When the pediatrician allows the child to introduce complementary foods, he introduces the mother to the list of vegetables and fruits that can cause allergies. Pumpkin is not on the list of these products. In most recommendations, it comes as a hypoallergenic product. But occasionally there are alarming messages from mothers that the baby, after the introduction of pumpkin into complementary foods, has symptoms of allergy.
Can pumpkin cause allergies?
Pumpkin contains so many nutrients and vitamins that it can be considered a leader among other vegetables and fruits, although in fact it is a berry. Its delicate fiber is ideal for a child's diet. Mashed potatoes and porridge with pumpkin are delicious, and children eat them with pleasure. I would like to feed the child as soon as possible with this tasty and very useful product.
Although pumpkin is a harmless product for most babies, it is useful to be careful. This is especially true for children who have already experienced allergic reactions in the form of diathesis or atopic dermatitis.
What is the cause of a pumpkin allergy
It is believed that two factors can cause an allergy to pumpkin: an increased content of carotenoids and the f225 protein, an individual pumpkin allergen.
Carotenoids increase immunity, have a beneficial effect on vision, are natural antioxidants, and participate in the production of vitamin A. But, accumulating in the body, these two components can be the culprits of allergies.
The f225 protein is an individual allergen. And if a child has an intolerance to this protein, then the body will begin to intensively produce antibodies to a foreign protein. As a result, the consumption of pumpkin will cause a typical allergic reaction in the baby: rash, redness of the skin, itching.
Is the pumpkin always to blame
If you gave your child pumpkin puree from a jar and after that noticed allergy symptoms, analyze the composition of the components that make up the product. The reason may be in them.
The pumpkin builds up chemicals from fertilizers. If unscrupulous growers abused them during cultivation, then the concentration can be high. Then the cause of the allergy is not the pumpkin, but the action of these chemicals. In any case, it needs to be clarified.
To determine the individual intolerance to the f225 pumpkin protein, a blood test is done. He will detect the presence of antibodies to this protein.
If the manifestations of allergies are minor, then at home you can also find out if the pumpkin is to blame. The reaction usually appears within a few hours. If you notice symptoms, remove pumpkin from your diet. After a month, introduce pumpkin dishes again. When doing this, do not use canned puree. It is advisable to make your own puree from pumpkin grown without the use of chemical fertilizers. If the symptoms reappear, then the pumpkin is to blame.
Because of unfounded fears, you should not deprive your child of this tasty and healthy product. You just need to correctly and carefully introduce it into complementary foods. There is no need to feed your baby pumpkin every day just because it is so healthy. Measure is good in everything.
