Start Kids Eating Right - SA Health - SA.Gov.au

ADVERSE
REACTIONS
FOODS
Headaches
antibodies
to
VITAMINS hives
SWELLING
food allergy
Common Food
Allergies in
Australian
Children
Egg
Cow’s Milk
Soy
Wheat
Fish and
Shellfish
Peanut and
Tree Nuts
Sesame
For more
information about
adverse reactions
to food see the
ASCIA website:
www.allergy.org.au
Food can cause a wide variety
of reactions in children.
A food may be blamed when it
is not the cause of the problem,
so it is important to get any
reaction checked by a doctor
to be sure of its cause.
Removing a food from your
child’s diet could leave her
with an unbalanced diet,
which may cause other health
problems. Always consult a
doctor or Accredited Practising
Dietitian before making
significant changes to your
child’s diet.
a) Food allergy
A food allergy is a reaction
that involves the immune
system in response to one
or more proteins in food.
Food allergy reactions can
include hives, swelling around
the mouth, breathing difficulty
and vomiting that usually occur
within 30 minutes of eating
a food. A food allergy can be
life-threatening in some rare
cases but most food allergy
reactions are less severe.
b) Food intolerance
An intolerance to a food
is a reaction that does not
involve the immune system.
Sometimes known as food
chemical intolerances, these
include reactions to chemicals
added to foods (e.g. colourings,
preservatives and flavour
enhancers) or naturally
occurring chemicals in foods.
c) Carbohydrate
Malabsorption… is another
type of adverse reaction to
food. It occurs in people who
cannot digest, absorb or deal
with natural sugars in some
foods and drinks. For example,
some children develop diarrhoea
after consuming large amounts
of lactose (milk sugar).
This condition is known as
lactose intolerance.
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Adverse Reactions to Foods