Allergies
Allergies are reactions in the immune system against certain foods or substances. There is no clear answer for why this is the case, but there is plenty of speculation. One theory is that excessively clean environments lead our immune systems to focus on foods rather than bacteria. Opinions diverge as to what, if anything, parents can do to prevent allergies. Most pediatricians agree not to introduce allergen foods like peanut butter too early. Breastfeeding is known to strengthen the immune system in babies and can help prevent allergies. Some specialists believe that if the mother avoids allergen foods while pregnant and breastfeeding, this may decrease the risk of the child developing allergies.
However, there is contradictory research which suggests that small doses of allergens while breastfeeding may actually lessen the likelihood of allergies in children. Before fretting over whether or not you should have eaten peanuts when pregnant, it might be comforting to remember that true food allergies aren't particularly common, only around two percent of children have them. Dr. Sears calls food allergies "under-diagnosed by physicians and over-diagnosed by everyone else."
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