It’s well known that childhood allergies are on the rise, and while it’s common for kids to react to egg, peanuts and shellfish, it doesn’t mean it’s normal and there’s nothing we can do about it.
The state of our gut and the microbiome are fundamental to how our immune system responds to foods we eat and the environment around us. If there is a presence of more inflammatory type bacteria or parasites in our microbiome, our immune system will constantly be on ‘high alert’ making it more reactive and perceive certain foods or environmental triggers as a threat when they really aren’t.
Similarly, these undesirable pathogens in our gut can damage our intestinal lining, leading to intestinal permeability (or more commonly known as ‘leaky gut’) which can allow food particles into our bloodstream which shouldn’t be there - and further stimulating the immune system.
But here’s the thing - our babies and young kids naturally have a more permeable intestinal lining, making them more susceptible which is why it’s so common to see allergies in this demographic. Knowing this helps us to support our kids in giving them the right types of foods, support their microbiome diversity, reducing gut inflammation which in turn can help downregulate their immune response.
If this sounds like your child, book in for an Initial Consult - Paediatric Nutrition.