Hypoallergenic diet for a child: menu, grocery list

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Moms of children with recurrent atopic dermatitis can confidently state that a hypoallergenic diet for a child is a topic that is topical for them. They are almost "pros" in this business. Why almost? To fully possess the data and know how to deal with this scourge, you need to be an allergist with great experience and constantly updated knowledge. And best of all, scientists, preferably a geneticist, because diseases such as atopic dermatitis, asthma, eczema and other allergic reactions of the body have a genetic nature.

Allergy theories

Allergy, in any form, is characteristic of almost the entire population of the earth. Almost every person suffers from an allergy to some irritant, if not from infancy, then later in life. The developed hypoallergenic diet for a child (2 years and older) corrects the situation only for a short time. Currently, there are many diverse theories about the origin of allergies.

Theory One: Industrialization is to blame

Those who zealously fight for sterility blame the unsterile environment for everything.

But ohHow can you talk about pollution? Most of today's population breathes much less smoke than their forefathers who stoked stoves. So smog seems like an unconvincing cause for allergies.

But all kinds of chemicals actively used in industry, getting into the air, cause allergic reactions.

Theory two: our smaller brothers are to blame for everything

Some believe that the danger lies in carpets, furniture, mattresses, or rather, in the droppings of microscopic dust mites, which live in whole families in household items that are difficult to sterilize.

Theory Three: Cleanliness is injurious to he alth

Dirty, unwashed hands blame obsessive hygiene.

There is a theory that the cleaner the child's environment, the more likely it is to have allergic reactions. It is noticed that children who have an older brother or sister suffer less from allergies. Most likely, this is because such a child is exposed to street dirt and dust from infancy.

Scientists think that for the normal development of the immune system, the body needs contact with bacteria, especially soil bacteria.

Theory four: worms

The following theory suggests that allergies result from the activity of immune system cells responsible for fighting off worms. In antiquity, the immunoglobulin-E-dependent system waged an endless struggle against parasites of all kinds. There was no time left for tick excrement or cat hair. Today, in the era of central water supply, this system is not busy with anything and is hypersensitive to any irritants.

What all scientists agree on is that the appearance of allergies is due to a genetic predisposition, in other words, heredity.

Battle of the Sexes

People often associate their predisposition to allergies with their mother's illness. This is due to the fact that in men, allergies, as a rule, manifest themselves in childhood and completely disappear in adulthood, while in women it is vice versa. It appears in adulthood and does not go away. Which leads to the conclusion that the mother is to blame for the appearance of an allergic child. Although no one canceled the genetic mutation of the father. She only ceased to show herself outwardly, but was probably passed on to the child. The hypoallergenic diet for children (3 years and older) that comes to the rescue only slightly corrects the situation, but often upsets relapses.

The nature of atopic dermatitis

In order to choose the right diet for atopic dermatitis, you need to know exactly how and why it occurs.

Atopy is a hereditary predisposition to various kinds of allergies. Whether it's asthma, eczema, allergies or anaphylaxis, these are all manifestations of the same syndrome associated with the work of certain body cells activated by the same immunoglobulin E molecules.

Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common allergic diseases, manifesting itself during the first 6 months of life.

Scientific research in the field of molecular medicine has now led to an understanding of the nature of the biological defects that occur in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis is based on chronic allergic inflammation. A hypoallergenic diet for a child who received such a gift as an inheritance helps to partially improve the condition.

The development of atopic dermatitis has many factors, but immune disorders play a leading role among them.

The main deviation from the normal state of the immune system organs and impaired immune response during the development of atopic dermatitis are changes in the ratio of Th1/Th2 - lymphocytes towards Th2 helpers, which leads to a change in the cytokine profile and high production of specific IgE antibodies.

In other words, the Th2-dependent immune system becomes unnaturally overactive. And this system is precisely responsible for the destruction of parasites on the mucous membrane and in the intestine, which is accompanied by a massive release of histamine. The latter, in turn, has the same effect on allergies as gasoline on a fire. Hence the common misconception that if a child has atopic dermatitis, then it means that he has worms. However, knowing how the immune system works, it is worth drawing the opposite conclusion: if there are worms, then atopic dermatitis is unlikely to manifest itself.

Treatment of atopic dermatitis in children

The treatment of atopic dermatitis is multi-stage, but the main factor, of course, isearly intervention. The faster and more adequate the treatment, the greater the chance that the disease will not go into a chronic stage.

The main points in the treatment of atopic dermatitis are:

1. Identification of allergens and their exclusion from a child's life. For example, if a baby is allergic to wool, then the cat or dog will have to be placed in good hands, as well as remove and clean all dust collectors on which this wool could settle.
2. Hypoallergenic diet for atopic dermatitis in children.
3. Treatment with modern antihistamines.
4. Treatment of concomitant diseases: nervous system, immune system, gastrointestinal tract, skin rashes.

