Food intolerance

a naturopathic prescription for the signs and symptoms

• Food intolerance is a much more widespread problem than many orthodox health professionals acknowledge, occurring in various degrees of seriousness - from mild discomfort to full-on food allergies (involving the immune system) which can be life-threatening (anaphylaxis).
• Please refer to the checklist of symptoms for food intolerance.
• Naturopaths usually 'specialise' in this subject, which is huge! This page will be eventually be developed to provide an action list overview, but in the meantime you are recommended to visit Fed Up with Food Additives which is an excellent, comprehensive resource.
• A good rule of thumb is to avoid consuming any food or drink that has numbers on its packaging - ie fresh is best. Remember though, different countries have different systems. For example in Australia, even unpackaged "fresh" foods need no labels. This could mean that the fresh fish you bought, which actually came from a fish farm, might have been fed pellets containing all sorts of additives, artificial colors and preservatives.
• Naturopaths assist you to identify your sensitivity, intolerance or allergy by using a food challenge program. You start with a diet of bland food which causes no symptoms, and gradually introduce various foods groups, to "challenge" your system. The most frequently implicated foods are those that you eat a lot of, or crave - such as dairy, wheat, or foods containing fructose, gluten or yeast.
• For a table of just one class of suspect foods see Salicylates.
• Select a supplement from the following recommendations for your country (clicking the hyperlink refers you to a suitable supplier).

If the food intolerance persists, you need to make an appointment to consult a professional health practitioner.

Naturopaths consider WHY a person has food intolerance and then treat accordingly.

David Wilson, Naturopath

See also Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Keep me informed about any news concerning food intolerance.