It is recommended to eat 5 pieces of fruit and vegetables daily. However, it is difficult for children to comply with this recommendation, especially in summer, when the range of desserts such as ice cream and sweets is so wide that it is very difficult for them to eat fruit. Dr. García Calatayud suggests that in summer they should take advantage of seasonal fruits, melon, watermelon, blackberries… However, caution should be exercised, because there are more and more cases of allergies to these foods.
What is childhood allergy?
Allergy is defined as an abnormal sensitivity of the organism to the contact or ingestion of a specific substance, so that when it comes into contact with the organism, it reacts abnormally, expressing the typical symptoms of allergy.
Are children more prone to suffer from allergies?
There are more and more cases of people suffering from allergies, with children being the most affected. While it is true that the cause of allergies has a hereditary component, they are also associated with environmental factors, the early abandonment of breastfeeding or the excessively early introduction of certain foods. In the case of fruit allergies, they usually appear from adolescence onwards and are one of the foods that produce the most allergies, being those of the rosaceae family (apple, pear, peach…) the ones that produce the most allergies.
Which fruits can cause the most allergies?
As mentioned, rosaceae fruits are the ones that produce the most allergies, inducing 70% of all allergic reactions to these foods. Other fruits that can cause more allergy are kiwi, mango, pineapple, melon, watermelon…
How does a fruit allergy occur?
Normally, allergies of this type are local, i.e. itching of the tongue, throat, ears, mouth… Sometimes the lips may become red or even swollen. A child should be suspected of having a fruit allergy when the symptoms described above appear shortly after eating the fruit in question.
In case it is the first time it happens, and if the child is affected, it is necessary to go to the pediatric emergency department and request an appointment as soon as possible with a physician who is familiar with the management of children’s food allergies.