Gluten In The Baby’s Diet: At What Age To Introduce It And How To Do It?
Are you worried about the introduction of your child’s food? At first, it is normal for you to be afraid and have many doubts. One of the most frequent is when to include gluten in the baby’s diet and in what way. From now on, you will be able to find out, since we are going to reveal everything you need to know.
This is a topic that has sparked debate among the experts of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN), since gluten is among the 3 most common allergies and intolerances in children.
For this reason, research has been carried out on the effect of advancing and delaying the intake of gluten on the appearance of celiac disease, eczema, asthma and other respiratory symptoms that begin to manifest in childhood.
The main objective was to discover if it can be prevented, especially in high-risk children because there is a direct relative with a history.
Gluten in the baby’s diet: how long do we have to wait?
Until 2016, the recommendation was to wait until 7 or 8 months to offer gluten, since it was believed that this would reduce the risk of developing celiac disease and other disorders related to this protein.
However, that same year the largest European study was published on the effect of breastfeeding and the age of introduction of gluten on the appearance of celiac disease in predisposed children.
On the one hand, babies who were breastfed had the same risk of having it compared to those who were breastfed with formula. On the other hand, the effect of introducing it at different times was assessed (before 3 months, from 4 to 6 months and after more than 6 months).
What was observed was that before 3 months the risk is greater because the renal and gastrointestinal function is not yet fully developed, which makes digestion difficult.
Taking into account the above, it is preferable that you wait, at least, until 4 months and give it to him as soon as possible, despite the fact that there were no differences between the period of 4 to 6 months and 6 months.
In addition, offering it before 6 months reduces the appearance of eczema before 10 years. Thus, we remind you that up to 6 months breastfeeding must be its main contribution of nutrients, so the rest of the foods will be complementary. On the contrary, it does not affect the appearance of asthma or rhinitis.
Gluten: how to introduce it and how much?
Regarding the safe amount to prevent celiac disease, none has been established, although it is not recommended that children consume large amounts during the first 2 weeks. To give you an idea, it refers to avoiding exceeding the intake of half a slice of white bread.
The type of proper preparation and its order is also unknown. However, it is always better to start with well-cooked pasta, white bread or as part of a homemade cake without added sugar.
Once tolerated, go replacing it with its integral version and increasing the amounts little by little. In this way, your digestive system will get used to it and allow it to continue maturing.
Likewise, we advise you to avoid giving your little one, frequently, ultra-processed foods, since they contain large amounts of sugars and trans fats that contribute to the future development of overweight, diabetes and obesity, among other pathologies. It is even recommended that you wait at least until the year.
When it comes to gluten in the baby’s diet …
We hope it is clear to you how and when to introduce gluten into your baby’s diet. In addition, you need to know that if your child does not have a genetic predisposition to react to gluten, it does not matter if you give it to him later. The important thing is that you incorporate more and more variety of foods, rather than the order in which you do it.
However, you should stay close while your child eats to see if any reaction appears and to avoid choking. Finally, try not to distract him or pressure him to finish everything on the plate, since he himself is able to regulate his appetite. If not, you can also put the plate in front of him with the bread or pasta cut into small pieces and let him take it with his hands.
