Food & recipes

Food intolerance: 30 steps to food fitness

Banish bloating, sickness, rashes and other health niggles with Alex Gazzola’s tips for avoiding food reactions

Banish bloating, sickness, rashes and other health niggles with Alex Gazzola’s tips for avoiding food reactions
Adverse reactions to food are rising, and not just allergies and intolerances: there’s coeliac disease and gluten sensitivities and not to mention occasional upsets due to food poisoning.

Really, it’s no fun when what is meant to nourish is having this effect. Here we look at thirty ways you can help avoid any unpleasant reaction to food, so you can enjoy every bite in safety – and good health.

1. Choose ‘body-building’nutrients

According to nutritionist and food allergy expert Liz Tucker, western diets can be heavy in refined carbohydrates, and light in fish, lean meats, fruits and vegetables – and your body can react by feeling tired all the time. “In order to process carbohydrates into energy, you need other nutritionalc omponents – proteins, essential fats,vitamins and minerals,” she says. “If your diet is low in body-building nutrients, energy conversion is reduced leaving you fatigued.”

2. Keep a light, cool fridge

“Overstocking can be a problem as it can prevent cold air moving around effectively,” says Bob Martin, a microbiologist at the Food Standards Agency. “Foods from a chiller cabinet or with a ‘use by’ date usually need to be kept below 5°C to ensure growth of harmful bugs is restricted.”

3. Variety is the spice…

“The more frequently you eat a food, the greater the possibility of becoming sensitive to that food,” says Professor Jonathan Brostoff, a world-renowned expert in food sensitivities.“Have a varied diet and not the same food several times a day for months on end.”

4. Don’t chew on the move

“Digestion is a physical and emotional process,” says nutritional therapist Teresa Dupay. “If you don’t relax and allow your body to direct its energy towards digesting the food you’re eating, you’re going to get a lot of digestive problems, because your enzymes will be unable to work. Find ten minutes, at least, to eat in a relaxed atmosphere.”

5. Bug yourself

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects up to a quarter of women. There has been research suggesting that supplementing with probiotics – or healthy bacteria found in yoghurts, fermented foods, and probiotic drinks – may help. While the science is promising, the best strains are not yet known, according to Professor Glenn Gibson of the University of Reading, a leading authority on probiotics. “But any may be beneficial and they certainly don’t harm,” he says, “so it’s worth having a go if you do have IBS.”

6. And prebiotics…

Prebiotics are indigestible carbohydrates which encourage probiotic growth. Glen says fruit and vegetables contain prebiotics, but we may not be getting enough. Foods high in prebiotics include chicory and Jerusalem artichokes, and garlic, onion,leek, asparagus, wheat, oats, beans and banana. Prebiotic supplements can help. “Prebiotics can act preventatively,” adds Glen. “Improving gut flora can halt gut problems before they arise.”

7. Be a sugar-free sweetie

Soon after eating refined sugars, blood sugar levels rocket. “This triggers a stress response and an adrenalin rush,” says Liz. “Sugar generates metabolic toxins which challenge the body. A high-sugar diet also upsets gut flora, which may lead to greater quantities of bad bacteria or yeasts which can weaken the gut wall, increasing your susceptibility to intolerance reactions.”

8. Handle meat properly

Bob Martin says transporting just-bought meat in your car can be dodgy in hot weather, if you delay getting home. Take a cool bag with you. “Probably the biggest risk from meat comes from cross-contaminating bugs from raw food on to ready-to-eat food,”he says. “Don’t use the same chopping boards or utensils for ready-to-eat food that you have used for raw.”

He adds: “Other risks include not cooking meat properly. Make sure barbecue meats and sausages are cooked until steaming hot all the way through.”

9. Go when you have to go

Never ignore the call of nature when it comes, or you’ll increase the risk of gut upset and constipation. “Constipation sufferers could increase their risk of food intolerance because the digestive system becomes sluggish, blocked up and ineffective,” warns Liz.

10. Keep at the wheat – for now

We know there are half a million people in the UK who don’t know they have coeliac disease – a severe, autoimmune reaction to gluten, which causes bowel distress, tiredness and other symptoms. Increased awareness about the disease is helping boost diagnosis rates, but is a double-edged sword, as many women are taking matters into their own hands.

