Any recommendations on how to approach my son’s diet avoiding allergic symptoms reactions?

I want to start expanding my son's diet. I know that I can include now some fruits among other new foods. But I don't want him to suffer from allergic reactions while we experiment with new foods. Any recommendation?

[CherieLu]

Hi JAMT,

A common-sense approach to expanding the child’s diet while avoiding food allergic symptoms is as follows:

• As with any child, solid foods need to be introduced gradually. This basically involves a move from pureed food, to slightly lumpy food, to bigger lumps and chunks, to finger foods and eventually to family meals. Every child is different and the pace of progression through these stages can vary a lot.

• As stated, wait until six months of age before introducing solid foods. This decreases the risk of a child developing new food allergies.

• Introduce only one new food at a time (e.g. rice, an individual fruit, an individual vegetable, etc). If the child does react to a food, this approach will allow easier identification of the offending food.

• It is known that some foods are more likely to provoke allergic symptoms than others. It is probably best to introduce less allergenic foods (e.g. rice, fruits, vegetables, meats) first before moving on to foods more likely to cause allergic reactions (e.g. egg, wheat, soy, fish). The doctor or dietitian can help advise on the order in which new foods should be introduced.

• Modern processed foods often contain many different ingredients, including cow milk. In order to better control what their child eats, many parents of allergic babies choose to cook their child’s meal ‘from scratch’. The doctor or dietitian can assist with this.

NON-Reactive Foods:

Rice, lamb, chicken, turkey

Salmon, cod, halibut, trout

Pears, apricots, apples

Olive oil, olives

Carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli

Squash, courgettes, cauliflower, beets

Most Common Reactive Foods:

Wheat, eggs

Peanuts, corn, soy

Chocolate, yeast

Citrus, tomatoes, aspartame, vinegar

Cinnamon, mustards, coco, raisins, pepper

Bananas, berries

Onions, peas

BEST!,

L