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If your child comes up to you saying they’ve got a bad stomach or is sleeping a lot more or even less than normal, it can be easy to dismiss some of these things as a part of them growing up and finding their place in life. But these days, we’ve got to be a lot more careful if these are signs they have a food intolerance. It’s something that a lot of us don’t necessarily understand. But if your child is starting to show signs of an intolerance or you suspect that there may be one developing, what should you do?
Find the Root Cause It’s a lot tougher to get a fully-fledged diagnosis of a food allergy or intolerance. Sometimes, there can be signs early in life, for example, if your child was not able to digest standard milk formula and your doctor recommended a lactose free formula, but you can find the root cause by paying attention to some of the signs that the food they’re consuming is not benefiting them.
They may be itchy or the stomach is bloated, but they also may be a lot more tired than usual. When you start to find the root cause, you can then do what is called an elimination diet. This is where you remove the food from their diet for at least 30 days to see if any symptoms improve before reintroducing it very slowly.
Ensuring You Know the Common Culprits
One of the biggest problems we’ve all got right now is that we need to opt for cheaper food items, but if there are foods in your child’s diet that are triggering some sort of allergic reaction or intolerance, for example, nuts, seeds, shellfish, soya, eggs, or cow’s milk, allergic reactions usually happen within a few minutes of exposure. Common allergic reactions can include coughing, a rash, a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, eczema, or worsened asthma symptoms. Lots of children could also have adverse reactions to food additives like sulphites. When you are undergoing the elimination process, have a look at the labels and see if any E numbers or colours or preservatives are present.
Do Not Assume the Symptoms Will Disappear by Themselves Lots of people can have an undiagnosed wheat intolerance, and it can be years until they feel like they are themselves again. If your child is displaying any signs that they’ve got an allergy or intolerance, the best thing you can do is to get rid of the root cause as soon as possible. It can be a lot of responsibility on top of your already busy demands as a parent, but the fact is that if your child is struggling with tiredness or is constantly saying they’ve got a bad stomach, we shouldn’t chalk this down to growing pains. Lots of people can cope with an allergy or an intolerance, but others do not fare so well. Therefore, giving them all your support, even if you don’t know much about it, will help so much.
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