“For women it’s become a trend to exclude wheat casually – and some may be undiagnosed coeliacs,” says dietitian Norma McGough of Coeliac UK. “The problem with excluding pasta and bread is you may feel better because of lowered gluten intake, but it isn’t helping you in the long run as you’re still likely to be exposing yourself to gluten hidden in other foods, leading to long-term complications, and making a diagnosis difficult.

See your doctor first for the first step.

11. Beat stress

Adrenalin strains the digestive system. “Adrenalin’s job is to divert energy to the brain and muscles, because the body’s primitive response to stress is ‘fight or flight’,” says Liz. “Constant stress means the digestive system is permanently under-resourced, leading to a dysfunctional system, and symptoms of intolerance.” Take regular ‘time outs’ – quiet moments for deep breathing exercises.

12.Fishy fish?

Another danger in summer is histamine poisoning, when fish such as tuna or mackerel aren’t kept cool, allowing bacteria to proliferate and histamine to accumulate.Histamine is a chemical released in the body during an allergic reaction, and high levels can result in symptoms mimicking allergy.“These include nausea, headaches, or vomiting,” says Bob Martin. “Itching, flushing and hypotension may also occur. These usually appear within two hours of eating the fish and subside within 16 hours.” Again, be prompt with the cool bag or fridge!

13. Try alternative grains

If you feel you react to wheat and coeliac disease has been ruled out, some find spelt wheat – an ancient cousin to the common wheat used in ordinary bread – easier to digest. There is increasing interest in the grain, with companies such as Sharpham Park and Cathy’s Spelt for Health boosting awareness.“If you’re coeliac or wheat allergic, do not touch spelt,” warns Kristian Bravin, allergy specialist and dietitian. “But if you’re wheat intolerant, it’s worth a try. Although it contains gluten, spelt is less refined, a few generations back in the genetic chain, and may make a difference.” If you need to avoid gluten, try quinoa, millet and amaranth.

14. Heed ‘use bys’

These dates on foods should never be ignored, warns Bob Martin. “The ‘use by’ date is the only date that relates to food safety,” he says. “Eating food after its ‘use by’ date, even if it looks and smells fine, increases your chances of becoming very ill.”

15. Try ‘free from’ food

Growth and innovation in the free from market has in the last ten years been extraordinary – so much so that the industry has its own awards – the Free From Food Awards, founded by Michelle Berriedale-Johnson, now in its fifth year. “Mainstream ‘free from’ food has graduated from weird to tasty and nutritionally desirable, justifying the hype,” she says. The good news, then, if your dietitian or doctor does diagnose a sensitivity, is that your enjoyment of food need not suffer in order for you to stay reaction free.

15 more quick ways to stay reaction free…

Go easy on pasta. It can expand in your gut, causing bloating.
Read labels carefully. Allergy boxes are useful, and a new law introduced in January means foods labelling themselves gluten free must meet strict standards.
Think you’re lactose intolerant? Before omitting dairy, have a breath test from your doctor to confirm it.
Lots of fruit juice, especially citrus, can acidify your system, potentially causing cellular problems and heartburn.
Ice cream and cold drinks consumed quickly can leave you with ‘ice cream headache’, caused by constricting blood vessels leading to your brain. Go slow.
If you’re worried you may have eaten dodgy fish, drink a glass of red wine or two. It can have an antiseptic effect and protect you from the worst effects of food poisoning.
Eat seasonally: a good way to enjoy food at its best, and limits the risk of intolerance reactions due to over-exposure to a single food all year.
Eat a diet typical of your ethnic background: you’re more likely to have inherited the ability to digest it well.
Tingly lips, tongue and throat when you eat raw apples, carrots, celery, plums and other fruit and veg? It could be oral allergy syndrome, related to your hay fever. Continue to eat safe foods, and remember that, usually, cooked or processed foods won’t cause symptoms – but check with your allergist first.
Look forward to regular meal-times: it gets your gastric juices flowing, helping digestion.
Ditch fad diets. Any diet advocating a large volume of a particular food – be it grapefruit or cabbage soup – merely increases your risk of becoming intolerant.
Eat bitter foods like rocket, endive and chicory which stimulate digestion.
Take turmeric, rich in the anti-inflammatory curcumin, which soothes inflamed guts and reduces the likelihood of undigested proteins challenging your immune system.
Chew thoroughly. The more food is broken down, the more efficiently you’ll digest it.
Stop eating when full. Overeating strains your digestion.