One thing you really have to keep in mind is that what your child eats has everything to do with the symptoms that they are having.
When it comes to asthma, allergies, or any chronic inflammatory type of illness really, there is often a food component. And foods can make things worse.
For you, that might be new information to think that food could affect your child’s allergies or your child’s asthma, and yet the more work I do, I will say nine times out of ten, you can find a food trigger that can trigger symptoms or make them worse.
Of course, nobody wants to eliminate a food that they don’t need to, nobody wants to go on a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free diet.
Nobody wants to do that stuff. But sometimes we need to do it. And sometimes these triggering foods are healthy. They can be healthy foods, but in your child’s body, they aren’t working.
Sometimes it’s hard to know if the food is a trigger. So a lot of times when parents suspect the food to be a trigger, what I see is that they won’t eliminate the food from the child’s diet, but they will just cut it back.
Cutting back on a food is just not going to cut it!
If you suspect that food may be a trigger for your child's allergies, asthma, eczema etc., it's important to take action.
Identifying and eliminating these trigger foods can be a key factor in managing chronic inflammatory conditions.
If you suspect that food is a trigger for your child's symptoms, what should you do?
First, start by keeping a food diary. Write down everything your child eats and note any symptoms they experience throughout the day.
This will help you identify patterns and potential triggers. Remember that symptoms can occur up to 72 hours after exposure to the trigger.
Once you've identified a potential trigger, eliminate that food from your child's diet for a period of time.
This can be a difficult task, especially if the food is a common part of their meals or if they love the taste.
However, it's important to remember that this is a temporary change, and once their symptoms improve, you can slowly reintroduce the food and monitor their response.
If your child's symptoms improve during this time, you may have found a trigger food. If not, continue to tweak their diet and test other foods until you've identified the culprit.
During the elimination phase, continue to keep a food diary and track any changes in symptoms. This will help you identify other potential trigger foods and determine if there's a correlation between certain foods and symptoms.
You don't know where to start?
I understand that making changes to your child's diet can be overwhelming, and it's okay to feel unsure about where to start.
Working with a healthcare professional who specializes in functional nutrition can also be helpful during this process.
They can provide guidance and support, and help you address any underlying gut issues that may be contributing to your child's symptoms.
Book Your Free Clarity Session
If you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed and need some guidance on how to identify and address your child's food triggers, I invite you to book a free clarity call with me.
During the call, we'll go over your child's medical history, current symptoms, and dietary habits to identify potential triggers and create an actionable plan on how to move forward with improving your child’s health.
I'll also share additional tips and resources that have helped my clients see significant improvements in their children's health.
Just click the button below to schedule your call.
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