Symptoms of food intolerance in babies

Any discomfort of the baby concerns the parents, but some symptoms are subtle and not easy for parents to find, or some symptoms are similar but completely different in nature, such as food intolerance and food allergies in babies. The symptoms of these two are similar, but they are very different. Let’s take a look at the specific manifestations of food intolerance and teach you how to distinguish it from allergies.

Generally speaking, food intolerances only affect the digestive system and do not involve a response from the immune system. For example, the lactose intolerance we are most familiar with is due to the lack of lactase in the intestines, which causes the body to be unable to digest the lactose in milk or dairy products, causing a series of symptoms such as bloating and diarrhea.

Certain chemicals contained in some other natural ingredients can also cause intolerance reactions in the body. For example, some people suffer from wheat intolerance because they are unable to digest and absorb the gluten contained in wheat, barley, and rye, leading to symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, and vomiting, which is also called "celiac disease."

Differentiate between food allergies and intolerances

The easiest way to differentiate between the two is to observe which symptoms appear and the time interval between their occurrence. Food allergies involve the immune system and are usually IgE-mediated allergic reactions.

Under normal circumstances, the immune system protects our bodies, just like a group of soldiers carrying guns to defend their motherland. They will only shoot when bad guys invade. But it was as if these soldiers were too nervous and sensitive. They would open fire at any suspicious person approaching. These suspicious individuals may be foods that are good for your health.

Food intolerance usually only involves the digestive system, causing symptoms such as bloating and diarrhea due to a lack of certain enzymes or sensitivity to certain chemicals. Of course, some food intolerances can also cause skin reactions, such as rashes. However, these reactions of food intolerance are slow to occur, usually appearing several hours or even days after eating the food.

For example, if a baby develops a rash within 2 hours after eating oatmeal, it may be an allergy. If it happens three or four hours later, then the possibility of intolerance is greater. Moreover, the severity of the symptoms is directly related to the amount of food intake. That is, the more food you eat, the more obvious the digestive tract symptoms will be. For example, when eating strawberries, there may be no symptoms at first when you eat one or two, but after eating a whole bowl of strawberries, you may notice red spots around the corners of your mouth or feel irritated and uncomfortable. This may be an intolerance to strawberries, not an allergy. In fact, when many adults have allergic reactions, the most common symptom is itching of the lips or mouth. This situation often occurs immediately after eating, and is also accompanied by pollen allergies, allergic rhinitis and other diseases. For example, if someone has an allergic reaction to eating apples, pears, cherries, carrots, celery, or handling raw potatoes, then he or she will also be allergic to birch. People who are allergic to ragweed may also react to melons and bananas. This is because these foods contain some protein, which causes mild symptoms on the surface of the oral and pharyngeal mucosa, and usually does not cause gastrointestinal or systemic symptoms. In this case, you should avoid eating these raw vegetables or fruits, and instead cook them to destroy the protein before eating. In addition, food intolerance is not simply caused by a few foods, but by many different foods.