Suspect food intolerances?
We're here to help...Food intolerances are straight from a foodie’s nightmare. Once free to enjoy all of life’s culinary delights, sufferers can quickly start to feel like they’re sprinting a minefield with every meal.
Many try to manage symptoms on their own, placing their fate in the hands of internet articles and blog posts. However, this is like driving somewhere new without using a GPS; you might get there eventually, though not without plenty of wrong turns and wasted time in the process.
The truth is, it’s a delicate area and easy to get wrong without the help of an experienced food intolerance dietitian – more on this later.
First things first, food intolerances are not food allergies. Allergies can be life threatening and relate to an immune system gone wild. Food intolerances on the other hand, relate to a nervous system response and are more disruptive than deadly.
What they lack in danger however, they make up for in complexity. This is because rather than your body reacting to a single food protein, such as a peanut, it reacts to one or more food chemicals within a peanut. And just like all foods, peanuts are made up of countless chemicals.
The tricky thing about Food Intolerances
When it comes to food allergies, the solution is simple… don’t eat the peanut!
With food intolerances it’s more like, “you can eat the peanut, but only these types of peanuts, in small amounts, and only if they’re grown on Bob’s farm, not Greg’s”,
…hypothetically speaking of course.
Food chemicals aren’t all bad though. They include vitamins and minerals and are even responsible for amazing flavours and aromas. The problem is, some people are either born with, or develop later, huge sensitivities to one or more food chemicals.
And because each food type boasts a bouquet of different chemicals in varying arrangements, with many overlapping from one food to the next… it’s easy to see why uncovering your chemical kryptonite is difficult, to say the least.
Many focus on the wrong (or partially wrong) food trigger. Others believe they’ve been doing everything right, only to find their chemical kryptonite has been hiding under their nose all along – easily done when many food labels resemble another language. I’ve even seen patients who’ve been avoiding their favourite foods for no good reason – like symptoms aren’t punishment enough!
To add to the confusion, a reaction could in fact be a result of accumulated micro doses from different sources over days or weeks. This makes it much harder to pinpoint the culprit from any one meal.
What to expect from a Food Intolerance Dietitian
A food intolerance dietitian will cut out all the confusion by knowing where to begin and where to focus for quickest results. They’ll talk through your habits and dig up clues to identify any accidental exposures that could be derailing your progress. They’ll build an elimination diet around your lifestyle, ensuring results are obtainable and your chemical culprit can no longer hide.
Once identified, they’ll assess the sensitivity level of your intolerance and provide clear direction on what your body can handle, and what it can’t.
A food intolerance dietitian will set you up for success with an easy-to-follow framework, including personalised food lists, meals and snack ideas, as well as advice around actual products on supermarket shelves.
By strategically reintroducing small amounts of your chemical kryptonite, with time, they’ll help find your personal threshold – allowing you to eat problem foods without triggering symptoms. These are all things we do every day at the Gut Friendly Dietitian.
…We’re available Australia-wide via Telehealth.