Infant Peanut Introduction Prevents Allergies
There is nothing scarier to a mother or father than their child being in danger. A common concern today is life-threatening food allergies, many of which are from peanuts and peanut products. According to The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunity, the rate of peanut allergies in children, as reported in a telephone survey, more than tripled between 1997 and 2008. This is about the time period mothers were encouraged to avoid any and every peanut product while pregnant, and told to wait several years into the child’s life before introducing peanuts into their diets.
However, the word is out and the science has proven that introducing peanut products to infants starting at about 4 months of age is the best way to prevent a peanut allergy from developing. In order to understand why this is, it is important to understand what a peanut allergy is, the level of risk the infant has for developing a peanut allergy, and ways to safely and effectively introduce the peanut product into their diets.
The National Peanut Board has provided more information about clinical guidelines and safe ways to begin early introduction of peanut butter to infants such as recipes for baby teething biscuits and peanut butter and butternut squash.
National Peanut Board
For more information, visit the links below:
https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/guidelines-clinicians-and-patients-food-allergy
http://nationalpeanutboard.org/news/5-easy-ideas-to-introduce-peanut-to-infants.htm
http://peanutallergyfacts.org/blog/behind-the-headlines-a-pediatrician-talks-about-leap-on