In today’s blog leading food allergy and intolerance industry expert Dr Gill Hart talks about how people develop food intolerances.

One of the most common questions that I get asked when I go out lecturing and giving talks is “How do food intolerances develop?”. An interesting question, and with the estimate for those suffering from food intolerance at 45% of the population (according to Allergy UK), a question that is very relevant to many of us, and those in our circle of friends and family.

For food intolerances to develop something has to have changed within your body; foods that are normally eaten without ill affect have become foreign and reactive. What could have happened? Well there are many reasons why food intolerance can develop and the obvious place to start in looking is the digestive system. Why? Well, our digestive system contains more immune cells and produces more antibodies than any other organ in the body. Our gut lining acts as a second “skin”; a highly selective barrier that is in place to protect our internal environment; protecting us from harmful toxins, bacteria and incompletely digested foods, yet making sure that essential nutrients and digested foods are freely allowed into the bloodstream. This balance between an efficient passage of nutrients and the restriction of the entry of larger molecules, such as larger proteins, is critical. If the barrier fails for any reason, causing what is called “leaky gut”, this leads to an increase in the passage of allergens and larger food particles triggering multiple complex immune responses, inflammation and food intolerance symptoms; see depicted in the diagrams above and below. The inflammation in turn causes further damage and a vicious circle of increased gut permeability. Further reactions and food intolerance symptoms follow; not just gut related but others such as headaches, skin symptoms, joint pains, fatigue and depression

So what can cause the damage in the first place? Well there are many factors that can be involved. This could be anything from contracting a nasty infection, to the result of taking long term antibiotics or the frequent use of painkillers. It could be the result of an unhealthy diet; high intakes of sugar, saturated fats and salt, processed and heavily refined foods, caffeine and alcohol. A poor diet combined with high levels of stress or anxiety can make the situation even worse. Of course genetics inevitably plays a part too.

How then to break that vicious circle? You can make a start by identifying the foods from your diet that your body is reacting to, and then removing them from your diet. Your gut needs all the help and support that it can get. Healing the damage takes time, but can be achieved; many people have found that simple dietary changes can help break the cycle of damage to pave the way to better health.

Unhealthy Digestion Diagram (see above)
www.yorktest.com

Remember that it’s Food Intolerance week, 45% of the population suffer from food intolerance, and many thousands have benefitted from pinpointing the foods that are causing their symptoms and, with Nutritionist support, eliminating them from their diet. Save time guessing; within days you could find out the exact foods that you are reacting to. Want to know if the food you are eating is making you ill? Visit www.yorktest.com

Day 1: Elimination diet? You can try and guess which foods are causing your symptoms, however symptoms of food intolerance are typically delayed by up to 72 hours after eating the culprit food or foods. In addition, the average number of different foods that people with food intolerance symptoms react to is six and it is virtually impossible to determine the exact combinations of foods that you may be reacting to based on guesswork alone. Why waste time guessing, it’s a New Year and its time to take action. To get a definitive assessment you should ideally carry out a YorkTest FoodScan IgG test and use the Nutritionist consultations provided with the service. The Nutritionist will work with you to replace foods that you need to avoid and suggest any vitamins or supplements you should take in so that you eat a well-balanced and healthy diet. Just think how much time that will save you in guess work and lost time?

What’s in your “Free-From” food? – that is the question

The number of foods marketed as “Free-From”, for example gluten, wheat or dairy free is continuing to rise globally. This is partly through awareness due to improved labelling regulations, but also to rising health concerns, knowledge of specific foods intolerances in the diet and the search for conventional yet good-tasting “Free-From” products.

In the UK, interest has also been driven by the major supermarkets; last year, Tesco, Sainsbury, and Waitrose all extended their “Free-From” food ranges including bakery and cereal products, sauces, pastas, milk alternatives, desserts, spreads, fish and meat products. In addition, more and more specialist suppliers are reaping the benefit; those with tailored “Free-From” ranges such as Mrs Crimbles gluten, wheat and dairy-free bakery lines, as well as alternative products from mainstream suppliers, such as Youngs Seafood’s launch of its first gluten, wheat and dairy-free fish fingers.

The choice available now is staggering, and food manufacturers, in producing products that are guaranteed “Free-From”, are having to think more and more creatively to ensure that the customer still gets what they expect in terms of the foods’ flavour and structure. What’s taken out has to be replaced with something else! For example methyl cellulose (E461) is used to add fibre and bulk to gluten-free breads, and as a thickener in dairy-free ice creams; all very well, but this compound is indigestible and can cause gut symptoms similar to those caused by food intolerances such as gluten-intolerance. Why swap one problem for another?

