What Every Parent Should Know About Gluten Free Baby Food And Allergies

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Some people have a life long allergy to gluten, a protein found in wheat and , in much smaller amounts, in rye and barley (some would add oats to that list, but not every one agrees).

The gluten damages the villi, which are tiny finger like projections into the gut. However these people are few and far between.

So why look for gluten free baby food?

The answer is that under 6 months of age a baby's digestive system may not be properly able to deal with gluten. Also, according to the department, if you don't introduce these cereals before 6 months of age your child is less likely to develop allergic conditions.

In fact, continuing to feed with breast milk for at least the first 6 months will generally help your child's immune system anyway.

The time when people think you should introduce solid foods has varied over the years - almost as a fashion, but medically babies can not properly cope with any solids before about 20 weeks of age.

Watch out for these gluten types!

The easiest way to get gluten free baby food, is to make your own baby food. At least you know what the ingredients are.

But if you use shop bought foods and goods, be aware that wheat etc. may be included under another name such as starch, bran, vegetable protein, farina , semolina, hydrolysed starch and cereal binder among others.

There just isn't any standard name. However since 2005 in Europe manufacturers of pre-packed food must indicate the presence of grains containing gluten. But unfortunately, this doesn't apply to goods sold loose as from a bakery or processed meat from a delicatessen.

The time when people think you should introduce solid foods has varied over the years – almost as a fashion. But medically babies cannot properly cope with any solids before about 20 weeks of age.

So, if you are making your own baby food, gluten isn’t a problem. But if you use shop bought goods be aware that wheat, etc. may be included under another name such as those mentioned previously.

There just isn’t any standard name. However since 2005 in Europe manufacturers of pre-packed food must indicate the presence of grains containing gluten.

It does not apply to goods sold loose as from a bakery or processed meat from a delicatessen.

You may also not be aware of some foods that contain wheat products such as sausage meat, chocolate bars, soup mixes etc until the baby reacts if they are one of the few that have a problem in digesting it.

Whatever you feed your baby, starches should not be the major component of your baby’s diet at this stage.

Vegetables and fruit, should rather be given. Grated cheese and mashed legumes such as peas and beans will provide protein. Cow’s milk can be introduced after 6 months, but only in cooking such as in a custard, sauce or with cereal... not as a replacement for breast milk or specially balanced formula.

You are after all trying to help a human child to grow – not a young calf

The bottom line is... don’t worry about gluten free baby food and allergies too much. It really is a minority condition.

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