Recently, Melbourne was named the food allergy capital if the world. The research was conducted International Congress of Immunology and it was to show to parents around the globe how to prevent their babies from developing allergies.
In Australia, 2% of an adult is affected by food allergies but 10% of Aussie children suffer from an allergy. These statistics makes Australia the country with the highest level of food allergies.
In the past 20 years, there has been a significant raise in people developing food allergies. Research conducted at Murdoch Childrens Research Institute believe that genetics, over-cleanliness, and vitamin D deficiencies are possible causes of the rise in allergies. Another possible cause, distance from the equator, explains why Melbourne has the highest food allergy rate in this country.
Because of this, the Centre for Food & Allergy Research (CFAR) Australian Infant Feeding Guidelines Summit released new guidelines. These include:
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When your infant is ready, at around six months, but not before four months, start to introduce a variety of solid foods, starting with iron rich foods, while continuing breastfeeding.
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All infants should be given allergenic solid foods including peanut butter, cooked egg, dairy and wheat products in the first year of life. This includes infants at high risk of allergy.
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Hydrolysed (partially or extensively) infant formula are not recommended for prevention of allergic disease.
Do you need to adapt new food habits for your children? Are you in need of more advice about a particular allergy that you are concerned about?
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