Food allergies - together with asthma these are the afflictions of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Prior to the second world war, allergies and asthma where rare occasions although when they did strike, it was often with devastating results. So we need to ask ourselves what has changed since the mid 1940's. The answers are actually quite surprising.
Research is now showing that three vital areas of a child's early years may have a huge impact as to whether or not they suffer from allergies. These three areas are hygiene, baby food and fresh food. You may be surprised at the actual results of studies.
Hygiene
To put it blunt - we are too clean. More importantly, we are sterilizing the life out of our children. Sterilizing the environment that a child, particularly a baby, lives in has several effects. First, it kills the bad germs (bacteria). Secondly, it kills the good bacteria. This you don't want. In fact, your gut, or rather a baby's, needs a good supply of both good and bad bacteria to survive.
Researchers have traveled to various regions around the world to test inhabitants for allergies. Those that live under circumstances of no hygiene beyond the basic washing tend to have no allergies. One test involved inhabitants that lived inland compared to those that lived on the coast. The group inland were primitive. There were no cleaning chemicals so only plain water was ever used for washing. Their children lived in the dirt, with dogs and pigs and their faeces and urine. If they dropped food on the floor they picked it up, wiped it down and ate it.
We would never live like that - yet this group had no food allergies. The group on the coast did have access to cleaning products - they did have food allergies.
Baby Food
The second area that researchers are now looking at involves when and what we feed babies. Breast milk is best - there is no argument here. Antibodies are fed into the baby giving them a great start in life. When it comes to solids - researchers are now throwing all the hand books out the window. Again, they look at those in primitive societies. In these societies, they do no wait until baby is six months, or nine months - they let baby decide on when they want to start solids. Baby will soon tell us. They grab at our food or cry out when they see us eating.
What is more important is the type of food offered. We start babies on rice cereal and gradually add other food stuffs. We tend to leave known allergens until later in life. Primitive societies feed baby everything. What mom eats, baby eats. Sometimes mom will pre-chew food for her baby - I see you squirming - for them, it is only natural. Baby gets to eat everything, known allergens as well.
Fresh Food
We know that fresh is best. It seems that processed food is another area of concern. Again, using primitive groups as an example, those that don't eat processed food don't suffer allergies. Those that do eat processed foods do suffer allergies.
Summary
It seems that by sterilizing a baby's environment, rather than protecting baby, we are putting baby at greater risk. Babies need both the good and bad bacteria that lives around us. Sure, they may get the odd upset stomach caused by the bad bacteria, but that process itself is a positive. Their bodies are forced to produced anti-bodies to fight these bacterias.
This only makes the body stronger. Dirt is reported to have several essential bacterias that our gut needs. Let you kids play in and eat dirt. sounds gross - but it is good for them. Secondly, breast feed to start the antibody processes then, when they decide they want solids, feed them. This includes known allergens like egg, glutton and peanuts. Let your babies body build its own defense network.
Finally, keep processed food away from baby. They seem to interfere with the digestion process. This process is where allergies get their start. Sterilization, the withdrawal of known allergens and the introduction of processed foods are sure to induce allergies in your child over time. Do the opposite and your child will be allergy free.