Just how much salicylates, amines, glutamates and flavours need to be reduced in the elimination diet is still controversial. Summaries of the research and how to apply it are provided for each of the suspect chemicals with the following headings: What are the important exclusions, How can taste help detect suspect foods, Why should these chemicals be excluded during the diet trial, Why do they need revision in 2014? How did the early analysis help, Why is there variation in … [Read more...]
Food intolerance happens in older people too
We may be over 60, healthy with none of the usual lifestyle problems. But enjoyment of life can be reduced if we are dealing with chronic headaches, allergic symptoms: dermatitis, eczema, rashes of some sort, hay fever, blocked sinus, mild asthma, or irritable bowel syndrome [IBS]. We may wonder if we have some intolerance to some food. Usually each person who suspects they have food intolerance has seen their symptoms come on or worsen after particular foods even if it is not consistent. The … [Read more...]
Ear aches – diet can have a role.
Yes, ear infections are among the many symptoms that may respond to dietary investigation. Cows milk is often suspect. However just like other symptoms each child has their own cluster of sensitivities. They can include any of the suspect chemicals, and foods to which any family member is allergic, as well as infections, or inhalant allergens. One problem that makes this sad is that often the children are food intolerant and therefore are reacting to the strong artificial flavour in the … [Read more...]
Individualising diet investigation
This poster was presented at the International Congress of Dietetics in September 2012. Click here to view the poster. … [Read more...]
What’s smell got to do with it?
Transcript from Ockham's Razor, 16 May 2004. Presented by Robyn Williams. If bitterness is a warning via taste, is flavour a warning via smell? Brisbane dietitian Joan Breakey investigated the role of flavour as a warning via smell and discovered that strong flavoured foods remained high risk for some, but others were able to tolerate the stronger flavours, providing the foods were fresh. Program Transcript Robyn Williams: Do you remember the Feingold diet? You’d have to be … [Read more...]
Pain as a symptom of food intolerance
We have often seen symptoms such as infant eczema, chronic daily headaches, related to diet, or heard that diet can be one of the migraine treatments, or natural remedies for ADHD and some other food intolerance symptoms. Now it is time to think of pain itself as another important symptom that changes with diet. In May 2010 I listened to a well presented talk on reflux in babies and children by a senior paediatric Gastroenterologist at RCH Brisbane. He reported that the amount of distress in … [Read more...]
Which elimination diet should you begin with?
Sugar free? Additive free? Yeast free? Wheat free? Milk free? Low FODMAPS? Amine free? Low salicylate? No MSG? All suspect food chemicals [salicylates, amines, glutamates]? The blood group diet? When we think about it we realize that we cut foods out of our diet to see what foods we should cut out of our diet! In fact no one knows exactly what elimination diet we should begin with as each person has their particular sensitivities. The diet you need is the diet you find by doing diet … [Read more...]