Childhood Nutrition: Building Healthy Eating Habits
Food allergies and intolerances are common in children, but can often be managed effectively with dietary modifications. A food allergy is an immune system response to a specific food protein that can cause symptoms ranging from mild itching to life-threatening anaphylaxis. In contrast, a food intolerance is a digestive system response to a food component, such as lactose or gluten, resulting in symptoms such as bloating, gas, or diarrhea.
Some common food allergens in children include:
Symptoms of a food allergy may include hives, itching, swelling, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing. Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can be life-threatening, requires immediate medical attention. In addition to avoiding the allergen, children with food allergies may require medication such as epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis.
Food intolerances in children may be caused by a variety of factors, including lactose intolerance, celiac disease, or sensitivities to food additives such as MSG. Symptoms of food intolerances may include abdominal pain, bloating, gas, or diarrhea. Treatment may involve avoiding the offending food or using digestive aids such as lactase supplements for lactose intolerance.
It is important for parents and caregivers to be aware of food allergies and intolerances in children and to take steps to prevent them from occurring. It is also important for them to work closely with healthcare providers to properly diagnose and manage food allergies and intolerances in children.
All courses were automatically generated using OpenAI's GPT-3. Your feedback helps us improve as we cannot manually review every course. Thank you!