Allergies are on the rise. While you might think that it’s just because we’re more aware of allergies now, you’d be wrong.  Current research indicates that certain industrialized countries including the US, England, Canada, Greenland, New Zealand, Australia, and Denmark have higher rates of allergy than in the past.  In the US, allergy is ranked 6th of chronic medical conditions. 

Here’s a few interesting statistics: While there is a wide spectrum of allergens that human beings deal with, pollen, dust mites and animal allergens account for almost 9 out of 10 cases. Allergies to foods and food additives, insect bites, latex, chemicals, and particulates in our air account for the majority of the remaining allergies. So, while we hear a lot about things like peanut allergies because of the frequency or severity, they are not the biggest allergy culprit.

We know for sure that your genetics can predispose you to allergies. If one parent has allergies, your chance of also having them is 30%. If both parents have allergies, your chances go up to 60%. With this in mind, many parents want to help their baby avoid this potentially life-threatening medical condition.

There’s good news for those of us who are concerned: the mother’s diet in the last trimester of pregnancy can actually make a difference! Research shows that while you may not be able to guarantee that your child will avoid allergies, you can stack the deck in your child’s favor.

The expression “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” actually applies to your baby in the womb. Apparently, research suggests that eating apples while pregnant can help your child to avoid asthma later! Moms who ate 4 or more apples a week had children who were over 50% less likely to have asthma. While other fruit is certainly healthy, the study showed that it was apples that really made the difference.

A food to avoid if you have allergies in your family is peanuts. Studies do show that your child’s risk of having a peanut allergy goes up as your intake of peanuts goes up. While nothing is a sure thing, the best advice is to forgo the peanuts (and perhaps reach for that apple).

Want to help ensure your little one doesn’t get an egg allergy? Take your cod liver oil! A study in Sweden shows that women who took a fish oil supplement throughout the third trimester and first three months of breastfeeding had infants with a significantly lower incidence of allergies of all kinds, and half the number of reactions to eggs.

One more way to help avoid allergies is to breastfeed. Several studies have shown that infants who are breastfed are much less likely to develop allergies and that this effect extends even into early adulthood. Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 to 9 months provides the best protection. In fact, some sources indicate that if you have a family history of allergies, it can be to your child’s benefit to extend exclusive breastfeeding and delay the introduction of solids and other food sources into your baby’s diet.