Thank you to SpoonfulOne for sponsoring this post.
Now that Matt and I are about to become parents, I’ve been paying a lot more attention to news and updates related to babies and kids. Being a dietitian and having a particular interest in food and nutrition, one of the hot topics I’ve been following recently in particular is allergy development, and potential ways to proactively train your child’s system with the foods responsible for most food allergies. Neither Matt nor I have any food allergies, but 2/3 of children with allergies have no parents with allergies, so clearly it’s something we should still be paying attention to.
The more research that I’ve done, the more I have discovered that avoiding a potential allergen for too long can actually increase the risk that your child will develop allergies. In fact, research shows that avoiding a potentially allergenic food like peanuts increased the risk five to one that the child would develop an allergy to that food. (Sources: 1, 2, 3)
Other research shows that healthy babies can (and should) start eating allergenic foods as early as 4 to 6 months. (Sources: 1, 2) In addition to being at increased risk of allergies, a child who lacks early dietary diversity also has an increased risk of asthma and atopic dermatitis. (Sources: 1, 2)
So, I knew that I wanted to introduce common foods that could potentially become allergens to our child early on, but I wasn’t sure what that approach would look like or how I would do it until I learned about SpoonfulOne.
SpoonfulOne is a supplemental food powder that gently introduces your child’s immune system to micro-servings of proteins from the 16 foods that account for 90% of food allergies in children today: peanut, tree nuts, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, and sesame. It basically gradually trains their immune system daily, beginning as soon as solid foods are introduced (again, generally 4 to 6 months of age). Fascinating, huh?
I wasn’t sure it was legit until I did more research on the company and its founder, Dr. Kari Nadeau. She is the director of Stanford’s Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research and does clinical research on the interaction of genetics and environment in the development of food allergies. If anyone is qualified to develop this product, I’d say she is. In addition to being one of the nation’s foremost experts in allergies, she is also a pediatrician and mother of five.
SpoonfulOne is packaged in pre-measured single-serve daily packets that are convenient and portable, and have a neutral taste so they can easily be mixed into any food your child likes. It contains no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, flavors, or dyes – and includes a pediatrician-recommended dose of Vitamin D for immune balance. It has been proven safe for introduction and regular long-term use at home by infants in an independent nationwide study.
Check out their website for more details and/or to order, if you’re interested! And check out my Instagram and Facebook page today to enter to win some free product!
If you’re a parent, what has your approach been with your child in terms of introducing allergens?
If you’re a soon-to-be parent like us, what do you think your approach will be?
