Food intolerances

While an allergic reaction stems from your child’s immune system, food intolerance is a reaction to foods that your child is unable to digest for physiological reasons. Typical symptoms are bloating, gas and diarrhea.

Lactose intolerance

This is the most common example of food intolerance, and occurs if your child lacks an enzyme called lactase, which is needed in order to digest a sugar called lactose, which is present in cows' milk. Symptoms include diarrhea, wind, spitting up after feeding, colic and crying.

Treatment

If lactose intolerance is diagnosed, your pediatrician will advise you on feeding. If you’re breastfeeding she may recommend you reduce your intake of dairy products, since it’s possible for these to pass into your breast milk. If you’re bottle feeding, your baby may need a special lactase-free formula.

With your older child, you’ll need to cut back on the amount of dairy he consumes. Keep in mind that lactose is found in less obvious foods, including some breakfast cereals, soups, salad dressings and deli meats. Check labels and be on the alert for whey, curds, milk byproducts, dry milk solids and nonfat dry milk powder. Your pediatrician can advise you on which dairy products are easiest to digest, so that your child can continue to benefit from the nutrients in dairy foods.

Gluten intolerance

This means that your child is unable to digest gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. This results in celiac disease, a condition that damages the digestive tract and affects your child’s absorption of nutrients from food. Signs that your baby might have gluten intolerance may arise around weaning, after he consumes his first wheat-based solids – he might have foul-smelling diarrhea, stomach pain (signaled by him crying and pulling his legs up to his chest. Over time, his weight gain may reverse, suggesting failure to thrive) and he may develop skin rashes. Symptoms can also arise out of the blue in older children, causing fatigue, diarrhea, bloating, weight loss and rashes.

Treatment

Holding off on introducing your baby to wheat products for as long as possible if you have a family history of gluten intolerance can help.

If your baby or child does have celiac disease you’ll likely be referred to a dietitian for advice on how to adjust his diet to avoid consuming gluten.

Unfortunately, while food manufacturers are obliged to list wheat on labels they aren’t required to list gluten, so you’ll need to be vigilant – it’s present in a whole range of unlikely sources including broth and bouillon, fried chicken, french fries, deli meats, salad dressings, yogurts, soft cheeses, dips and even some wheat-free products which contain barley and/or rye.

As a rule, oats are safe assuming oat products haven’t bee produced with the same equipment used to manufacture products containing wheat. Foods produced with corn, rice, sorghum and buckwheat flour are safe; along with tapioca, quinoa and potato. Plain meat and fish, beans, milk, cheese and eggs, are fine. There’s also a wide range of gluten-free products available from whole food stores.

The information on this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

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Last Modified: 26/06/2008

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