W
ith a daughter who
is allergic to milk,
Asenath Lee has first-
hand experience of the
trials and tribulations of parenting
a child with food allergies. “Before,
I felt quite helpless knowing that my
daughter could not drink milk. I just
thought that we needed a formula with
no milk in it, and that’s that.”
As she explored the allergy
further, however, she learned that
things were not always that simple.
She found out that in the case of milk
allergy, extensively hydrolysed formula
–
which contains milk proteins that
have been broken down into smaller
components – can sometimes be
tolerated by children with milk
allergies. And, if the child can tolerate
them, consuming them can actually
help build a tolerance for regular milk
products.
As Asenath found, in the case
of food allergies, knowledge of the
particular allergen, plus all the
technical names for it that might
appear on ingredients list in products,
can help parents to make informed
decisions on what’s safe for their child
to eat, and what’s definitely not.
Is it really an allergy?
Like Asenath, many parents have
children who have food intolerances
don’t eat that!
Dealing with a child’s food allergy can be a minefield for parents,
writes
Aileen Lai
.
Allergy Soy
Includes
•
Soybeans and all soy products such as soy / soya / soybean /
soy nuts / soy milk / soy butter / soy cheese
•
Tofu / bean curd / soybean sprouts
•
Soy albumin / soy lecithin / soy oil
•
Miso / shoyu sauce / edamame / tamari / natto
•
Tempeh / textured vegetable protein (TVP)
Commonly
found in
•
Asian cuisine / desserts
•
Japanese snack mix / Chinese snacks
•
Chocolate / candies
•
Cereal bars / energy bars / nutrition bars / protein powders
•
Baked goods / baking mixes
•
Bouillon cubes / packaged soup / chicken broth / vegetable
broth
•
Sauces / gravies
•
Breakfast cereal / fortified flour / wheat-free flour
•
Nutrition supplements / vitamins
•
Vegetarian foods / imitation dairy foods (vegan cheese /
vegan ice cream)
•
Veggie burgers / imitation chicken patties
•
Imitation lunch meats / imitation bacon bits
•
Sausages / franks / deli meats / burgers
•
Margarine / mayonnaise
•
Peanut butter / peanut butter substitutes
•
Infant formula / smoothies
Note to
parents
Soy allergen is mainly found in the soy protein rather than soy
fat. Since soy lecithin and soy oil are both from the fat portion
of soy, some people who are mildly allergic to soy may be able
to tolerate them.
Allergies at a glance
Here are some common food intolerances and allergies, where you might
come across them, and what you, as a parent, can do to handle them better.
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