Generally people think of food intolerances occurring only in children, but people of all ages can experience an intolerance. If you or your child have any of the following symptoms you should consider the possibility of a food intolerance:
- Tummy pains / bloating
- Constipation / diarrhoea
- Bad breath / flatulence
- Sleep disturbances
- Asthma / continual throat clearing
- Headaches / muscle aches and pains
- ADD, ADHA, ASD
- Skin problems including eczema, hives, rash or just plain itchy
They could be suffering from an intolerance to one or more of the foods they are eating.
A food intolerance will cause localized inflammation within the gastrointestinal tract, leading to an opening of the tight gap junctions found in a healthy digestive tract. Once these gap junctions are open they allow the passage of food proteins or chemicals into the body and reactions occur which lead to the symptoms listed above. Therefore it is not only important to remove the food to which you have an intolerance but also to repair the digestive tract lining in order to restore optimal health.
Food intolerances can be difficult to diagnose as symptoms can take up to 72 hours to appear, in which time a lot of different food and drinks have been consumed. Whilst an elimination diet can help identify the particular food, it can be a long and tedious process, requiring diligence and commitment. We recommend testing for food intolerances. It’s a simple finger prick test which can be performed in our clinic. It tests for intolerances to 96 common foods.
If intolerances are identified these foods are removed from the diet and the process of healing the digestive tract will begin. Within a very short time of removing the offending foods you will see improvements in your health.