ALLERGY IN CHILDREN: MAKE SPECIAL DIET
Try and make a special diet as flexible and normal as you can. Have the confidence to ignore any pressure from family or friends to conform or not to give unusual foods – if the child is well on his or her special diet, that is your justification.
One of the most difficult areas is to establish rules on things that a child can or cannot do – especially things to eat and drink. If you operate a total ban on some things (e.g. playing with friends’ pets, buying sweets, eating ice creams, going swimming or eating biscuits) then you have to trust the child to observe them when out of your sight.
If you are fairly sure that the child is breaking the ban but lying about it, it may be better not to have an absolute prohibition. One option is to allow treats or outings at regular intervals, so that there is less emotional friction around the issue. Although the child may be doing things that
upset him or her, at least you know the extent of the damage and the child is sharing in the responsibility for his or her actions.
Food fads can also be tricky to handle. Food sensitive children often have strong food cravings or obsessions, and aversions to other foods. Craving, addiction or aversion to a food is often an indicator of allergy or intolerance. However, food faddiness is also common to many children – most children have periods of strong preference and aversion, and go through phases in which they will only eat certain things, or phases in which they use refusal of food you offer as an emotional tool. Managing food fads can be exhausting at the best of times, without adding to it the need to stop a child eating a food that clearly does him or her harm.
Again, there is no easy solution, except that if you decide that your child must stop eating a particular food in the interests of health, then you will have to carry it through firmly and take the storms that will follow. If you are concerned that your child does not eat enough or has the wrong balance of nutrients, be reassured that studies have shown that children left to themselves to choose what they eat select foods which give them a proper balance of nutrients – even if they only eat one food for a day or more.
A child who is hungry will eventually eat, and although you may have to endure two or three (or more) terrible days when you first take out a loved food out of a child’s diet, a child will eventually co-operate if you are firm and do not weaken.
It helps a great deal if other family members do not eat the deprived food in front of the child (and do not tease him or her about it). But often this cannot be managed and you will have to sit things out.
*293\117\8*
Related Posts:
Tags: Allergies