Diet for atopic dermatitis in children

Atopic dermatitis is a common disease in children. One of the most common symptoms is the appearance of red itchy patches on the skin. By combing them, your baby can infect and increase inflammation. Treatment of atopic dermatitis is always complex. An important component is a specially formulated hypoallergenic diet.

How does the disease proceed?

Atopic dermatitis is a fairly severe chronic skin disease. It proceeds with periods of exacerbation and remission (period of well-being).

Often the onset of the disease occurs in infancy, childhood and preschool age. Scientists have not found the exact reason why atopic dermatitis occurs. There are suggestions that genetic hereditary factors, consequences after an infectious disease or the presence of allergic manifestations can lead to the development of the disease.

Any other irritant can also exacerbate atopic dermatitis. This could be contact with a specific allergen. The reason is also the substances that enter the body with food.

In the process of illness, after a meeting with an allergen, a huge amount of a specific substance is produced in the body - immunoglobulin E. This reaction is protective and is designed to eliminate the foreign substance that has entered the body. However, during this reaction, many other biologically active substances are released. They cause the symptoms characteristic of atopic dermatitis:

The appearance of red itchy patches... Most often they occur in the dorsum of the hands, on the face, or on the extensor surface of the forearm.
There is severe swelling and edema. The characteristic pattern of the skin is enhanced, bubbles with liquid contents appear. When localized on the hands and feet during movement, they can cause severe pain.
In severe cases, well-being worsens. The kid becomes moody, refuses to eat. With severe itching, he constantly fidgets in the bed. If the pain syndrome is severe enough, then the child may cry or even scream.
If the allergy has become systemic. Then, nasal flow, dry cough, fever and decreased appetite are also added to the manifestations on the skin. In such cases, an immunologist-allergist should be seen for consultation and drawing up a treatment plan for the child.

General recommendations for compiling a menu for atopic dermatitis

The most important principle of any diet for atopic dermatitis is the exclusion of allergenic foods from the menu. No medication will help to cope with the symptoms of the disease if allergens regularly enter the body.

The main recommendations when drawing up a menu for children prone to dermatitis are as follows:

Diet. It should be frequent, not very large portions. Better to feed your baby every 2.5-3 hours. Such short intervals will allow all organs of the gastrointestinal tract to function well and reduce the burden on digestion. The last meal is best done one hour before bedtime. An ideal choice is a glass of low-fat kefir, yogurt.
All foods that put a heavy load on the immune system should be avoided. These include bee honey, seafood, citrus fruits, bright fruit candies with numerous chemical additives, bananas and any other tropical fruits, chips and other snacks with imitation of tastes (crab, sour cream and onions, bacon and many others).
Offer the child to drink simple purified boiled water. Sugary carbonated drinks are strictly prohibited! Many different dyes are added to them, which provoke the appearance of new rashes and intensify the itching.
All food prepared must be fresh. During an exacerbation, it is better to prepare food before each meal. Reheating destroys vitamins and does not benefit the child's body.
All food is best cooked, stewed or baked in the oven. It is recommended to refuse grilling and frying. "Light" food is absorbed faster by the body, without causing a feeling of heaviness in the stomach.
Eat at home more often. When you cook at home, you know what foods you put on the table. In canteens or cafes, children's food is often cooked in adult professional ovens. Soups or cutlets may contain spices or foods that are undesirable for atopic tendencies.
The child's diet should also be balanced. For active growth, a large amount of protein is required (at least a quarter of the total daily diet). Choose lean turkey or chicken. Introduce foods gradually, observing the reactions of the body.

Drawing up a rotational diet for children

The rotational diet is noticeably inferior in its severity to, for example, the elimination diet. For this reason, it is quite often prescribed to children with manifestations of atopic dermatitis.

Diet recommendations for atopic dermatitis will be told by Dr. Komarovsky in the video below.

The diet starts from the "start". Usually these are four groups of products: fermented milk, meat, various cereals and vegetables of the same type.

Then, every four days, one new product is added to the diet. This diet helps to tune the immune system to work properly, eliminating possible violent reactions to food allergens entering the body.

The safest and most allergenic foods for children with atopic dermatitis

Focusing on scientific studies of the influence of products on the possibility of developing allergic reactions and atopic dermatitis, the Union of Pediatricians has compiled tables of products, where they are divided into categories: the most dangerous (highly allergenic), hypoallergenic and neutral.

