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What should be the nutrition for allergies?
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

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For people with sensitivity to any allergen, it is important to maintain a healthy diet for allergies. Let us remember that histamine and serotonin are the formations of the same amino acids. And the amino acids themselves are the building material for protein. This fact allows us to make an unambiguous conclusion about the need to reduce protein consumption, especially with the content of the listed amino acids, if there is a tendency to allergic manifestations.
Manifestations of allergic reactions are found in the weakest systems of the human body in the form of rhinitis, edema, conjunctivitis, skin rashes, eczema, asthma and other painful conditions. The course of allergic processes largely depends on the state of the immune system, neuro-emotional balance, the work of the digestive organs, urinary and endocrine systems.
It is known that during the interaction of an allergen and antibodies, the blood is saturated with biologically active substances (serotonin, histamine, etc.), causing spasms of smooth muscles and the appearance of various reactions of the body. This is how suffocation, rashes on the mucous membrane and skin occur.
Allergenic products include animal and vegetable proteins, and some carbohydrate components. The following foods are subject to dietary restrictions for allergies: cow's milk, animal and poultry meat, fish and seafood, eggs, cereals, nuts, fruits and vegetables, citrus fruits. It should be noted that heat treatment reduces the allergenicity of plant foods. Thus, steamed vegetables, fruits, and berries can quite diversify the diet of an allergy sufferer.
Cocoa and cocoa products are added to the list of "unacceptable" products. Individual intolerance is caused by white wine, or rather the egg yolk present in it, with the help of which the wine acquires its light shade.
It is very important to pay attention to nutrition during an allergy exacerbation, completely eliminating the allergen product from the diet. In case of problems with the digestive organs, use products with enveloping properties, as well as jelly-like dishes from mashed vegetables and cereals. Keeping a food diary helps to monitor the process.
Nutrition for food allergies
The list of products that can cause food intolerance is quite large. Food allergies cause nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal problems, swelling of the lips and tongue, and Quincke's edema. How to organize nutrition for food allergies to avoid serious consequences? It is best to seek advice from an allergist. Remove irritating foods from your diet, such as smoked, spicy, salty, savory dishes, canned goods, and spices.
During periods of acute allergy, a two-day fast is useful, if possible only on water. Then follow a week-long diet of porridges without oil, cooked in water, soups from cereals, cooked in vegetable broth. Divide meals into six times a day in minimal portions.
When the symptoms subside, the diet is enriched with lean boiled or steamed meat. You can eat vegetables and fruits. Berries and citrus fruits remain in the "forbidden" category. You can treat yourself to weak tea with unsweetened cookies.
Diet for Milk Allergy
Milk is necessary for the development and growth of children. In the diet of children with milk allergy, you should try to introduce goat's milk, mare's milk or fermented milk products. Almond and soy milk can also be an alternative.
Almond milk is made as follows: about 200 grams of almonds peeled from the brown skin are crushed, poured with half a liter of boiled water, and left to brew for about half an hour at room temperature. The mixture is filtered through a filter made of several layers of gauze. Dilute with another half a liter of water, put on the fire and wait for it to boil.
Soy milk is useful for both children and adults. Its composition is close to 2% fat content of cow's milk. Soy takes a special place in dietary nutrition, on its basis a lot of useful and tasty products are prepared.
The diet for milk allergy should be balanced with other foods that are rich in protein and do not cause intolerance.
Nutrition for allergies in children
Intolerance to a certain product is the most common type of allergy in children. The most important rule of nutrition for allergies in children is caution when introducing a new product into the baby's diet. Parents should also know that cross-allergic reactions are possible with food intolerance.
If you are allergic to cow's milk, you can replace it with goat's milk, try fermented milk products. Women who are breastfeeding should not eat allergenic products. It is important to be careful when consuming red fruits and vegetables. If you detect allergic reactions in your baby, you should consult a doctor.
Experts advise to introduce the first complementary feeding no earlier than seven months, gradually introducing vegetable purees (zucchini, light-colored pumpkin, cabbage) into the diet. A week is given to master the new product, after which you can increase the doses and try vegetable mixtures.
From the eighth month, you can switch to rice, corn or buckwheat porridge cooked in water. It is good to add vegetable or ghee to the dish.
Introduce meat no earlier than nine months of age. Meat products are mashed into puree, then move on to a finely chopped mixture. But fish and eggs can be given to an allergic child only after reaching two or three years of age.
Puree from green or yellow fruits is introduced into complementary feeding no earlier than ten months of age, and sometimes only at one year, noting any changes in the baby’s body.
Nutrition for children with allergies is based on the principles of proper food preparation:
- It is recommended to soak vegetables in water for several hours, which will help remove harmful substances and nitrates from them;
- It is good to soak the cereals in water for two to three hours before cooking;
- After the meat has boiled, all the broth is poured out of the pan. The second broth is cleared of all fatty inclusions;
- Steamed dishes are considered the most useful for children, followed by boiled, stewed, baked. Frying is prohibited.
