Why Food Feels Unsafe for Some Kids
Air Date: February 16, 2026
Episode Topic: Allergies + Picky Eating
Hi everyone. Today we’re talking about all things related to allergies and feeding.
This has been top of mind for me lately because a lot of people are dealing with allergies in babies right now. I was reminded of this after having my own baby, and many of my friends have been having babies too. One thing that keeps coming up is how common cow’s milk protein allergy has become.
Thankfully my baby does not have that this time around, and I’m very grateful. But it got me thinking — why do so many kids have this now? What is making this a thing?
So I started digging into the research, and I’m excited to share what I learned.
Thirty or forty years ago, almost no one was talking about babies having cow’s milk protein allergies. If you ask older generations, this feels like a newer issue. Today, almost everyone knows someone whose baby needed a special formula, had reflux, eczema, blood in their stool, or cried constantly.
So what changed?
Is it the babies?
Is it how we’re feeding them?
Is it the environment?
And here’s the bigger question:
What happens when a baby has an undiagnosed allergy?
How does that shape picky eating later?
We’re going to talk about all of that today.
I’m Christine — holistic pediatric feeding therapist, mom of two, and someone who spends a lot of time deep-diving into gut health, nutrition, sensory regulation, oral-motor skills, and mindset.
If you’ve ever thought,
“My parents say this didn’t exist before,”
or
“We don’t have allergies in our family,”
or
“Why is one of my babies so uncomfortable with food?”
this episode is for you.
By the end, you’ll understand why allergies feel more common, why our parents are half right, and how hidden discomfort can train the brain to become picky later on.
________________
Were milk allergies actually rare before?
We hear this all the time:
“Back in my day, everyone drank formula and they were fine.”
And that’s partially true — but not because babies didn’t have reactions. It’s because the dots weren’t always connected.
Blood in stool was brushed off.
Reflux was called colic.
Rashes and screaming were seen as “just a fussy baby.”
We weren’t talking about microbiomes.
We didn’t have feeding therapists on Instagram.
Parents weren’t crowdsourcing information online.
So did cow’s milk protein allergy exist? Yes.
Was it misunderstood? Also yes.
But there’s a bigger picture. Food allergies overall have increased.
Today, about 1 in 13 children has a food allergy — roughly two kids in every classroom.
Globally, about 4% of children have food allergies, but industrialized countries like the U.S., Europe, and Australia have the highest rates.
So if it feels like everyone has an allergy story, you’re not imagining it. This really is a modern shift.
________________
Why are allergies more common now?
There are a few major reasons.
1. Microbiome changes
Babies’ microbiomes today look very different than they did decades ago.
We have:
* More C-sections
* More antibiotics
* More inductions
* Fewer babies breastfeeding early
* More NICU stays
* More sterile environments
All of this changes the bacteria babies are exposed to early in life.
Your immune system learns what’s safe based on gut bacteria. When that gut environment is disrupted, the immune system becomes more reactive.
So allergies aren’t random — sometimes they’re a training issue. The immune system never got the right training data.
2. A more inflammatory world
Our world is more inflammatory than it used to be.
More chemicals
More processed foods
More pesticides
More microplastics
More endocrine disruptors
More stress
From day one, immune systems are activated. So when a protein like cow’s milk appears, some bodies overreact.
3. Formula has changed
Formula today is nutritionally complete and often life-saving. But it’s also more engineered.
Older formulas were simpler.
Modern formulas contain modified proteins and added components that can be harder for immature guts to tolerate.
For sensitive babies, this can trigger reactions.
4. We’re better at recognizing it
Parents today are more aware. They notice mucous in stools, eczema, reflux. Pediatricians are more familiar with allergy patterns.
So part of why this feels more common is that we’re naming it and identifying it.
________________
How allergies can lead to picky eating
This is the piece many people miss.
An undiagnosed allergy doesn’t just cause rashes or reflux.
It can create a picky eater.
Imagine being a baby who eats and then feels pain.
Your stomach burns.
You cramp.
You feel pressure.
You can’t explain it.
Your brain just learns: food equals discomfort.
So the brain reduces appetite.
Avoids novelty.
Clings to safe foods.
Picky eating can become a learned survival response.
This is why feeding struggles are rarely just behavioral. They’re often biological, sensory, and emotional.
________________
The “baseline discomfort” problem
One thing I see often: kids are reactive to foods they eat every day.
Parents say, “They can’t be sensitive — they eat it all the time.”
But here’s the truth:
Some kids have never felt fully comfortable. Discomfort is their baseline.
If reflux, bloating, or inflammation has been present since infancy, the brain assumes that’s normal. So it prefers predictable discomfort over unknown foods.
Familiar discomfort feels safer than unfamiliar risk.
Young kids can’t say, “Yogurt gave me reflux.”
They just know their body feels weird.
So they choose familiarity.
That’s why picky eating can be so persistent. It’s built on safety learning in the brain.
________________
What I’m seeing clinically
As a feeding therapist, I’m seeing:
* More gut issues
* More feeding refusal
* More milk intolerance
* More severe restriction
But also:
* More early intervention
* More breastfeeding support
* More empowered parents
So this isn’t a doomsday message. It’s a call for informed parenting.
Some kids are genetically wired for allergies. But environment plays a big role too. And when food doesn’t feel safe in the body, curiosity about food shuts down.
A child cannot be curious about food if food doesn’t feel safe.
That’s why we address gut health, sensory regulation, oral-motor skills, and mindset together. When those layers are removed, curiosity can return.
Because wanting to eat is human nature. If a child isn’t curious about food, something is blocking it.
________________
What we do differently now
If this episode resonated with you, share it with another parent. Sometimes it’s just a shift in perspective that helps.
We now include gut and food sensitivity testing in every evaluation. We still focus on sensory strategies, oral-motor skills, and mindset — because you can’t trick the body into feeling safe.
Safety comes first.
You can’t override brain chemistry.
We use testing to understand what’s happening in the body so we’re not guessing. We don’t create rigid elimination diets. We remove barriers and support the body.
Doing feeding therapy without gut data is like doing physical therapy without an X-ray. You can make progress, but you might miss the root.
That’s why we created our Feeding & Regulation Roadmap — to look at the whole child from gut to brain to oral-motor skills.
Picky eating is rarely just picky eating. Behavior is downstream of biology.
So if this sounds familiar, don’t feel bad. Many parents have seen doctors and therapists and still don’t have answers. When we put all the pieces together, it can be life-changing.
And remember — not all kids have true allergies. Sometimes it’s sensitivities. Always check with your pediatrician or GI doctor for diagnosis.
But looking deeper can change everything.