Highly allergenic foods should be completely excluded from the children's menu. They are most likely to cause manifestations of atopic dermatitis. Hypoallergenic foods can be introduced into the child's diet, but with the obligatory control of the reaction to them. Neutral foods can be consumed calmly, without fear that they may provoke a new aggravation.

Highly allergenic products include:

Berries: victoria and wild strawberries, red grapes, cherries and cherries.
Fruits: oranges, lemons, tangerines, grapefruits, apricots, melons, red and yellow apples, fruits from the tropics (except banana), fruit drinks from these fruits, dates, dried apricots and raisins.
Yellow vegetables: mainly pumpkin. Tomatoes and sauces, ketchup. Radish. Root vegetables: beets and carrots. Red and yellow paprika.
Medium risk products:
Berries: blackberries, lingonberries, cranberries, various types of currants. Watermelon.
Bananas.
Legumes. Eggplant.
Neutral products:
White berries. Gooseberry.
Green apples and pears. Plums. Sun-dried apples or prunes.
From vegetables: potatoes and cabbage. Leafy greens and green salad. Zucchini, zucchini and squash. Fresh cucumbers and young spinach.

Often, children who are allergic to certain foods may have allergic reactions to other foods. This is called cross-allergy. If a child is allergic to tree pollen, he also does not tolerate nuts, all bush fruits, carrots and parsley. It is not recommended for such children to introduce into their diet any kind of apples, pears, cherries, cherries and many other fruits and berries growing on trees.

Children with an allergy to chicken eggs practically do not digest chicken broth, quail eggs, duck and mayonnaise with any inclusion of melange or yolks.

Diet for allergic diathesis in babies from 6 months to 1 year

The onset of symptoms in infants is often associated with a violation of the mother's diet. Very often, the allergen enters the child's body along with breast milk, causing diathesis.

At this time, a nursing mom should include more fermented milk products, lean meat and fish in her menu, exclude the use of seafood and seaweed for a while. In the diet, preference should be given to various types of gluten-free cereals and gently cooked meat products. These can be steamed meatballs or meatballs.

It is strictly prohibited:

all types of smoked sausages and sausages;
chocolates and bars;
citrus;
spicy dishes and canned food.

When introducing complementary foods for babies from 6 months, introduce foods gradually. If, when a new type of product is introduced, a child has red spots on his body, you should immediately cancel this product and seek the advice of a pediatrician. Additional testing may be required. The baby will take blood for analysis, which will show whether the child has an individual intolerance to a particular product.

When introducing vegetable complementary foods, give preference to cauliflower and broccoli. Danish researchers have found that such products are the safest for the first complementary foods. Fruit purees are best used from fruits that grow in your area. Green apples and pears are considered hypoallergenic for residents of Russia. Plums are well tolerated.

All porridge should be boiled in water. At first, they can be diluted with breast milk. Mixing with cow's milk is undesirable. If a child has lactase deficiency or milk intolerance, after porridge on such a product, he may have diarrhea, as well as vomiting.

Be alert and watch for any reaction from your child to a new product. After each introduction to the menu of a new food, be sure to check the baby's skin for rashes.

Elimination diet for children

The elimination diet is a kind of experiment, and its purpose is not so much to cure as to help identify the food allergen to which the child develops symptoms of atopic dermatitis.

The essence of the technique consists in the gradual withdrawal from the diet of foods that could potentially be allergenic, and then in their gradual introduction into the diet. This is a provocation of the body, which, upon new contact with the allergen, will certainly let you know about it.

The duration of such an "experiment" should be from 2 to 5 weeks, no more.

At the first stage, glucose and fructose are excluded from the child's diet. (sugar, honey, fruits, various sauces). This makes it possible to understand if the child has a fungal infection that has given rise to a tendency to atopy. Without glucose, fungi feel bad, and the child's condition begins to improve markedly.
The second step involves eliminating 1 allergen every two days. Eliminate nuts, wheat, milk, vegetables. The doctor gives the exact list of products for a particular child. The child's condition usually improves markedly after the product dangerous to him is eliminated.
They begin to return products to the diet, introducing one every two to three days. Each new one is eaten in sufficient quantity, several times a day. A true allergen produces a skin reaction on the same day. The first to return meat products, to complete with cereals and fruits,

After detecting 1-2 allergens, the elimination diet should be discontinued. If necessary, the "food provocation" can be repeated later with the permission of the doctor.

Important! The child should not starve. Do not keep it on water and bread. Nutrition should be complete. Prepare soups, cereals, mashed potatoes for him from products approved by the doctor. Don't make your own challenge test elimination diet menu. The doctor must do this.