The solution? Well, all pre-packed foods must give a list of ingredients, so as you check the ingredients on a food product to see if it contains the food you need to avoid, you should also check the other ingredients too. It can take time to do your homework, but I have found the Foods Matter http://www.foodsmatter.com/ and the Food Standards Agency http://www.food.gov.uk/ websites really helpful when I have tried to find out whether I should be concerned about locust bean gum (E410) or carrageenan (E407)! I also check out levels of salt, sugars and fats on any labelling; “Free-From” doesn’t necessarily translate as “healthy”. Of course, foods that aren’t pre-packed don’t need to be labelled with the same information as pre-packed foods, so you might not be able to check the ingredients. These foods include those sold from a restaurant, bakery, deli counter or salad bar, sandwiches sold to be eaten straight away, and foods weighed and sold loose.

What about other solutions? It is well known that whenever a food is processed it loses some of its natural goodness. Furthermore, processed foods are not as easily digested as natural foods. By eating whole, natural, unprocessed foods you will get more vitamins and minerals. How do you define unprocessed foods? Well one way is to think about how many steps it takes for that food to get to your plate. For example, if you eat a bowl full of strawberries, nuts and seeds how many steps did it take to get those foods in your bowl? What about your wheat and gluten free museli? Or your dairy-free ice cream? I really don’t know how many steps that would be for all the ice cream ingredients to get processed, packaged and delivered ready to scoop but there are definitely a lot of steps involved. When you come to buy your “Free-From” processed foods, look at the number of steps, and the types of ingredients and see if there is a healthier, unprocessed alternative that you could use. This has the added advantage that you will always know exactly what you are eating!

I am not saying that all “Free-From” alternatives are unhealthy, it’s just that with a little homework in choosing processed foods with ingredients that are right for you, combined with a ‘back to basics’ approach to cooking appreciating the goodness that whole natural unprocessed foods can give, there are ways to tackle your food allergies and food intolerances that, I am sure, will give you an even better chance of improved health.

Tip 1: Identify undetected food intolerances. For many, underlying and undetected food intolerances may be the cause of symptoms such as digestive problems, headaches, skin problems and joint pain. According to the leading charity Allergy UK, 45% of the population suffers from symptoms of food intolerance. You can try and guess which foods are causing your symptoms. However, the average number of different foods, that people with symptoms react to, is six and it is virtually impossible to determine the exact combination of foods that you may be reacting to, based on guesswork alone.

Tip 2: Don’t be afraid to ask in restaurants. Many restaurants are all too willing to adapt menus to suit those with food allergies and food intolerances. If in doubt give the restaurant a call in advance, or check out the menu in advance so that you feel prepared. If they aren’t willing then they probably aren’t worth visiting!

Tip3: Stock up with “free-from” snacks. Make sure you don’t get caught out with nothing suitable to eat. Have some emergency supplies readily available. I really like 9Bars, these are really healthy nutritious snacks that are wheat, gluten, egg, yeast, dairy and lactose free. Check out their website www.9-bar.co.uk.

Tip 4: Check the ingredients in alcoholic drinks. Many alcoholic drinks contain ingredients that can contribute to food intolerance symptoms. Check out the labels, particularly with the ‘ready to drink’, cocktails and beers and stick to those that you know don’t contain any of the ingredients that you react to. If in doubt then ask, or avoid.

Tip 5: Don’t panic. When faced with an array of scotch eggs, cheese sarnies, pork pies, vol-au-vent and bread sticks at a Christmas event, rather than being tempted, try and look for something available that you can eat. There may be a bowl of fruit available, some salad on the side, maybe a salsa dip, or some crisps or corn chips that you can eat. If not then reach in your bag for your emergency supplies, relax, enjoy the evening and then later treat yourself to something that you know won’t cause you grief!

Tip 6: Remember the consequences. It’s all too easy, especially after a few drinks, to throw caution to the wind and scoff down whatever is put in front of you. You may have felt a lot better recently on your “Free-From” diet and are prepared to take the risk. STOP and remember that Christmas and New Year really aren’t the best times to be reintroducing foods that you know cause you problems. You want to be at your best over this period and enjoy yourself to the full.

Tip 7: Reward yourself. There are so many “Free-From” Christmas treats out there. Check out Celtic Chocolates who offer Advent calendars, mints and fine dark chocolates – all dairy, gluten, wheat and egg free available from Sainsbury and Waitrose. Also try Sainsbury’s gluten, wheat and dairy free iced Christmas loaf cake and Tesco “Free-From” Christmas Pudding and Mince Pies. Enjoy the festive season, however you may be celebrating it.