Why Delay Introducing Solid foods?
Mature intestines are better able to screen out potential allergens and keep them from entering the bloodstream. Even if breast feeding and you feed your infant solid foods (especially those containing protein, such as wheat, soy, and dairy) before the intestinal lining is mature, food allergens can seep into the bloodstream, causing baby to build up antibodies to those allergens and later become allergic to those foods. When you do start solids, introduce the least allergic (lowest protein) foods first, such as fruits, vegetables, and rice. Make citrus fruits the last fruits you introduce. Wait until at least eighteen months before introducing potentially-allergic foods, such as egg whites, tomatoes, shellfish e.g. shrimp, and peanut butter . Delay introducing cow’s milk products until at least a year of age. By twelve months of age, your child’s intestines are mature enough to screen out most of the food allergens, to prevent food allergies.
