Food Allergy
Did you know that food allergy occurs in around 10% of infants, 4-8% of children, and about 2% of adults in Australia and New Zealand? A food allergy is an immune reaction to a protein in food. Almost any food could trigger an allergic reaction, but the most common food allergens are:
-
cow’s milk
-
eggs
-
peanut
-
soy
-
sesame
-
tree nuts
-
fish and shellfish
-
wheat
How can a FAID Dietitian help?
Your FAID dietitian will help you or your child balance a healthy diet while avoiding the foods you are allergic to ─ they provide you with personalised nutrition advice. They can also help with:
.jpg)
FODMAP Intolerance
Are you tired of gut symptoms like pain, bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhoea? Food is a common trigger of gut symptoms and limiting certain foods can radically improve these symptoms in sensitive people. A diet low in fermentable carbohydrates known as ‘FODMAPs’ is clinically recommended for the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
What Are FODMAPs?
FODMAPs stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols. These scientific terms classify groups of carbohydrates that trigger gut symptoms, like bloating, gas, loose stools and stomach pain, in sensitive people. FODMAPs are in a wide range of foods in varying amounts. Some foods contain just one type, while others contain several.
The main sources of FODMAPs include:
OLIGOSACCHARIDES
Wheat, rye, legumes and certain fruits and vegetables, like garlic and onions.
DISACCHARIDES (LACTOSE)
Milk, yoghurt, ice cream and soft cheese.
MONOSACCHARIDES (FRUCTOSE)
Certain fruits like figs and mangoes, and sweeteners like honey.
POLYOLS (SORBITOL AND MANNITOL)
Certain fruits and vegetables like blackberries and avocado, and some low-calorie sweeteners like those in sugar-free gum.
What are the benefits of a Low-FODMAP Diet?
Research shows that IBS symptoms improve in 3 out of 4 people who follow a low FODMAP diet. Keep in mind that FODMAPs may not be the whole answer ─ stress, hormones, your genes, other food triggers and medicines can sometimes play a role as well.
1.
STEP 1: THE LOW FODMAP DIET
For this step, swap high-FODMAP foods for low FODMAP foods for 2-6 weeks. Some people notice symptoms improve in the first week, while others take longer.
Once you have good relief of gut symptoms, you can move on to Step 2.
2.
STEP 2: REINTRODUCTION
For this step, systematically add back in high-FODMAP foods.
The aim of this is to:
1. Know which types of FODMAPs you tolerate - few people are sensitive to all of them.
2. Work out the amount of FODMAPs you can tolerate - this is known as your FODMAP threshold.
In this step, you reintroduce specific foods one by one for three days.
3.
STEP 3: PERSONALISATION
This step is also known as the ’modified low-FODMAP diet’ - in other words, you still limit some FODMAPs, but the amount and type are tailored to your FODMAP threshold, as per step 2.
This third step helps to increase your diet variety and flexibility; which have been shown to improve quality of life. Also FODMAP foods are a useful source of prebiotics , so they can improve gut health as well.
Food Chemical Intolerance
Do you suffer from headaches, migraines, itchy skin rashes, or gut troubles like pain, bloating, constipation or diarrhoea?
Do you feel like your asthma flares after certain foods or drinks?
Your doctor may have tried many treatments, but they don’t seem to have helped.
You may be reacting to certain chemicals found in what you are eating and drinking. The foods and drinks we consume contain both natural and added chemicals (additives), in varying amounts, and these can trigger a range of symptoms in sensitive people. Food intolerance testing, using a low chemical diet may be helpful as an adjunct to medical treatment.
How do you follow a low chemical diet?
Stage 1: Low chemical elimination diet
For this stage, swap high chemical foods for low chemical foods for 2-6 weeks. Some people notice symptoms improve in the first week, while others take the full six weeks. Once you have good relief of symptoms, you can move onto Stage 2.
Stage 2:
Food challenges
For this stage, you complete a series of food challenges to help work out which food chemicals you are sensitive to. In this stage, you will reintroduce foods grouped together that contain the same chemical.
Stage 3:
Personalisation
For this stage, foods that you didn’t react to during stage 2 are added back, to increase your diet variety and flexibility.
Stage 4:
Liberalising
Food chemicals that you reacted to during stage 2 are gradually added back to work out the amount of each chemical you can tolerate ─ this is known as your ‘chemical threshold’. This stage helps to increase your diet variety, so you can eat as widely as possible.
Coeliac Disease
Did you know about 1 in 70 Australians have coeliac disease and that about 80% of these people are undiagnosed? Coeliac disease is an immune reaction to gluten, a protein present in the grains wheat, spelt, rye, triticale, barley and controversially oats. Gluten is also found in small amounts in ingredients made from these grains, such as thickeners and starches.
In those with coeliac disease, gluten can cause inflammation that damages the lining of the small intestines. This damage causes issues with absorbing some nutrients and can lead to other long-term issues.
Disclaimer: The information on this page is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for individual medical health advice, and doesn’t constitute a provider-patient relationship.