Food allergies and learning

I was never one to really consider food allergies. After all no one in my family had severe reactions to peanuts or shellfish. That was about as far as my knowledge of food allergies went. Then in my early adulthood I realized that green peppers hurt to eat. Not only that but the more I ate them, even mixed into a chili or salsa, the more I couldn’t stand the smell of them. My body was telling me, “hey those are bad! We don’t want them in the body!” I eventually learned to listen and saved myself many an upset stomach.

Now several years later not only am I allergic to green pepper but I have Celiac disease. That means that I can never have wheat, or barley items again. My children also have varying levels of allergic response to a broad range of items. We are on a gluten free casein free diet, and throw out apples, bananas, oranges, and soy. Yeap that is it for now. When you become hyper responsive to foods there is a danger that you could become allergic to others as time goes by.

I think in this area I am experienced. My daughter is a good example of what an allergy can do to you. When she eats milk products she will often have a seizure. Then for the rest of the day she is tired and not able to engage in learning. What would her life be like if we never caught that allergy? She would be having repeated seizures and the aftermath of each seizure would disrupt her life. Or she would be put on a seizure med that can dampen learning as well.

If you suspect that there is a food allergy problem please take the time to look into it! You can have blood testing called a RAST. It checks for a broad range of allergies. This was an important test for us. It showed us some foods that we didn’t even suspect were problems.  There are also a growing group of parents that attest to helpful changes in their child’s behavior even with out the normal positive tests. Understand the tests are not foolproof. First the dr has to ask for the individual food to be tested. Second if you have eliminated it from the diet already the immune response will slowly lower.

One way to check if a particular food is an issue is to food challenge it. Take that food completely out of your child’s diet for at least two weeks. Then for 2 or 3 days introduce a small amount into every meal. Note if their are any changes. Look for physical changes, pain, hyperactivity,diarrhea, constipation..ect. Look for behavioral changes aggressive, depressed, or autistic behaviors.  If there is a change than it is probably safe to say your child is at least sensitive to that product and remove it from the diet.

While removing items from the diet such as gluten can be overwhelming at first. You can make the needed adjustments. Your child will be healthier for the change. Talk with your dr about nutritional needs and supplementing vitamins and minerals. Like a vegetarian lifestyle your diet changes can be successfully accomplished.  A healthy gut will make for a healthy child. A healthy child will be better able to learn and excel at life!