Nutritional Nuggets
|by Louise Goldberg
The blood or skin prick testing at the
allergist only detects if your daughter’s
immune system has built up antibodies to the proteins in those foods. If her
symptoms are mostly isolated to her digestive tract (diarrhea, cramping, bloating,
etc.) she may lack the enzymes to break
down sugar in the milk, such as lactose,
or proteins in the bread, such as wheat or
gluten (found in wheat, rye, barley and
contaminated oats). This is known as an
intolerance (vs. a food allergy that involves her immune system). While there
are several commercial tests available that
claim to detect intolerances, none are supported by the medical community at this
time. It would be helpful to work with a
dietitian who can help narrow down what
your daughter cannot digest and suggest
alternatives to prevent any growth delays
caused by a nutrition deficiency.
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For the most part, my kids will eat until
they are full and then stop, but if their
favorite foods are offered, they seem to
be a bottomless pit. If the food is fairly
healthy, is this really an issue?
You are the envy of many parents who
would love to have the problem, “my child
eats too much healthy food!” However,
there are two things to consider. The first
is that we want our children to be in tune
with their hunger level and eat only to
satisfy that. It is okay to ask, “Are you still
hungry? Do you still feel that rumbling in
your tummy?” Remind them to give their
body some time to tell them whether they
are comfortably full. The second thing to
consider is that even ‘healthy’ foods can
be overdone; for example, olives are tasty
and contain good monounsaturated fats;
however they can be very high in sodium
(about 8-10 olives has 300+ milligrams of
sodium!). Dried fruits can also be very
nutritious and a convenient snack; however the calories add up quickly. Read ingredient labels to avoid ones with added sugars. Overdoing the serving can also lead
to an upset stomach for your kids. Stick
with about 2-4 Tablespoons at a time.
Image by Aurimas Mikalauskas
My daughter tested negative for food
allergies at the doctor’s office, but she
still reacts to certain foods, especially
milk and bread products. Could there
be something else in these foods that the
blood testing doesn’t pick up?