Food Allergies in Adults versus Children

When very young children (or babies) experience food allergies, they may be the result of prenatal or hereditary factors. Allergies may also be the result of intestinal cell damage that can occur if a child is fed formula, rather than breast milk, or solid baby food at too early an age. This damage often occurs if the intestines are still too immature to handle the foods.

When food allergies develop later on in a person’s life, the allergy is generally the result of chemical or phy sical damage within the cells of the intestines. For example, food poisoning may cause permanent intestinal damage, when the toxins cannot be properly handled and eliminated. When this happens, an auto-immune response can be activated that causes inflammation within the intestines and throughout the entire body. The vulnerable parts of the body usually suffer the most. When damage takes place over time, inflammation (tissue and organ damage) may result in an imbalance that becomes chronic. For this reason, repairing the damage to tissue and organs begins with pay ing attention to food intake and proper digestion. Along with allergies, the serious health issues previously mentioned: arthritis, heart disease, skin problems, and asthma often can be remedied, at least in part, by changing our diet and focusing on the foods that can be properly digested.

The longer food allergies persist, the greater the damaged caused. The best measure is to take a serious look at the possibility of food allergies and gluten intolerance within y our family, and start making healthy changes as soon as possible in order to avoid illness, disease, allergies and infection.