If the signs of allergy do not go away by the age of two or three, then a period of diet therapy begins. Allergenic products are prohibited for a long period, determined by the attending physician. The diet itself is divided into periods:
- at the peak of allergy it is strictly forbidden to consume - broths, spicy, salty, pickled, fried, spicy smoked dishes. Limit the consumption of sugar and salt, dairy products, flour products, some cereals. The first period, as a rule, lasts one to two weeks;
- when acute manifestations of allergies subside, a period of exclusion of all “dangerous” products (and those capable of causing cross-reaction) from the diet begins for a period of up to three months;
- If all signs of allergy have passed, you can begin the recovery period. Gradually, allergenic foods are allowed to be introduced into the child's diet, excluding the identified allergen.
Products can be eaten starting with minimal doses - no more than 10 grams. Nutrition for allergies in children is systematized by keeping a diary, where all the reactions that occur and the doses of the introduced product are recorded by day.
Therapeutic nutrition for allergies
Therapeutic nutrition for allergies is divided into preventive and therapeutic diets.
Preventive measures are achieved through a gentle antigen diet, which excludes the intake of: animal protein, allergenic vegetables, fruits (citrus fruits, for example).
In cases of allergic reactions, hypoallergenic diets are used by eliminating the allergen itself from the diet.
It is necessary to refuse products with preservatives, dyes, spices and other additives that can cause allergic reactions. The amount of liquid consumed is reduced only in cases of swelling. For preventive purposes, fluid retention in the body is reduced by the consumption of table salt.
It is best to discuss daily therapeutic nutrition for allergies with an allergist, who will help create an individual balanced diet according to your specific problem.
Dietary nutrition for allergies
Dietary nutrition for allergies can be divided into:
- basic – general principles of nutrition during periods of exacerbation and after them;
- elimination – nutrition taking into account a specific identified allergen.
Read also: Diet for allergies
At the beginning of the basic diet, it is recommended to fast for up to two days with the use of water or weak tea. The following products are allowed:
- crackers or yesterday's bread;
- vegetable, vegetarian and cereal soups;
- oatmeal, buckwheat in water without oil.
As symptoms ease, unsweetened cookies, steamed meat, eggs (no more than one per day), fermented milk products, steamed or stewed vegetables, coffee with milk, and tea are added to the diet for allergies.
Require limited consumption of honey, industrially produced sweets, jam, sugar.
Completely exclude from the diet:
- baked goods;
- products with dyes and various additives;
- salted, smoked, preserved;
- frozen food dishes, semi-finished products;
- ice cream;
- cocoa beans and products made from them, including chocolate;
- alcoholic beverages.
An elimination diet is used during the prophylactic period, when the cause of the allergy has been precisely determined. Such diets can be seasonal during the flowering period of grasses and trees, or they can last all year round (in case of intolerance to eggs, milk, etc.).
Proper nutrition for allergies
Proper nutrition for allergies involves eliminating unwanted foods, which include:
- seafood, fish, caviar;
- cow's milk, cheeses (especially blue cheese), eggs, smoked meats;
- industrial canned goods, individual vegetable crops (tomatoes, celery, sauerkraut);
- spices, sauces with their addition;
- most fruits and berries, juices, compotes, and jelly made from them;
- carbonated drinks, chewing gum, unnatural yogurt, dried fruits (figs, dates);
- honey, nuts, mushrooms;
- alcohol, products containing it;
- coffee, black tea, marmalade and caramel candies, cocoa;
- products with flavorings, colorings, etc.;
- exotic dishes and products.
Proper nutrition for allergies should be quite varied and wide-ranging. However, the same products should be consumed no more than three times a week. The source of fat should be vegetable or ghee. Food should be fresh, rich in vitamins C, P, as well as calcium and iodine.
Useful recipes for allergies
The diet of an allergy sufferer should be balanced and varied, but should not contain sensitive components. Nutrition for allergies, recipes for dishes:
- pancakes: grind any non-allergenic product in a blender - zucchini, apple, pumpkin. Add three quail eggs, a little soda, sweeten, lightly salt. Add flour. Cook in a steamer or in the oven;
- soup: beef broth, carrots, potatoes. At the end of cooking, add and mix the quail eggs. Add salt to taste;
- salad: boiled chicken fillet - 200 g, soy cheese - 100 g, soy mayonnaise - 100 g, two fresh cucumbers, onion, parsley, salt - to taste. Cut the chicken fillet and cheese into cubes, slice the cucumbers. Combine the ingredients, add parsley, soy mayonnaise and salt.
You can diversify your diet if you have allergies by inventing your own recipes based on permitted and most favorite products. A little imagination, time and delicious food is ready.
A balanced diet for allergies is an important aspect of preventing allergic conditions.