The tendency to allergies has a genetic component. As a result, pregnant women want to know what they can do to help their baby avoid allergies.

Turns out that your diet may be more helpful than was previously thought.

If you already have an allergic child, it may be helpful to avoid foods that your child is allergic to, according to researchers from Australia. Starting in the third trimester and continuing until your new baby is at least 2 years old, simply keep those foods out of your diet (if you are breastfeeding) and away from baby. This could actually help your infant avoid allergies.

This approach to avoiding allergies for your baby will mean that the whole family will have to participate.

Study leader, Dr Velencia Soutter, says that foods should be completely out of the baby’s environment and not just out of the diet. For instance, if peanuts are a problem and someone in the family eats peanuts, there could be enough trace amounts of peanut in the home to sensitize your baby.

The study involved almost 275 pregnant moms with a previous allergic child. Women were encouraged to breastfeed as part of avoiding allergies for their baby, as research shows this has a significant protective effect.

Avoidance measures reduced the incidence of allergies in the new baby from 55% for those who did nothing versus 30 percent for those who avoided known family allergens. The results for reduced asthma rates were even more dramatic.

Source: WebMD