a legume like peanuts but hardly ever has the potential for anaphylactic shock.  There seems to be a link between soy and dairy allergies which makes soy an unlikely option to replace dairy milk.

Fruit is another food group that has the potential to be an allergen. There seems to be a link between an allergy to pollen and a allergy to fruit. Another interesting fact is that latex, used for gloves, balloons, rubber bands and pacifiers has the same protein base as some tropical fruits. Therefore people who are allergic to mangoes and bananas are often allergic to latex. A fruit allergy normally has a mild reaction that is limited to the mouth. This is called the oral-allergy syndrome (OAS).

A latex allergy on the other hand (oops) can start within minutes causing a rash, asthma or in rare cases – anaphylactic shock.

A child has the potential to outgrow allergies to dairy, eggs and cereal by the age of six. Should a child not have outgrown an allergy by the age of 12, chances are that he is stuck with it for life. Allergies to peanuts, fish and shellfish and nuts are  normally life-long issues.

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