Lentil Allergy

Updated on July 29, 2008
D.L. asks from Loveland, CO
12 answers

My son is 10 months old and I'm 99% sure he has an allergy to lentils. I fed him a baby food dinner that had lentils in it with other veggies. The first time I gave it to him he threw up after a few bites and I thought maybe he just wasn't feeling well and the stomach bug had gone around day care. Last night I gave it to him and after half a jar he threw it up and was sneezing uncontrollably. The only ingredient in the dinner that he hadn't had before was lentils. After looking for information on the internet, I came up short. Does anyone else out there have a child with a lentil allergy? Is it likely that he is allergic to all soy or legumes, including peanuts? I've posted food allergy concerns before and all his previous symptoms/concerns went away, but now this comes up. He's been a difficult child to feed a variety of things to begin with since he still doesn't know how to eat food a little chunkier yet so all he gets is fruits, veggies, cereal and yogurt. Thanks in advance, I always get great advice from this site!

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E.B.

answers from Salt Lake City on

As someone who has raised two (of three) highly allergic babies, Please listen. DO not feed him any more lentils, or related proteins. Avoid peanuts peas, hummus, soy at all costs for at least a year. Be very careful with protiens and citrus as well. By being selective now, you can avoid life threatening reactions later.
Good luck

E.

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M.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

It sure sounds like it could be an allergy to me. My daughter is extremely allergic to beans, peas, peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame. When there is an allergy to one of these things, it is fairly common to have, or develop, an allergy to one or more of the others - they are related. According to our doctor, symptoms to watch for are: Difficulty breathing, hoarseness, swelling (of eyes, lips, tongue, or throat), itching, rash, coughing, nausea, cramps, fainting, paleness, blueness, or vomiting. Initial symptoms may appear within a few seconds or up to two hours after exposure. Also, it is important to know that just because the reacion is vomiting one time, does not mean that the next reaction will be vomiting again; instead, it could be difficulty breathing - you never know from one reaction to the next what it will be or how severe it could be. I would have allergy testing done as soon as possible from a board certified allergist and not expose him to any of these foods until you know for sure. Also, keep Benedryl close by (use it if you see any symptoms) just in case until you get the epipen. My instructions have been to use the epipen if I see swelling of the eyes, lips, tongue, or throat, or if my daughter has difficulty breathing. Good luck to and your son. I would be happy to help if you have any more questions.

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D.T.

answers from Denver on

Have dealt with many food sensitivities, take lentils out of his diet until he past age two. Eggs should be avoided until then too (high allergy food) Lots of good books available, I like Marjorie Hurt's, Allergy Free Cooking.

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C.C.

answers from Salt Lake City on

trust your gut, if you thing the lentils caused the reaction go with that. it might be a reflex to texture. or just something he doesn't like, it doesn't mean it is an allergy but maybe an intolerance. I'm the 3rd of 13 kids and number 6 as a baby had strong reactions to bananas. She's a mommy now herself and guess what? Still doesn't like bananas. She has no allergy to them just really really doesn't like them. another friends little girl barfs anytime they feed her oatmeal, she can't handle the texture of it. as a mom though instinct is a power not to be met anywhere else on the planet so go with your gut and if you are concerned on an allergy just don't introduce those things into his diet for a while and when you do try them make sure that it is the only new thing you are doing...you know the drill it is what you have been doing already or you would have no idea about the lentils in the first place!

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M.G.

answers from Denver on

I'm far from a doctor, but I don't think that food allergies cause sneezing fits. Usually food allergies cause swelling, and rashes around the mouth and throat. Talk to your pediatirition, and see what he thinks.

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K.D.

answers from Denver on

Food allergies aren't going to cause sneezing (or so the doctor says, I wonder, personally). They will cause vomiting. I'd check with a doctor. You might have to push. RAST tests if done correctly can help, although they're not considered to be very accurate. Vomiting is considered an anaphylactic reaction according to our doctor at National Jewish, so if it is an allergy, you want to be sure to know as soon as possible. You'll also want an epi or twin-ject in case the allergy ever escalates. On the other hand, we've also had stomach bugs that seemed to be food related, but evidently weren't as it quit. It's worth checking with your doctor. Just a bit of info to help, whenever our son throws up a food due to allergies, he never gets any other symptoms of allergies other than an occasional fever, so don't let the lack of other symptoms let the doctor get away with not taking action. Our allergist says it's not in the system long enough when it's thrown up to give other symptoms. GL! I hope it's not an allergy and you can figure out what's causing it.

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P.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

My oldest has a peanut allergy and every time he ate lentils, he'd get a milder reaction (just like your baby) by throwing up and getting an itchy throat and some hives. It is very common to be allergic to legumes (peanuts are included in this category, and can be life-threatening each time they come in contact with it, as it may increase the allergy reaction!) So you would be best at avoiding all legumes for now (including peanut butter) until your baby is old enough to be tested by an allergist.

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J.M.

answers from Grand Junction on

Maybe try a different brand. Perhaps the kind of lentils you are using are processed in a factory with wheat, soy nuts or any other high allergens. Worth a shot. Or try a different type of lentil just to be sure if you are using green lentils try red ones and see if you get the same reaction.

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J.D.

answers from Denver on

My daughter was the same way when she started lentils. Remember, you're introducing a new food to their system. It's going to take a while. Lentils have a different texture and are hard to digest as well--start with small amounts mixed in other foods he likes. After a while, it won't be as big of a deal. It's like when you first give peas, their diapers are green. When you first give carrots, their diapers are orange. It's new to their bodies. Then, their systems get used to it and absorb more of the food. That said, if you continue to see reactions from one food, talk to your doctor. (he was probably sneezing from getting some up his nose--histamine reactions like sneezing usually appear around 3 years old). My daughter loves lentils now. Good luck!

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P.H.

answers from Colorado Springs on

Although neither of my kids had a lentil allergy, their father did. He did not have any other food allergies, though. Lentils are easy enough to avoid by reading the ingredients list.

Eliminate lentils from the diet first, then use caution in adding other legumes. Do peas cause him a problem? If not, I would guess that the allergy is specific to lentils.

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S.B.

answers from Denver on

Mine is a low tolerance child. One of the things is soy. That is what we say but it is actually all beans. He even he issues with bean flours in gluten free mixes and hummus. He also doesn't do corn which I think is chemcally related. He got diarriah. I think now, nearly three years, he can get away with hummus, small amounts of organic soy (not processed as a sweetner or preservative), and peanut butter (also related chemically. So I would back off, check your labells for soy since it is in a lot of stuff. And then try again near two. they don't do testing really until two. Mine turned out not actually 'allergis" but intolerant which means it is his intestients instead of in the skin. Look up Allergy Friendly Food. They had a good site for testing and intolerance versus allergy.

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S.F.

answers from Salt Lake City on

My son is allergic to Corn, Wheat, Soy, Milk, Oats, Tomatoes, Eggs, and Peanuts. He can have Pinto Beans though. My advice would be to go to the allergist and have them tell you for sure. They can do a skin prick and very easily determine any allergies (more accurate then RAST). I just tested my daughter at 10 months. My son has thrown up with some of his allergies but also had sneezing issues with some. One thing I have learned about allergies is they are so different for every child, even allergist can't tell you what's going to happen 100% of the time. Good luck.

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