Many children in Australia are allergic to dairy, nuts, soy, and gluten—it is estimated that one out of every five children have gluten intolerance. That means that many mainstream products can cause everything from an upset stomach to something more serious.
As parents, we might think this is only something to consider when we’re at the grocery store. However, there are many other products that have these common kids’ allergens, such as soaps, lotions, and hair products. The good news? There are tons of without these common troublemakers.
Many kids might have some mild “unexplainable symptoms” that seem to come out of the blue. However, upon closer observation, these may in fact be reactions to one of these common allergens.
Dairy-free products are important for children who are allergic to diary or have lactose intolerance because they can cause serious reactions including anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening reaction. Dairy also contains casein, which can be difficult for some people to digest and may contribute to digestive issues like constipation and diarrhea.
There are many reasons why parents might choose to feed their children soy free products. Conventional soy products are loaded with GMOs and pesticides, which can easily trigger a reaction in our kids’ sensitive bodies. Some kids have allergies to soya while others maybe sensitive or intolerant.
Nuts, when processed, contain many chemicals including unnecessary fillers, binders, preservatives. It’s not uncommon for kids to have allergic reactions to these, such as hives, swollen throat, etc. They may cause everything from abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, more serious effects, life –threatening anaphylactic shock.
It’s important to check every product, even something like hair products for the presence of nuts, as they may produce a very severe reaction to children that are allergic.
Gluten-free foods have become more mainstream in recent years as awareness of Celiac disease has increased. However, there are many people who cannot tolerate gluten from a young age, even if they don't have the disease. For these individuals, it's important that any product they come in contact with is gluten-free to avoid any potential reactions.
Some ingredients to look out for on products that may contain gluten are "modified starch" and "starched extract," which are commonly used as thickener in personal care products.
Although most Australian kids don’t have nut or soy allergies, it is always a good idea to get your child tested before giving them products containing gluten, dairy, nuts, or soy. Luckily, there are tons of natural food and personal care products that avoid these common allergens for kids.
While the science behind the increase in instances of food sensitivities is still unclear, we do know that it’s something to avoid, especially when it has the potential of risking their health and wellbeing!
