Feeding for children with other pathologies

Celiac disease

Celiac disease is a permanent intolerance to gluten present in wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, triticale and possibly oats. It occurs in genetically predisposed individuals, characterized by an intestinal lesion and a secondary intestinal malabsorption syndrome of macro- and micronutrients.

Up to two years of age, the presenting symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal distension, loss of muscle mass, weight and growth failure. These symptoms usually appear slowly, so they can be associated with other food ingested, without being able to identify the cause, which causes a progressive deterioration of health.

Nutritional recommendations: In order to reduce the chances of coeliac disease in infants, it is recommended between the fourth and sixth month of life, when starting to introduce complementary feeding to breast milk, to do so by cereals that do not contain gluten, such as rice and corn; subsequently introduce cereals containing gluten, always before the seventh month of life and preferably while the child continues to be fed with breast milk.

Children with celiac disease should follow a gluten-free diet for the rest of their lives. This will lead to the disappearance of the symptoms and the gradual recovery of the intestinal villi, restoring their normal state of health.

Foods containing gluten:

• Wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, triticale and oats.

• Bread, cookies, cookies, rusks and other baked goods made with any of these flours.

• Pasta such as noodles, macaroni and noodles, among others.

• Beverages prepared with cereals such as beers, malts and barley water, among others.

• Sachet soups, prepared custards, ice creams and candies.

• Sausages, mortadellas and other sausages.

• Cheeses without guarantee marks, such as processed cheese and cheese balls, among others.

• Preserves, nougat and marzipan.

Food allergies

Food allergies are adverse reactions to foods that are produced by an inappropriate response of the immune system of some individuals to a substance that is tolerated by most people.

Ways by which the child can come into contact with a substance that causes allergy:

• Ingestion: by eating any food, e.g. egg.

• Skin contact: by touching a fruit, e.g. peach.

• Inhalation: by inhaling cooking fumes, e.g. when cooking seafood.

• Parenteral: by receiving a medication, e.g. an injection of penicillin.

Symptoms that can cause allergic reactions in children:

• On the skin: redness, itching, edema, and itchy insect bite-like bumps may occur.

• In the nose: inflammation of the mucosa of the nasal passages, sneezing, nasal itching, nasal congestion and secretion.

• In the mouth: redness and inflammation.

• In the bronchi: coughing, soft whistling sound, difficult breathing and choking sensation.

• In the digestive system: vomiting, diarrhea, colic, nausea and abdominal pain.

• In the cardiovascular system: chest pain, cardiac arrhythmias or hypotension.

• In several organs simultaneously: symptoms occur in multiple organs simultaneously; it is known as anaphylactic shock, requiring urgent medical attention as they can cause death.

Foods that cause allergies most frequently in children:

• Cow's milk: it is considered that it can affect up to 2% of the population. The introduction of cow's milk and its derivatives, such as yogurt and cheese, should be done in small quantities from nine months of life, to avoid possible allergic reactions.

• Eggs: Egg allergy generally occurs before the age of two years and usually disappears at approximately six years of age. It is recommended to introduce the yolk from nine or ten months of life, and the white from one year of age. There are also opinions that defend the criterion of giving them between four and six months of life, always advising to introduce the yolk first and then the white.

• Fruits: the fruits that cause more adverse reactions in children are peaches, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and kiwis. For this reason they are recommended to be introduced after two years of age.

Nutritional recommendations: For lactose intolerant children, it is recommended to give them milk in moderate doses, in most cases these amounts can be consumed by these patients without suffering intestinal discomfort. In addition, this disorder does not cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract, it is only limited to transitory symptoms and only when a certain amount of lactose is exceeded.

Iron deficiencies

Iron in the body is a constituent of blood hemoglobin and muscle myoglobin. Its function is to transport oxygen to all tissues, so it is an essential nutrient for the growth and development of children. Deficiencies lead to anemia, especially in children under two years of age.

Factors that may increase the risk of iron deficiency in infancy:

• Premature babies or low birth