Chocolate is a favorite of many children and is usually associated with holidays, birthdays and other celebrations. Chocolate products usually contain many ingredients, some of which may be beneficial, but many of them may cause negative reactions or intolerance. Food intolerance and allergies are common in children and may be misdiagnosed as other diseases. If you notice symptoms after your child has eaten chocolate or other foods, talk to your doctor, dietitian or allergy specialist for possible causes and solutions.
Food intolerance
Intolerance to certain foods is very common in children and is still relatively common during adulthood. Food intolerance is similar to food allergy, and the difference usually lies in the degree of symptoms. Intoler usually produces milder symptoms than allergic reactions. Therefore, food intolerance is more difficult to diagnose because it can mimic other diseases such as mild infection, fatigue and indigestion. Diagnosing food intolerance becomes more complicated as children have difficulty describing symptoms and communicating their discomfort.
Chocolate Issues
Chocolate intolerance is especially common in children because chocolate products often contain various ingredients that cause gastrointestinal problems and low allergic reactions. Common ingredients in chocolate products include cocoa, sugar, milk, gluten, caffeine, nuts, food coloring and other additives. Therefore, it may not be the problem of using cocoa in chocolate to use your child; instead, according to the book "Contemporary Nutrition: Functional Methods," it may be a fungus or toxin associated with nuts, or an intolerance to dairy products. In addition, your child may not tolerate multiple ingredients. Caffeine and high fructose corn syrup often also cause symptoms in children.
Symptoms of food intolerance
The symptoms of chocolate intolerance range from mild to severe depending on the ingredients involved. According to the book “Public Health Nutrition”, mild symptoms include rash, gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, flatulence, fatigue, headache, cough and runny nose. More serious symptoms include hives, respiratory distress, dizziness, burning sensation in the throat, swelling of the mouth, etc. around the face, anxiety, behavioral problems, vomiting and diarrhea. If your child looks confused or lost or has difficulty breathing, see a doctor immediately.
Recommendation
It is important to understand which part of the chocolate is causing your child to be embarrassed.Sensitive test to complete. If nuts are a problem, for example, buy nuts without nuts, rather than making them with nuts. If the dairy product is a problem, buy dark chocolate with a high proportion of cocoa. If cocoa is a problem, consider other desserts made with honey, stevia or other natural sweeteners. In general, the deeper the chocolate, the more cocoa it contains.
