Food intolerances

[sadie]

Hi all,

I was just wondering if any of you knew anything about food intolerances. I have been experiencing lots of symptoms lately and after visiting the dentist lately and mentioning this horrible taste I keep getting in my mouth and he said I could have a food intolerance.

I have had a allergy test done last year when I was visiting a Kineiogolist (wrong spelling). She told me I had a wheat and lactose intolerance as well as various other things.

Does anyone know the symptoms of a food intolerance and whether they can cause changes in taste, nausea, dizziness, headaches, tiredness to name a few.

Thanks



sadie

[nomorepanic]

Not sure Sadie

I had food sensitive tests and eliminated the two main ones - wheat and dairy products but found no benefit so I am back on them both.

Either could be the culprit - have you tried an elimination diet atall?

Nicola

[kt]

Hi Sadie,
I too have been to see a kinesiologist who said I had a wheat intolerance amongst a few others which I can't remember what they are now. He also did a plastic bag test on me which told him I had a leaky gut. He also said I had Candida in my stomach and therefore should stay away from sugar. This explained my huge sugar cravings. Apparently all these things made my anxiety worse and resulted in me having all the symptoms inc. dizziness, headaches, nausea etc. He recommended some herbal remedies and a very strict diet for 2 months. I honestly felt so much better after the treatment, but my symptoms are now returning due to going back to bad eating habits. I do believe you are what you eat, and plan to visit him again soon for a check-up. The whole experience was fascinating and truely helpful. Don't know if this has helped you, hope it has. Best wishes, KT[^]

Be gentle and you will need no strength, be patient and you will achieve all things.

[jo-jo]

There are many, many different symptoms of food intolerance which may indeed include those you mention plus many others such as worsening or onset of inflamatory conditions such as asthma, joint pain, blocked sinuses, catarrh plus aching muscles, stomach upsets, wind, bloating, facial puffiness, fatigue, depression, anxiety and mouth ulcers ... the list goes on.

Unlike a true allergy, food intolerances are usually a delayed reactions to something you've eaten, taking between an hour and 3 days to show themsleves. It is believed that these 'delayed' food allergies are linked to the inability of the gut to prevent large quantities of partially digested and undigested food from getting into the bloodstream and hence the body reacts.

The good news, in theory, is that by totally eliminating the foods you are intolerant to for around 3 months, your body forgets this allergic response and the foods can be gradually reintroduced, unlike a true allergy which your body doesn't forget (e.g. a common one is a peanut allergy).

The downside is that the foods you are most likely to be intolerant to include wheat, gluten, yeast, milk (and thus all dairy products), eggs, white fish, shellfish, nuts and beans.

The other downside is that its expensive to test for (around £135 for a 42 items food scan and £260 for 113 item food scan test). What you can do is have an initial blood test which gives you a simple yes/no answer to whether you have food intolerance (around 45% of people have). If this comes up as a no, then carrying on eating as normal but if its a yes, it may be worth having further tests to identify the culprits. The yes/no test costs £20 and is easy to do at home. Try logging on to www.yorktest.com for more info.

Hope this helps.

Jo xxx





"courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear"

[sadie]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies....

KT - I too think I may have a candida infection or whatever but have no idea what to do about it or how to get it checked. I also have a wheat and lactose intolerance but I dont know what to eat for breakfast and lunch or whatever as I always have toast/ceral or a sandwich or something.

I think I need to look into this a little more as I do think it could be causing some of my symptoms at the moment.



sadie

[nomorepanic]

Sadie

When I gave up wheat I struggled for breakfasts so it was mainly fruit/yoghurts/milkshake drinks.

For lunch it was salads/jacket potatoes/chicken pieces etc

It was hard to cut wheat out and I really missed cereal and bread but I tried it for about 2 months I think.

Nicola

[jo-jo]

Most people who are intolerant to wheat are OK with oats so why not try some porridge for brekkie? I hate warm milk so I have my oats with cold milk and chopped banana or a drizzle of honey, its yummy! If cow's milk is no good for you, try soya. It tastes a bit funny at first but you'll soon get used to it.

Oatcakes are another good lunchtime alternative to bread and the topping you can add are endless - what about humous or a nut spread?. Add some seeds and fruit to make your lunch more interesting and also boost your nutrient intake.

Nic - you needed to give it up for at least 3 months to get the full effect!

Best wishes
Jo xx

"courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear"

[jo-jo]

oh yes forgot to mention ...

Acidophilus is a great supplement to take to get good bacteria into your gut. You can get it from Holland and Barrat etc but it needs to be kept in the fridge once opened.

Jo x

"courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear"

[nomorepanic]

Jo I am drinking soya milk now and I love it - tastes much nicer than cows milk.

As for the wheat thing - it may have been 3 months cos I think Meg told me to give it that long. Anyway it was a long time lol!

Nicola

[nomorepanic]

Oh Sadie

The wheat free muesli is lovely too - just remembered that one!


Nicola