The medical community is exploring various avenues of a change. that could be of interest to parents themselves who have some form of allergy, whether food, respiratory or skin, and who wish to reduce the risk that their child is also allergic.

Currently, the majority of allergists agree to recommend:

• No exposure to second-hand smoke in children and no smoking in adolescents.
• Breastfeeding exclusive up to 4 to 6 months.
• Introduction of solid foods by respecting the schedule developed by the pediatricians. To find out more, read The Introduction to Complementary Foods on the Naître et grandir.net site.

Other preventive measures are controversial. This is’hypotheses which remain to be validated:

• Delay the introduction of potentially allergenic foods in children (fish, eggs, peanuts, etc.). The idea is to give the baby the least allergenic foods first. According to the Quebec Association of Food Allergies, however, it has not been proven that this practice reduces the risk of allergy. In general, doctors recommend introducing foods one at a time and watching for any abnormal reactions. In addition, if we wait until the child is old enough to verbally describe his discomfort, we have more possibilities to detect possible allergies.
• Consume more omega-3s during pregnancy. Researchers believe that the high presence of omega-6 in the diet (and consequently, the low presence of omega-3) could contribute to increasing the frequency of allergies of all kinds in modern societies.^{13-15 ,17}. Omega-6s make the body more sensitive to allergens and cause inflammation. Various studies have evaluated the effect of consuming fish fat or taking fish oil supplements during pregnancy, breastfeeding or infancy on the onset of allergies in children. The most convincing data, according to a synthesis of studies, concerns the consumption of fish during pregnancy¹⁷. A study conducted during breastfeeding showed no protective effect. For the rest, the results are contradictory.
• Follow a hypoallergenic diet while breastfeeding. This fairly restrictive diet requires avoiding major allergenic foods, such as cow’s milk, eggs and nuts, in order to avoid exposing the infant. It should be noted that 2 meta-analyzes from the Cochrane group concluded that this practice reduces the risk of atopic eczema in children.^9,18. This has been shown in women who were at risk of having an allergic child (they or their partner suffered from allergies). The decision whether or not to follow such a diet is taken on a case-by-case basis. The monitoring of such a diet must be done under the supervision of a health professional in order to avoid nutritional deficiencies in the mother.

  Contraindication. This diet is contraindicated during pregnancy : it does not reduce the risk of allergy in children and may cause malnutrition problems in mother and fetus^9,10.

Prevention of allergic reactions requires constant vigilance. Finally, very small amounts of food can cause allergic reactions.

Inform those around the allergic person. The more people around them are informed about the child’s allergy and the measures to be taken in the event of reactions, the better the child is protected. The entourage includes siblings, extended family, school staff, friends, relatives of friends, etc.

Wear a MedicAlert® bracelet. This bracelet indicates the nature of the food allergy. He informs those around him and is very useful in an emergency situation.

Monitor and decode ingredient lists. The allergenic food can be found as an ingredient in a variety of food products. Allergenic proteins can indeed take several names. There are about XNUMX for egg (for example, livetin, lecithin and albumin), and more for milk and soy. In addition, you can find ingredients that you would not expect in some prepared products, such as dairy products in cold cuts or fish in barbecue sauce (Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies).

Note that peanuts, almonds, cow’s milk and eggs are the only allergens for which we have recognized detection methods.

In Quebec, the Certified Allergen Control Program, launched by the Quebec Association of Food Allergies in 2006, offers an independent assessment of products certified without any of these allergens. See the Sites of Interest section for more information on this program.

It is important not to consume products which “may contain traces” or which “contain traces” of the allergen in question. It is useful to know that, for the moment, Canadian and French labeling regulations do not require agrifood industries to display this notice. In addition, there may be slight variations in the composition of a product from batch to batch, or recipes may change. With prepared foods, you have to learn to manage risk. Chocolate, cookies and breakfast cereals are most likely to contain traces of peanuts.

Identify the dishes. To avoid confusion, dishes intended for the allergic person should be clearly identified.

Eliminate sources of contamination. In many cases, allergic reactions are caused by the indirect ingestion of an allergenic food, through a contaminated food or cookware, for example. How to reduce this risk of contamination?

• At home, use different utensils for preparing meals.
• Check the cleanliness of the dishes before using them.
• Reheat dishes separately for the allergic person. Allergenic proteins can indeed be found in the cooking steam of a dish.
• Avoid bulk foods. Contamination is common between the different foods offered in bulk. Think, for example, of sunflower seeds that are contaminated with nuts, or loose candies contaminated with peanuts.

Restaurants, trips, buffets. These situations increase the risk of unwittingly being exposed to allergenic foods. Greater attention is called for. Choosing the least processed foods possible decreases the risk of being exposed to the allergen.

Schools and other public places. They should have emergency plans in place to know how to react quickly in the event that a person has a serious allergic reaction. To reduce the risk of contamination in kitchens and cafeterias, training is offered to staff. Get more information from the Quebec Association of Food Allergies.