It seems everywhere we go today there are kids with food allergies. We now have peanut-free tables in schools and have to be very careful about sending certain foods into schools because odds are there is a child in the classroom with a food allergy. As a mom of a child with a tree nut allergy, I realize the seriousness of this.
An increasing number of children have developed food allergies in the last ten years. Studies say from 1997 to 2007 food allergies have increased 18% in children under 18 years old.
When we were kids I don't remember knowing anyone with a food allergy. Why do you think this is such a growing problem? Some people say that kids today are too clean. They say that kids are not being exposed to the allergens that are said to build up their tolerance. Others say that the rise is in relation to the chemicals in our environment and in our foods. There is also talk about the mom's nutrition at the time of conception being a factor in the rise. I usually get the "does anyone in your family have food allergies" question from people because for years it was usually thought to be genetic. What I find peculiar is why only one of my kids (out of three) have a food allergy growing up in basically the same conditions as each other and not having a family history of food allergies.
What do you think is causing the increase in food allergies today?
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12 opinions:
The couple that I have noticed are milk and glueten. So many babies are allergic to milk and dairy these days. I don't know whats causing it, maybe the way our cows are treated.
My yougest had a dairy intolerance when she was a baby. Had to have soy milk, and now my nephew and a good friends child are both very, very alergic.
I think it is because people are starting solid food and cows milk too early. This is proven to cause allergies.
Babies are supposed to have nothing other than breastmilk (which is best) or formula for the first 6 months, then start solids. And they are not supposed to have cows milk till past 1 year.
I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that kids are kept too "clean" and aren't exposed to things that would strengthen their immune system. Also, people are quick to say "I'm allergic!" when they really aren't. My SS had a reaction to shrimp once when he was 2. Now that he is 11 he finally tried shellfish again, and he is fine. Supposedly he is also allergic to "pitted fruit" so he won't try anything... but he will eat a cherry off of his sundae!
I definitely think nut allergies seem way more prevalent than before, but I wonder if milk/gluten intolerances weren't always around only we didn't know about it. My sister was recently diagnosed with Celiac, and they think it's caused the recurrent digestive issues she's struggled with for the past 30 years. So maybe some of these allergies were always there?
I have also noticed that each generation has more allergies than the prior one. Thank goodness, I don't have any, but a good number of my friends and children I know do.
I agree with Angelia about how the babies nowadays have milk and gluten allergies.
I also agree with The Step in Mom:
Kids are kept too clean nowadays (READ: don't play outside) and love to say that they have allergies. Before this generation, if you ate something that made you feel weird, you would just say that it didn't agree with you. Nowadays, these kids say that they are allergic to those things and their parents take them for these expensive allergy tests and then the health care industry makes them spend $100s on medication and treatment.
I know milk sometimes hurts my tummy, so I stay away from it. Xylitol in gum hurts my tummy, too. I'd only say I was allergic to it if I would experience a life-threatening reaction after consuming it.
I read a while ago in TIme or Newsweek that it may have to do with more C-sections than vaginal births.
No one had alleriges back in the 1970's! Even as a teacher from 1988-2002, I can remember on ly two or three kids with allergies.
I believe it is environmental and the crap people feed kids.
Yes, yes and yes. It is all the crap we eat out of boxes and bags and stuff they spray on our fruits and veggies. But who can afford to shop at Whole Foods for an entire family for everything! Guess I'll have to eat my Cheezits and think about it.
I have no idea about this one. I knew one little girl growing up that was allergic to a lot of stuff. They served PB&J on the lunch line. Things sure are different now, but I can't imagine why. I'm just glad we've been spared food allergies.
I do think that kids are kept "too clean," and so are not exposed to things they would otherwise build up a tolerance to.
I think our nation's obsession with processed foods contributes to the allergies. Preservatives, artificial colorings, hormones, etc. - when our grandparents and great-grandparents were kids, aside from the occasional allergy to nuts, were there as many allergies as now? My kids have told me that birthday treats can't have red dye # "whatever" in them because some of the kids in the class are allergic to it.
Our medical technology is far more advanced now than it used to be, so maybe we're able to pinpoint more specific causes of allergies than we were in the past. The allergies were always present, but we didn't know what it was - that kind of thing.
How we feed our infants, I think, can also contribute. I followed the 6-months of formula/breastmilk guidelines for both my kids. One child has the usual seasonal allergies, nothing serious. The other child takes after my spouse - needs allergy shots to get through the changing seasons and remain healthy (the shots honestly work - far fewer upper respiratory infections on a yearly basis). This child also is allergic to eggs, which we discovered at the time he was a year old. Time for that MMR vaccine which is made with egg, and he also ate scrambled eggs for the first time. The vaccine produced a speckled rash all over his entire body ("Oh, THAT can HAPPEN," said the health dept.) and the scrambled eggs produced welt-like hives on his hands and around his mouth - wherever the egg had contact with his skin. The allergist says, after re-testing, that he is still allergic but is likely to outgrow the allergy.
I wonder if, because of our worries/concerns/experiences/knowledge/technological advances in food preparation-preservation if we tend to be overprotective of what our kids are exposed to. Do we really *need* to use hand santizer? Isn't soap and water just as good? Why do I need pre-packaged cheese and crackers - can't I just open a sleeve of crackers and slice some cheese off the block and make my own?
Ai yi yi!
I have no idea.
My youngest has all these allergies and no one else in our family does
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I think the same food allergies have been around forever, it's just that people didn't know about them years ago. Who ever heard about a child being allergic to milk or gluten? They were just those extra fussy kids with a weak stomach!
Lindsey Petersen
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