Want to Prevent Your Baby from Developing Allergies? Give Them Eggs and Peanut Snacks

We are all familiar with the allergy epidemic that has emerged in the last generation. While in our childhood we barely knew what an allergy was, today every kid in kindergarten can tell you that Roy cannot have dairy products and that Esti has an aide who ensures she does not touch *Bamba* or peanuts.

One of the claims recently raised is that early exposure to potentially allergenic foods can actually protect infants from developing allergies later on. If you wondered why the recommendations for starting 'tastings' for infants keep shifting all the time between four months and six months, this is the main reason—the attempt to find the time window that 'immunizes' against allergies.

To determine once and for all how effective food exposure is during this period, researchers from Imperial College London analyzed data from 146 studies, with a total of 200,000 children included. The conclusion: there are allergies that can indeed be prevented with early food exposure.

Want your child not to be allergic to eggs? Let them taste eggs between four months and six months. Want your child not to be allergic to peanuts? Let them taste peanuts (or, more accurately, *Bamba* and similar snacks or peanut butter) between four months and six months. However, researchers found no evidence that early exposure to milk, fish, nuts, and wheat reduces the risk of allergy development.

"Egg allergy and peanut allergy are two of the most common food allergies in childhood," says Dr. Robert Boyle, head of the research team. "The new analysis we conducted uses all the existing knowledge and concludes that it is indeed beneficial to expose infants to eggs and peanuts at a young age."

However, the researchers warn that the recommendation should be applied wisely. Firstly, although early exposure reduces the risk, it does not guarantee with absolute certainty that the child will not have an allergy. Secondly, early exposure can, in itself, trigger an allergic reaction, and parents need to be alert when feeding the child food with allergic potential.

"Special care should be taken especially for infants already known to have food allergies or who suffer from allergic issues like eczema," says Dr. Boyle. "In such cases, it is always necessary to consult with a pediatrician before feeding the child eggs, peanuts, or other allergenic foods. And of course, under no circumstances should whole peanuts be given to infants to eat—this is a choking hazard!"