Lisa's Blog

Many of us will experience an adverse reaction to a particular food or substance at some point in our lives. Allergies and food sensitivities appear to be on the increase. Is there really an increase in incidence or is there merely an increased awareness? With modern diets what they are, it is quite probable there is an increase, many people are taking in substances that are foreign to the body, e.g. artificial additives, preservatives, colorants, moulds and fungi, these chemical toxins and poisins wreak havoc in the body and can compromise the body's immunity, in addition to this many people do not eat a balanced diet which means they are missing key essential nutrients (eg. amino acids, vitamins) so may not be able to synthesize the necessary enzymes for digesting particular foods. Both of these factors can contribute to allergies and food sensitivities or intolerances.

How serious are they?

Food allergies tend to be very serious and can be life threatening, food intolerances can lead to malnutrition and dramatically affect the quality of life of the individual. Here is a short article that looks at the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance...  Essentially some foods in some people may cause an immune response, the body has an allergic reaction when it is exposed to these foods.  These differ in severity but usually are immediate and in severe cases an allergy can result in anaphylatic shock and result in death (peanut allergies and sometimes egg allergies are examples of the more severe allergies).  Food intolerances are the much more common lifestyle impeding culprits. A food intolerances can be more difficult to isolate and this is because they cause a different type of immune reaction, it is often a delayed reaction, it is usually not life threatening and develops because of a compromised or overactive immune system, where the body because of a lack of enzymes or deficiencies may not be able to digest a food or in the case of leaky gut larger particles of food enter into the system and the body reacts in a defensive way to the food.  Caeliac disease fits into a class of it's own and is closer to an "auto immune" disease where the body actually can start to attack itself. 

Where can you get help?How can you find out more? For more help or guidance on allergies or food sensitivities Contact Us

Booking an appointment with a nutritionist, dietitian or even a naturapath can be a great place to start. They can advise you on what tests you need to have done, if any, and some of them will even perform their own tests. They will help you to isolate possible suspect foods or substances and can also help you to manage your allergies and food sensitivites and still maintain a balanced diet, once you know what they are. You can go directly to your GP and request allergy or food intolerance tests first, they will write a referral for you to have tests at a local lab (These are sometimes covered by medicare). Once you have your results you could book in with a nutritionist or dietitain who can then offer further guidance and support. Whatever you do, don't ignore allergies or food intolerances, the symptoms and destruction on the body only tend to get worse. It is best to seek professional help so that you are supported as you explore whether the foods you are eating are making you ill. This is what people who have eliminated their trigger foods have said: "I do not know myself now, I feel great, I have lost weight, I have more energy, and it was just a matter of creating some new habits. At the time it felt like hard work, but I would never go back now, it was worth the effort and I just love feeling this great, I didn't know what I was missing."

Here are some more articles you might find interesting:

Are food intolerances making you sick?

What's the difference between a food allergy and an intolerance and what can I eat?