Many parents are faced with the challenges of allergies in their children. From switching infant formulas to diagnosing food allergies versus food intolerances. Compounded by seasonal allergies this time of year.

So today we bring you an extraordinary expert to answer your questions from preventing allergies in infancy to managing food and seasonal allergies, to understanding the options in allergy treatment.

Dr. Hugh A. Sampson is an eminent leader in the field of allergy disorders. He is the Kurt Hirschhorn Professor of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York. He has over 40 years’ research experience in food allergy disorders. He has authored or coauthored more than 550 articles, 90 book chapters, and 5 books.

The most common food allergies in children are to peanuts, milk and eggs. Both eggs and milk tend to resolve by age 10 but not peanut allergies which can last a lifetime. Most children who have allergies tend to be allergic to more than one but don’t overinterpret test results. Work with your allergist to determine food tolerance and a registered dietitian to evaluate nutritional completeness of your child’s diet.

Cashew allergies are on the rise as are allergies in children in general. It is unknown why but one theory is that we are too clean.

Research has shown that when babies from 4-6 months old are exposed to peanut protein, they can develop tolerance. This concept of early introduction is being studied for other foods.

For seasonal allergies, when buds are on the trees, start a regime of antihistamines on a regular basis until the pollen is gone. Avoid opening windows in the early morning when pollen is highest. Air-conditioner and air-purifiers can help with pollen but not as much with dust mites. Washing sheets often helps. Eye drops and allergy shots also help.

Visit our website, Nutrition4Kids.com, for lots of information, articles and videos to help you promote well being for your family. We hope you’ll join us, give our podcast a favorable rating, tell your friends about what Nutrition4Kids has to offer, and share on social media.

Welcome to the inaugural N4K podcast! I am so excited to launch our very first podcast with a topic that most parents can relate to: Picky Eaters; or: when nothing green passes your child’s mouth. Today we promise to give you a crash course in picky eaters 101 and help you go from stress to success with tips and tricks to encourage your child to eat a healthier diet.

I am delighted to introduce my friend and our very esteemed guest, Lucille Beseler, who is also a member of our Nutrition4Kids advisory board and a treasure trove of experience and wisdom dealing with finnicky eaters. Lucille is a registered dietitian/nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, author, speaker and entrepreneur. She is president and owner of the Family Nutrition Center of South Florida (FNC). Under her direction, the FNC has developed into a comprehensive practice providing a variety of nutrition services in multiple locations. Since 1991, the FNC has seen over 300,000 children and adults for nutrition evaluation and care.

Lucille’s book is Nurturing with Nutrition: everything you need to know about feeding infants and toddlers. And she served as president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Nearly half of America’s children ages 1-5 don’t eat a vegetable a day, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control. Nearly 1-3 young children don’t eat fruit each day. We know how important fruits and vegetables are to providing vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber. How can parents get their kids to eat more nutritious foods?

In this podcast episode, Lucille gives parents advice about the importance of role modeling, tips and tricks on what to buy and how to cook vegetables to make them more interesting, little rules children can easily follow, and what foods to avoid. Lucille has great advice on how to handle “food jags” (when a child will only eat one type of food, such as chicken nuggets).

We discuss cognitive development and brain health, establishing healthy eating habits early in life, the importance of family meals, the topic of sugar, and we even discuss cell phone use.

Lucille closes by noting that the risk of childhood obesity and related diseases encourages us to help our kids “eat right, from the start.” She leaves the listener with powerful tools to help their picky eaters learn to love their fruits and veggies.

Visit our website, Nutrition4Kids.com, for lots of information, articles and videos to help you promote well being for your family. We hope you’ll join us, give our podcast a favorable rating, tell your friends about what Nutrition4Kids has to offer, and share on social media.