If you’re pregnant, the Chinese believe that there are lots of things you are not supposed to eat.
For example, the “cannot eat” list of could include:
- Pineapple (apparently will cause early labour)
- Watermelon (too cooling)
- Seafood (toxic)
- Banana (also too cooling; but only for Del Monte type. The short “tali” bananas are ok)
Are you hearing your mother-in-law’s voice in your head now?
Peanut Allergy and Eczema
What about peanuts? Are they safe for baby to eat? What about the mother during her pregnancy? Will eating peanuts during pregnancy give your baby a peanut allergy?
Recent studies have observed the following:
- If a mother eats peanuts during pregnancy, it may help the baby build up a tolerance to peanut allergy (source)
- Dry-roasted peanuts were found to trigger more of an allergic reaction than raw peanuts (source)
But what about the link between eczema and peanut allergy? Other studies observed that:
- If an infant is having an eczema flare-up, and you apply creams or moisturisers that contain peanut oil, they had a higher risk of developing peanut allergies later in life (source)
- Peanut proteins can even be present in house dust. And infants with eczema that had exposure to that dust were also at higher risk of developing peanut allergies later in life (source)
Confused yet?
What these studies seem to indicate is that peanut allergies are more likely to develop in infants with eczema, if their SKIN is exposed to peanuts, and less because Mummy ate peanuts while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Peanut allergies are more likely to develop in infants with eczema, if their SKIN is exposed to peanuts, and less because Mummy ate peanuts while pregnant or breastfeeding.
It’s worth noting that all these are clinical observations, and you shouldn’t jump to conclusions and change your diet drastically just yet.
By the way, peanut oil is sometimes labeled as arachis oil, so check the labels on your baby creams.
Photo credit: ruurmo