Foods that provoke allergies

The most common allergenic foods that should be excluded from the menu if a hypoallergenic diet for children is followed. List of prohibited foods:

• Cow's milk is number one in food allergenicity.
• Fish, shrimp, crayfish, oysters, lobster, etc. Allergies to these foods have been found to persist and persist into adulthood.
• Chicken eggs - there are cases when, together with chicken protein, the body does not tolerate the chicken itself, as well as the broth cooked from it.
• Baked goods made from rye and wheat flour.
• Citrus fruits (oranges, tangerines).
• Nuts, one of the most allergic foods. The most allergenic of them: peanuts, walnuts, almonds and chestnuts.
• Honey, due to the high content of sucrose, glucose and fructose in it -75-80%.
• Mushrooms, as a heavy food, are highly discouraged for baby food.
• Red berries (raspberries, strawberries, wild strawberries).
• Exotic fruits (persimmon, melon, pineapple, pomegranate).
• Red vegetables (beets, carrots, tomatoes).
• Celery, despite the fact that this plant is a storehouse of nutrients (potassium, phosphorus, vegetable protein) and vitamins (A, B, B2, B6, B9, PP, E, K), it is also strong allergen.
• Potatoes, as part of a hypoallergenic diet for children, the menu of which is compiled by mom, cannot always be included in this very diet due to the high content of starch in it.

Breastfeeding a baby with atopic dermatitis

A baby with a predisposition to food allergies is best kept breastfed. Mother's milk is devoid of allergic properties (provided that the mother follows the necessary diet), and the protein that enters the body is easily broken down by the enzymes of the newborn.

Mother's milk contains a lot of secretory immunoglobulin A, which is responsible for protecting the mucous membrane, including the intestines, from foreign agents (allergens).

Complementary feeding

If a child suffers from atopic dermatitis, the introduction of complementary foods can be delayed. The later complementary foods are introduced, the more likely his digestive system will “ripen” and the foods will be better absorbed.

In any case, pediatricians do not recommend introducing complementary foods before 5-6 months.

Every new productadministered in a minimal amount (half a teaspoon) and observe the reaction. If the body absorbs the product, the dose is gradually increased, bringing it to the age norm, if not, the product is removed from the diet for at least six months.

Diet

A hypoallergenic diet for a child with atopic dermatitis should be aimed at cleansing the body of foods or chemicals to which the body is hypersensitive, in other words, to exclude from the menu everything that causes allergies.

For young children, it is especially important to keep their diet balanced in terms of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. An allergenic product thrown out of the menu must be replaced with an equivalent non-allergenic one.

The duration of the diet itself is determined individually. But in order to completely cleanse the body of allergens and restore its normal performance, to prolong remission, it takes from six months to a year.

After this time, you need to conduct an allergological examination for the possibility of introducing an allergenic product into the diet. Until this moment, a hypoallergenic diet for children remains, the menu of which is selected individually.

Allergen Free Diet

When planning how to feed a child, every parent who is faced with this disease should not only throw allergens out of food, but also replace them with energetically similar ones. Below is an exemplary hypoallergenic diet for children. The menu for the week might be:

Monday

Breakfast: oatmeal boiled in water with little or no sugar. Seasoned with butter and fruits or berries that do not give allergies. Tea without aromatic additives and herbs.

Lunch: vegetable broth soup with a piece of lean beef. Apple or berry jelly.

Dinner: rice with steamed chicken cutlet. In case of an allergy to chicken, meat can be replaced with turkey. Green apple, kefir.

Tuesday

Breakfast: plain tea with little or no sugar, bread with butter and cheese, small yogurt.

Lunch: the same as on Monday, dried fruit compote.

Dinner: pear, beef goulash, potato (or vegetable) puree.

Wednesday

Breakfast: pasta seasoned with butter, apple, tea.

Lunch: same as previous days.

Dinner: vegetable stew, pear, dried fruit compote.

Thursday

Breakfast: dry biscuits with butter, non-allergenic fruit salad with natural yogurt, tea.

Lunch: vegetable soup, lean beef steam cutlet, fruit, green apple compote.

Dinner: buckwheat porridge with onions, seasoned with low-fat sour cream, compote.

Friday

Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese with sour cream and a little sugar, tea.

Lunch: vegetable soup, boiled meat (chicken, beef, turkey to choose from), pear, jelly.

Dinner: buckwheat porridge with stewed vegetables, kefir.

Saturday

Breakfast: sandwich with butter and boiled meat, apple, tea.

Lunch: same as the previous day.

Dinner: wheat porridge with coleslaw and herbs, compote.

Sunday

Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole, tea.

Lunch: soup with chicken (beef) meatballs, apple, compote.

Dinner: steamed rice porridge, natural yogurt.

Now you know what a hypoallergenic diet for kids should look like. Recipes for her fit the most simple. We offer several options:

• Cutlets in the oven. Prepared from buckwheat porridge grated with minced meat.
• Mashed potatoes. The tubers are steamed. Then we transfer them to a cup, pour vegetable broth, add a little bit of linseed oil.
• Rice casserole. Made with grated apple (green) or fructose.

The hypoallergenic diet for a child of 1 year of age is significantly different from the above, since children of this age are not yet good at chewing and may choke. For them, it will be reasonable to dose all food in small pieces or present it in the form of purees or mousses. For example, apple mousse, which all children without exception will appreciate, is prepared as follows: two large apples are peeled, rubbed, covered with a tablespoon of sugar and removed in the cold. At this time, the remaining peel and core are poured with water and boiled for about 10 minutes. Dissolve the soaked gelatin (gram 3) in the resulting and cooled broth, beat into a thick foam. Add the grated apple, beat everything again, put it into shapes and put it in the cold. Mousse is ready!

Thus, a hypoallergenic diet for a child is not a panacea for allergies, but a significant help to the body in the fight against harmful factors.