Tips for managing food allergies-3

Milk Allergy

For those of you who are allergic to milk , you will be happy to know that milk is one of the easiest ingredients to substitute.In baking and cooking ,it can be substituted with water or fruit juice. (one cup milk =one cup water).However many non diary products contain some hidden source of milk in the form of casein (a milk derivative) listed on the ingredient labels.Some meats may contain casein as a binder.Remember to check all labels carefully.Many restaurants put butter on steaks after they have been grilled to add extra flavour.the butter is not visible after it melts

Food allergy and asthma

Food allergies can cause both immediate and delayed patterns of asthma but is often overlooked.Immediate food reaction can cause sudden,dramatic,and life threatening asthma.Delayed pattern of food allergy can cause chronic and intrinsic asthma and /or bronchitis and are among the most neglected because diet revision can sometimes resolve chronic and severe asthma.

Food allergy in children

During the first year of life, the infant diet is the most powerful determinent of the child and food allergy is the most common health problem.There is little doubt that mother's milk is the best food for infants because it supplies generous amount of immunoglobulinA,the protective antibody which the infant bowel lacks.This antibody helps to protect the infant from bacterial infection and probably reduces the entry of antigenic food protein fragments reducing the incidence of food allergy.

Food allergy in infancy is expressed as crying, colic,vimiting,rashes,eczema,and cold like respiratory congestion.Some infants with food allergy fail to thrive unless their allergy is recognized and corrected.Infants who develop food allergy in their first year may out grow the first effects but these children will tend to grow into adults with more pervasive health, behaviour and learning problems unless their diet is properly managed.