Children’s Nutrition: Why Early Allergies & Intolerances Can Occur

Your birth story, early diet, early exposures and medications can all play a role in shaping your microbiome and, therefore, your immune health.

The first 1,000 days (from conception through to a child’s second birthday) are a critical window for establishing the foundations of the microbiome. During this time, the air we breathe, the milk we drink, the medications we take and the foods we’re weaned onto all influence the composition of our microbiome.

The Microbiome-Immune Connection

It may come as a surprise that an adult is made of approximately 30 trillion human cells and 38 trillion bacterial cells.

Your microbiome helps to train, develop and regulate your immune system.

The bacteria that live on us and inside us – our skin microbiome, our lung microbiome, the sinus microbiome and the gut microbiome – all work together to build the foundations of our immune system, alongside important nutrients such as vitamin D and zinc.

Immune-mediated reactions can include IgE food allergies, intolerances or food sensitivities. Inflammatory responses to foods such as lactose (dairy), histamine (aged foods), gluten (wheat), eggs, nuts and soy can be accompanied by digestive issues, asthmatic symptoms, skin irritation, constipation and mood changes. Lesserknown food sensitivities, such as reactions to oranges and potatoes, can also occur and may be easily overlooked.

The Importance of the Gut

Up to 70% to 80% of the body’s immune cells live in the gut, where they interact with your bacteria. Microbes also have the job of turning our foods into beneficial short-chain fatty acids, which nourish the cells lining your colon and help reduce allergies by strengthening your gut wall and calming down overactive immune cells. Microbes even make some vitamins, including vitamin K, B12 and B9 (folate).

Where to Start?

Navigating increasing food restrictions, an unhappy child and “magic answer” supplement marketing can be confusing, expensive and tiring.

It can be helpful to take a step back and look at the beginning of your child’s health story.

Consider: when was your child last well? Have they been exposed to antibiotics at a young age? What has helped so far? Is there mould in your home? What was their early diet like? Is constipation, bloating or IBS part of your child’s health story? Are important nutrients such as vitamin D and zinc part of your child’s diet?

These are just some of the questions that can help build a bigger picture of what may be contributing to your child’s allergies, intolerances or food sensitivities.

Everyone is different, and what works for one may not work for another.

Microbiome Testing

One option is a paediatric microbiome test. This report shows which of the good bugs need a helping hand, if any bad bugs are thriving and even if there are too many of the good bugs. Seeing a snapshot of your child’s gut microbiome allows for a more effective and personalised approach to supporting their immune system and gut health.

Suzannah Winsor MSc PNPD mBANT AFMCP is a Registered Nutritionist & Registered Biomedical Scientist at The Biomedical Personalised Nutrition Clinic. If you’re looking for professional nutritional guidance to naturally support you or your child’s health, she offers a free 30-minute Nutrition Consultation at TheBiomedicalNutritionist.com.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.