I'm Pregnant. Can I Lower My Baby's Food Allergy Risk? I've
heard that if I avoid certain foods during my pregnancy, like
peanuts, I can help prevent my child from developing food
allergies sometime down the road. Is this true? At this time,
doctors do not recommend that you avoid certain foods during
pregnancy in order to prevent the development of food allergies.
Recent studies have not shown a reduction in food allergies when
mothers avoided certain foods during pregnancy, even when there
was a family history of allergies. The key to eating right
during pregnancy — and making sure that you're giving your baby
the nutrients to grow healthy and strong — is to eat foods from
the different food groups (grains, vegetables, fruits, oils,
milk, meat, and beans) and to consume more nutrient-rich
calories than before. In fact, pregnant women need about 300
extra calories a day, especially later in pregnancy, when babies
grow quickly. It's also important to avoid certain foods that
contain toxins that can be harmful