Severe Food Allergy; Protein allergy

If you have a child with a food allergy you are not alone. A food allergy occurs in around one in 20 children in Australia.¹  Nine foods cause around 90% of food allergies.¹ These include egg, cow’s milk, peanut, tree nuts (such as walnuts, almonds, and pecans), sesame, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish.¹ Most food allergies in children are not severe and may be ‘outgrown’ with time.¹

Currently, the only way to manage a food allergy is to identify the food or food protein that triggers a reaction and then avoid all exposure to that food or food protein.¹

An allergy is when the immune system reacts to a substance (allergen) in the environment, which is usually harmless (e.g. food, pollen, animal dander and dust mite) or bites, stings and medications.¹ An allergic reaction is when someone develops symptoms following exposure to an allergen.¹

In food allergy, the proteins present in the foods we eat, such as meats, eggs, soy, fish, nuts and all dairy foods, tend to cause the problems.² As protein is essential for the normal growth and development of your child,³ it is important that it is not removed from your child’s diet. This means you may need some help making certain your child gets the nutrition they need for normal, healthy growth and development.