FOOD INTOLERANCE NETWORK
FACTSHEET
Introduction to food intolerance
Our food has changed drastically over the last 30
years, and so have food-related problems.
Additives are now used in healthy foods such as bread,
butter, yoghurt, juice or muesli bars as well as in junk food. Reactions to food
additives are related to dose, so the more you eat, the more likely you are to
be affected. A British survey in 2007 found that:
·
most consumers
underestimate how many additives they eat
·
the average consumer
eats 20 additives per day (19 if foods are home-cooked)
·
most consumers don't
know which foods contain additives.
Effects of food additives can
include
·
irritability,
restlessness, difficulty falling asleep
·
mood swings, anxiety,
depression, panic attacks
·
inattention, difficulty
concentrating or debilitating fatigue
·
speech delay, learning
difficulties
·
eczema, urticaria and
other itchy skin rashes; angioedema or swelling of the lips etc often
associated with rashes
·
reflux, colic, stomach
aches, bloating, and other irritable bowel symptoms including constipation
and/or diarrhoea, sneaky poos, sticky poos, bedwetting
·
headaches or migraines
·
frequent colds, flu,
bronchitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis; stuffy or runny nose, constant throat
clearing, cough or asthma
·
joint pain, arthritis,
heart palpitations, racing heartbeat
·
and see more at the
bottom of our home page
|
Some
additives that can cause problems ARTIFICIAL
COLOURS (in sweets, drinks, takeaways, cereals
and many processed foods) 102 tartrazine, 104 quinoline yellow, 110 sunset
yellow, 122 azorubine, 123 amaranth, 124 ponceau red, 127 erythrosine, 129
allura red, 132 indigotine,133 brilliant blue, 142 green S, 143 fast green
FCF, 151 brilliant black, 155 chocolate brown NATURAL COLOUR 160b annatto (in yoghurts, icecreams, popcorn etc, 160a is a safe
alternative) PRESERVATIVES 200-203
sorbates (in margarine, dips, cakes, fruit products) 210-213
benzoates (in juices, soft drinks, cordials, syrups, medications) 220-228
sulphites (in dried fruit, fruit drinks, sausages, and many others) 280-283
propionates (in bread, crumpets, bakery products) 249-252 nitrates,
nitrites (in processed meats like ham) SYNTHETIC
ANTIOXIDANTS (in margarines, vegetable oils,
fried foods, snacks, biscuits etc) 310-312
Gallates 319-320 TBHQ, BHA, BHT
(306-309 are safe alternatives) FLAVOUR
ENHANCERS (in tasty foods) 621
MSG 627, 631, 635 disodium
inosinate, disodium guanylate, ribonucleotides |
Natural food chemicals
Some natural chemicals called salicylates can cause
the same problems as additives if consumed in large doses or by sensitive
people. For problems serious enough to see a doctor, or conditions with a
diagnosis such as ADHD, eczema etc it is best to find out more about
salicylates, as well as other natural food chemicals called amines and glutamates.
These natural food chemicals are increasing in our
food supply, due to increased availability of out-of-season fruit and
vegetables, concentrated natural chemicals in processed foods, and added
flavours. Foods high in salicylates include strawberries, kiwifruit, avocadoes,
sultanas and other dried fruits, citrus, pineapple, broccoli, pizza toppings,
tomato sauce, olive oil and tea. Cheese and chocolate are particularly high in
amines. Salicylate sensitivity can be triggered or worsened by medications such
as aspirin and other NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as
Nurofen and lotions e.g. anti-arthritis, salicylate-containing teething gel.
People rarely realise that they are affected by
salicylates or amines unless they eat a very large dose in a short time (e.g.
salicylates at Christmas or amines at Easter) or until they reduce their
intake. This is because these food chemicals are eaten so frequently that the
effects fluctuate and can build up very slowly. One mother wrote:
'I cut back my
five-year-old daughter's intake of fruit to about a quarter of what she
normally had. Within days we saw dramatic changes. Her behaviour evened out …
she was more sensible and obliging, less aggressive and defiant - and
altogether much more pleasant to live with.'
Flavours and fragrances such as fruit or mint (e.g. in
toothpaste) are another source of salicylates. Since the 1970s, increasingly
large doses have been added to products. In the UK, recent studies of new
mothers found more headaches and depression in mothers and more asthma,
diarrhoea, vomiting and ear infections in babies with increasing use of air
fresheners and/or aerosols.
A smaller number of people are sensitive to dairy
foods and/or wheat or gluten.
A dietitian can supervise a three week trial of the
RPAH (
For more information
·
The revised edition of Fed Up (2008) by Sue Dengate is now in
bookstores.
·
The Failsafe Cookbook (2007) by Sue Dengate from your bookstore or
library. It's not just a recipe book - there's heaps of information about food
intolerance as well, and a step by step guide about how to do the elimination
diet.
·
The DVD Fed Up with Children's Behaviour is
available through the website. This is what one man wrote:
‘I've watched your fantastic
DVD three times since receiving it. It has made me go back to the drawing
board, I think I missed salicylates earlier. You might want to reconsider the
title "Fed up with Childrens behaviour", it is not just about
children I feel, and it is not just about behaviour either. It goes much
further. Many people who are not concerned about children's behaviour could
still benefit in a big way from the DVD. Perhaps consider "Your Food, Your
Health, Your Relationships & Your wellbeing: YOUR LIFE!!!" or something
similar. Although the focus in this DVD was on children, but many a time adults
are shown to benefit as well.’
·
Write for our list of
supportive dietitians confoodnet@ozemail.com.au
- if you say where you live, we may be able to recommend someone special. Most
people only need one or two visits to a dietitian plus some phone or email
backup. Dietitians say it cuts an hour off consultation time needed if people
have read Fed Up before they go.
·
Friendly Food by
researchers from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy Unit, available from
libraries, bookstores and
http://www.cs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/Allergy/default.htm. Firnely Food contains excellent colour-coded
salicylate and amine charts, but in our experience, very few families succeed
with Friendly Food alone. One failsafer wrote: 'Thank you for writing your
fantastic "Failsafe Cookbook". We have been using it for a while and
have recently gotten "Friendly Foods" as well and as good as it is
for a lot of stuff, I'm SO grateful for the simple, family friendly recipes in
your book.
·
our email newsletters
and support groups provide useful support, local shopping lists and answers to
questions
For example, email with
"subscribe" in the subject line to:
Newsletter -
failsafe_newsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com newsletter (4 per year) with
product updates, new research, helpful reports ...
parents -
failsafebasic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
babies - failsafebaby-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
adults -
failsafeadult-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
asthma -
failsafeasthma-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
eczema -
failsafeeczema-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
NZ -
finCant-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
ACT -
finACT-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
NT -
finNT-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
See factsheets for more information
The information given is not intended as
medical advice. Always consult with your doctor for underlying illness. Before
beginning dietary investigation, consult a dietician with an interest in food
intolerance. You can find a supportive dietitian through the Dietitians
Association of
© Sue Dengate update May 2008
