What are food sensitivities?

Food sensitivities are adverse reactions to a food, causing inflammation in the body; classic allergy IgE antibodies are not involved in these reactions. If your child does not react to a small amount of a food but does react to a larger amount, your son or daughter has a food sensitivity. Often food sensitivities are delayed, meaning that symptoms to a problem food can surface up to four days after consumption!

What foods cause the most food sensitivities and allergies?

Dairy and wheat are the two biggest culprits in the North American diet. The more prominent a food in it's supply, the greater the chance of a sensitivity or allergy. In Japan, rice allergy is common. Likewise, seafood presents a common allergy in Spain.

Why are so many people sensitive to cow's milk?

Years ago, cow's milk was unpasteurized when sold to consumers. At that time, it had 22 enzymes helping with its digestion. Today pasteurized cow's milk is not only found in many of our foods but it is enzyme deficient. When our bodies cannot digest a food, our bodies produce any number of symptoms. It is important to know that lactose is not the only culprit in cow's milk; many react to the milk proteins themselves.

Why does my child crave cheese?

If your child craves a certain food, you will very often find that they are sensitive to that food.

I am worried that my child will have a violent reaction the first time they try a food.

Your child can only become sensitive to foods to which they have been exposed. Do not forget about the foods your child received in utero and while being breastfed.

Can reactions to food change as my child gets older?

Initially your baby might react within moments after consuming a food to which they are sensitive. As they get older, your child's reaction may take longer to appear or present differently. When a mother eats cheese when she is breastfeeding her child, the child may experience projectile vomiting within moments of eating. At 4 years old, that same child may become constipated 3 days after consuming cheese. At 5 years old, that same child may have behavioural problems soon after consuming cheese but not experience any physical symptoms.

Are my child's food sensitivities permanent?

Food sensitivities are not permanent; they disappear when problem foods are eliminated from the diet for a short time and when dietary habits are improved. Unfortunately, if food sensitivities are not detected, as is often the case, they turn into food allergies.

Symptoms of food sensitivities

Does your child have one or more of the following?

• colic/gas pain
• diaper/skin rash
• excessive spit-up
• frequent runny nose/congestion
• diarrhea/constipation
• unexplained mood swings/hyperactivity
• multiple ear infections
• poor sleeping habits

Unfortunately, these are just a few of the symptoms commonly found in today's children. Over 200 physical symptoms and 50 medical conditions are triggered or worsened by food sensitivities! There are underlying causes behind these adverse reactions. The Resourceful Mother can guide you to the information and expertise needed to understand, minimize or eliminate them.

Addressing food sensitivities

Food sensitivities have gone undetected for decades. Allergy tests, i.e. scratch tests or skin testing, performed in doctors' offices, measure immediate hypersensitivity reactions; they do not measure delayed reactions. Delayed reactions, otherwise known as, food sensitivities, can take up to 4 days to manifest! There is no need to simply wait for your child to outgrow adverse reactions to food.