The New York Times reported the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Thu., Jan. 5, issued new health guidelines calling for parents to give their children foods containing peanuts early and often as a way to help avoid life-threatening peanut allergies. The institute recommended feeding children, starting when they are infants, puréed food or finger food containing peanut powder or extract before they are 6 months old, or earlier if the child is prone to allergies. Babies should not be fed whole peanuts or peanut bits, experts say, because they are a choking hazard. The guidelines represent a drastic change in the advice provided by physicians. The new recommendations have the potential to significantly lower the number of children who develop one of the most common and lethal food allergies, said the institute's director. Peanut allergies are responsible for more deaths from anaphylaxis, or constriction of the airways, than any other food allergy. Children who develop a peanut allergy generally do not outgrow it and must avoid peanuts for the rest of their lives. Read the full story in The New York Times.