What is a food intolerance?

Food intolerances are a common feature of everyday life now for many people. A prevalence of both wheat and dairy products in our diet has led to these two foods being the most common forms of intolerance or sensitivity although there are many other foods which cause equally serious problems and it is always advisable to be tested for less obvious culprits. These can include but are not limited to, tomatoes, aubergine, potatoes and other vegetables in its family, corn, wine, tea, coffee, lactose or caseine (both found in dairy products) and gluten. If you suspect you suffer from a sensitivity you will need to become a super sleuth and read all the labels of all food stuffs that you buy to ensure that you are not inadvertently eating anything by any other name which is a derivative of anything from the list! A food intolerance causes adverse reactions in the bowel and gut which may manifest themselves in many ways but which many people will refer to as irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. It can also lead to allergies, achy joints, asthma, skin disorders, fatigue and nausea.

What causes a food intolerance?

Funnily enough, most people are not born with a food intolerance but develop the problem later on in life. I have many patients who have said that they have been perfectly able to eat a food stuff and then almost overnight they have a problem with it - this is especially true of wheat which causes bloating, flatulence, stomach aches and pains, rumbling, joint aches, headaches etc. In our western diet we have a preponderance of wheat in our diet from fillers in processed foods which we buy in the shops. Very often we are eating wheat or its by products 3 times a day without really thinking about it. We have cereals for breakfast, a biscuit or wheat based snack mid morning, a sandwich at lunch time and pasta in the evening. More often than not this will be in the form of what is known as a simple rather than a complex carbohydrate ie it will be white bread or pasta rather than wholemeal and this is an unhealthy food choice. Over a period of time this can lead to a condition in the gut known as "Leaky Gut Syndrome" which is exactly what it sounds like - a leaky pipe! So food gets into the blood stream where it isn't supposed to be and the body's immune system reacts by attacking it and these are our symptoms - headaches, aching joints, stomach ache, bloating etc. All these conditions are forms of inflammation which if left untreated can lead onto more serious conditions.

Are there any tests for food intolerances?

There most certainly are; however, what if you think you might have sensitivities to many foods how do you know which ones? Your nutritionist or other expert is the best person to advise you if you need help. If you suspect just one or two culprits then the easiest option is to do your own test by eliminating that particular food and all its derivatives from your diet for a minimum of 4 weeks to allow your immune system to completely recover from the challenge that that food has been presenting to it. You then re-introduce the food and wait for the reaction. Keep a note of any symptoms or changes in your body for the next 3 days. If you don't get any then you know that that particular food was not causing the problem and you move onto the next one. It's a slow process but it's cheap and provided you don't cheat, it is fool proof.

What can I do?

If you suspect a certain food of causing you problems then follow the elimination test as outlined above. Be aware of the following when reading labels, these are all forms of wheat: bulgar wheat, couscous, durum wheat, kamut, semolina, spelt. On labels wheat derivatives are: bran, cereal, farina, gluten, flour, malt, MSG, plant/vegetable protein/gum, rusk, starch. It's a minefield isn't it? So REALLY important that you read labels because if you eat any of those foodstuffs then you set up the immune reaction in your body again and you have to go right back to scratch and start again with your 4 week elimination. It's the same with dairy products. Watch out for the following: casein/caseinate, curd, lactose,, lactalbumin, lactoglobulin, milk, quark, whey. You're probably wondering what there is in the world left to eat on these elimination diets??!! I promise there are plenty of yummy alternatives and that's where a nutritionist can help you to tailor make a diet that suits your body and tastes. Having established the cause of the intolerance it is then equally important to re-establish equilibrium in the micro biology of the GI tract and to heal and seal the gut with a prescribed selection of supplements tailor made to your requirements.

How can I contact you?

If you would like further information or a consultation please contact me using the contact form on this website.