The foods that are most likely to cause problems are those that you always eat in large quantities or hinged on during pregnancy, those you have a craving for, and, paradoxically, those that you actively dislike but eat because they ‘do you good’. You should also be suspicious of foods that are known to be potent allergens. Apart from milk, these are: eggs, peanuts, other nuts, wheat, chocolate, fish, oranges and other citrus fruits, chicken and beef. If you eat a lot of any of these foods, then add them to your list.
Anything with a drug-like action, such as coffee, tea, wine (especially red wine), beer, spirits or other drugs, is also a prime suspect, especially in the case of colic. Try cutting out all these drug-like items, plus cow’s milk, for two weeks and see if the baby improves. Eat extra protein from other sources and take a calcium supplement, which your doctor can prescribe.
If there is no improvement, then you should try eliminating all the other suspect foods that you have listed. Avoid them for two weeks, but substitute other foods that will fulfil your nutritional needs. Remember to cut out all the ‘hidden’ forms of foods, especially with ubiquitous foods such as milk, eggs and wheat. Read the labels on packaged foods carefully and see p292 for some of the synonyms used, as these can be deceptive. Avoid all restaurant or takeaway food during this time as it is difficult to know what you are eating.
If you have cut out more than two or three foods, and your baby gets better, then you will probably wish to test the foods to see which ones were the cause of the trouble – often it will just be one food. Wait until the baby has been well for about a week, and then reintroduce each food in turn, beginning with those least likely to cause trouble, and testing cow’s milk last. Eat a normal-sized portion of the food to be tested, every day for a week. If the baby remains well, discontinue that food and go on to test another one, again eating it every day for a week. Make a note of which foods cause symptoms and which do not. When all have been tested, those that produced no symptoms in the baby can become part of your normal diet again.
It is possible that the baby will remain well, and not respond to any of the foods – a brief period of avoidance can sometimes clear up the sensitivity. If this happens, continue with your normal diet, but be careful not to eat too much of any one food.
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Tags: Allergies
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