Veggies, vegans and little ones prone to allergies

Veggies
Non-veggie babies get much of their iron from meat. We make sure our veggie customers get theirs too. It comes from many things including organic apricots, spinach, red lentils and mixed grains.

Our ingredients aren’t just about flavour. Vitamin C helps babies absorb iron so we put the two together. For example cooked tomatoes for their vitamin C with red lentils for their iron. Yum. Tasty and nutritious.

Vegans
A careful diet can deliver vegan babies all the vital nutrients they need. You just need to watch out, as these diets need a little more thought. We’ve got the meals to help you.

Allergies
Very few babies have allergies and many that do grow out of them by three. Government guidelines suggest babies most at risk – allergies often run in the family – should be breastfed for at least six months or longer. This helps boost your baby’s protective antibodies.

Troublesome foods tend to be things like nuts, milk, wheat, eggs, fish and shellfish.

If these allergies run in your family try introducing them one at a time when baby’s old enough. Then keep a close eye on them. Some reactions appear straightaway, others can take hours or days. A good time to do it is at breakfast or lunch – not dinner. That way the reactions are less likely to go unnoticed during the night.

Talk to your health visitor or see your doctor if your baby shows any of the common signs of allergies. For example sickness, diarrhoea, coughing, wheezing, rashes (sometimes round the mouth), tingling of the throat or mouth or eczema. They may need to see a registered dietician, who can accurately diagnose your baby.

Allergy… or intolerance?
With an allergy your baby’s body reacts by releasing antibodies. It’s these that cause symptoms like a rash, bloating, runny nose and sometimes swelling.

With food intolerance baby has an on-going problem. For example stomach ache, glue ear, diarrhoea or hyperactivity brought on by certain foods. Intolerances don’t usually involve the immune system and are not generally life threatening. You may find too that if you avoid the ‘trigger’ food for a while, you may be able to reintroduce it later with no problem. This is unlikely to work with an allergy.

Always get a proper diagnosis from a health professional. And never cut out major food groups without getting proper advice first.