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Though many food intolerances are progressive and develop slowly over the years, babies and children can also suffer from sensitivity to certain foods.

Babies can be particularly susceptible because their immune systems are not fully developed. It may be instructive to think food sensitivity in babies much like an “acquired taste.”

As we mature, we are able to eat (and enjoy!) richer and spicier foods. As a baby gets older, he/she is able to tolerate more foods than before, since the immune system becomes stronger and more robust throughout childhood.

A baby who is experiencing constipation, diarrhea, stomach cramps or acid reflux may be suffering from his/her mother´s intolerance to a certain food.This is particularly true for babies who are breastfed.

In addition to digestive symptoms, skin rashes and dermatitis are also common side effect of food intolerances.

Fact or Fiction: All-natural diets reduce food intolerances

It is a common myth that you can avoid food intolerances by adhering to natural diet. If a person is intolerant to a specific food, whether or not that food contains artificial additives, is not a factor.

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Women who suspect that they may have food intolerances should undergo food intolerance testing before or during pregnancy to minimize the risk of passing the intolerance to the baby. A food intolerance test can help identify foods that should be avoided, allowing the mother to reduce the negative impact of the intolerance on the baby. Identifying intolerances is critical for maintaining good health in both the mother and the baby.

Even when food intolerances have been identified and managed in the mother, children can develop their own food intolerances. Food intolerance testing can also help identify foods that young children should avoid.

How food intolerance testing works

A food intolerance test, such as the ImuPro Test, measures the amount of IgG antibodies present in the bloodstream following the consumption of specific foods.

If we are intolerant to a food, an inflammatory immune response is triggered as particles enter our bloodstream during digestion. Negative symptoms such as cramping, constipation, bloating, headache, fatigue, and diarrhea can result. Identifying foods that may be causing the inflammatory immune response allows us to remove them from our diet. Then, foods can be added back into the diet in a gradual and structured way, allowing us to ultimately determine which foods we are actually intolerant to. In other words, we are able to identify and avoid the foods that are causing the negative side effects.

Who can get tested?

Food intolerance tests can be given to children over one year of age. If a child is under the age of one, we recommend that the mother undergo testing instead, though ideally women who are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant should consider having the test done before the child is born to identify any potential intolerance as early as possible. It is especially important that the mother undergo testing if she is breastfeeding the baby.

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  • am glad that my children don’t have an issues with food. it must be a tough journey

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  • I can’t understand how a baby picks up Mum’s allergies unless she is breastfeeding or it is generic.

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  • thanks for sharing

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  • also check out http://www.fedup.net.au for a food intolerance elimination diet.

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  • So many children with allergies my daughter is allergic to so many things its a nightmare trying to find food without Palm oil in it or coconut as she allergic to these


    • yes very tough for the parent to plan different meals

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  • I am so grateful my kids have no dietary problems (touch wood). As a diabetic vegetarian I already find myself preparing at least 2 different meals most nights.

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  • I’m not gluten intolerant but when I eat it my stomach sure does know,


    • How long ago were you tested? A friend of ours had a negative result the first time but it showed positive about 2 years later. Gluten can damage sections of your bowel really badly.
      You may/may not know that oats while sometimes listed as gluten free becuase they are grown in a region nowhere within hundreds of km. but have a protein that is similar to gluten and cause the same problems. Some products are not labelled whether or not they have gluten in them but they have it on there as a different name. That is very frustrating. You could be eating food not knowing that it actually contains gluten. Some gourmet chocolates have it in them using another name.
      Some chocolates, including some manufactured in Aust. have orange in them but one company when contacted by a lady they said there was such a small amount that they weren’t obliged to list it on the packaging.

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  • Main thing is to introduce new foods slowly and watch for any bad reactions.

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  • Hanks for sharing. Very interesting to know since I’m starting my bub on solids shortly.

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  • I’m gluten intolerant & have been tested to see if I was a celiac which turned out negative. I’m better off without gluten but on some occasions I have had gluten & just bear with the consequences!

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  • Interesting thank you, dairy didn’t sit well with my son it would make him so sick but he seems to be fine now

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  • Great preemptive advice. My son suffers from an egg and nut allergy and is now going on 9. I have often thought recently that I would like to have myself tested for allergies or intolerances.

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  • Thanks for your informative article, it was great to read it.

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  • My youngest its not good with cheese


    • All cheeses have some fat in them and your liver may not be able to cope with it. I know a child who can only eat a small amount of cheddar cheese in cooking or she suffers from nausea.

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  • Interesting reading and wish i had know earlier

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