Signs & symptoms of a food intolerance

These usually show anywhere between 30 minutes and 48 hours after consuming the food, which complicates the identification of the problem foods.

Most common food allergens among adults

Although you can develop an allergy to almost any food, the most common food allergies we see in adults are to:

Most common food intolerances among adults

There are many food substances people can have an intolerance to, each of which are found in a variety of foods. The most common include:

Can I develop a food allergy or intolerance at any age?

Most food allergies appear in childhood, but they can develop at any time. It’s possible to develop an allergy to foods you’ve eaten for years with no problems.

Food intolerances generally occur later in life. This is because as you age digestion naturally becomes slower and your body produces less of the enzymes needed to break down food. You may also become more sensitive to a particular chemical or food additive – for instance, sulphites.

Testing for food allergy or intolerance

If you are concerned you may have a food allergy or intolerance, it’s important you seek a proper diagnosis from a qualified medical practitioner. Your practitioner can test you for allergies with a simple blood test or skin prick test. If these show you are allergic to a particular food, you can eliminate the food from your diet to avoid any reactions.

If allergy testing comes back negative, it’s possible you have a food intolerance.

Beware of anyone offering intolerance testing! Unfortunately, most of these tests (except for a specific breath test for lactose intolerance) lack both scientific evidence and clinical relevance.

Diagnosing and managing food intolerance requires the input and supervision of a qualified health professional, such as your dietitian. We would recommend you first keep a food diary and note down any symptoms which may be related to food. Then you will need to eliminate all suspect foods from the diet before reintroducing them one by one, to see which food(s) or food substance(s) cause your symptoms. Your dietitian will then be able to assist you in finding your tolerance threshold(s) and creating a personalised diet.

Bottom line

Whilst food allergies and intolerances are often confused, the two are very different. They can both negatively impact your health and should be taken seriously. If you suspect you may be allergic or intolerant to a certain food, speak to your doctor or dietitian about testing and management.

It’s fair to say we’ve probably all experienced food cravings before –  that irresistible urge to eat a specific food. Whether it’s chocolate, chips or ice cream, you feel as if you cannot relax until these intense cravings have been satisfied.

Food cravings can really throw a spanner in the works, particularly when you’re working towards adopting a healthy eating pattern. Frequently ‘giving in’ to cravings can be disheartening as your health goals seem more and more unattainable.

So, is there really anything you can do to help curb these food cravings? Accredited Practising Dietitian, Anna Debenham, shares her top 6 tips.

1. Start with a balanced diet

The best place to start when dealing with cravings is to take a look at your overall diet.

Your two main considerations are:

1)     Is your current diet nutritionally balanced?

2)    Are you eating enough?

If you find yourself experiencing strong food cravings regularly throughout the day, you might need to look at the macronutrient balance of your meals (i.e. the balance of protein, carbohydrates, vegetables and fats).

Afternoon sugar cravings can be avoided by eating a more nutritionally balanced lunch.

This is something we see a lot of, especially when people eat salads or soups for lunch that don’t contain an adequate amount of protein. It’s important to remember that, in order to feel full, you need more than just greens. A serving of protein, a little healthy fat and some healthy carbohydrates alongside those greens is a much more balanced lunch that will keep you satisfied and help keep those cravings at bay.

2. Don’t avoid your favourite treat foods

One guaranteed way to intensify cravings is to ban specific foods from your diet altogether.

While this may sound like a useful way to reach your health goals, banning foods means that they become ‘forbidden fruit’. Once you can’t have it, you’ll find yourself wanting it even more.

There’s no need to ban unhealthy foods from your diet altogether. Focus on a healthy diet but don’t deprive yourself of the foods you love – allowing treats occasionally in small amounts can actually help to avoid those intense cravings. Remember, we are looking for long term, sustainable habits and banning foods typically is not a long term approach.

3. Retrain those taste buds

Did you know that you can actually alter your taste buds to crave less sugar and salt?

Every few weeks, our taste buds regenerate. By slowly reducing your intake of sweet and salty foods, over time your taste buds will slowly adapt to crave these sorts of nutrients less.

The key is not to go cold turkey, or you might find your food tasting a little bland. If you slowly cut back, you’ll adjust and find your cravings may have reduced.

4. Try and break the habit

Food cravings are often a result of a habit you have developed over time. For example if you feel you ‘must’ immediately end each meal with a sweet bite, it is likely this is more so a habit than anything else.

Instead, try changing the behaviour straight after your meal. For example you might make yourself a herbal tea for a tummy settler and palate cleanser. Alternatively, you could go for a walk or if it’s late at night brush your teeth. Replacing your usual behaviour (eating a sweet treat) with another behaviour is a great way to break the habit.

5. Look after your mental health

If you find yourself experiencing strong cravings after a stressful day at work, chances are the cravings are emotionally fuelled.

Emotional eating becomes an issue when you’re consistently using food as a way to cope with emotions. Sometimes, it’s a habit so engrained, you don’t actually realise your craving is related to your emotions. Next time you are craving something, have a think about how you are feeling and ask yourself, ‘Do I really feel like this? Is this going to make me feel better long term?’. Have a list of other things you can do when you are tempted to emotionally eat. Distracting yourself by doing something else that makes you feel good is a technique that works for many. This could involve going for a short walk, journaling or even tending to that pile of laundry that needs washing! If it’s a habit you’ve had for a while, emotional eating can be tricky to break, however finding new ways to soothe these emotions is an important first step.

6. Get enough sleep

Did you know you’re more likely to experience food cravings after a night with too little shut-eye. This is because a lack of sleep affects certain areas of your brain which can significantly increase your desire for highly palatable and calorie-rich foods.

To counteract food cravings associated with sleep deprivation, aim to get at least 7-9 hours of sleep per night.

Bottom Line

Ultimately, there’s no need to worry about the occasional food craving. They are normal and something most people experience. However, if you feel that your food cravings are out of control or keep you from reaching your goals, it might be time to take action.

If food cravings, emotional eating or binge eating are an issue that you’re dealing with on a regular basis and finding hard to beat, the best thing to do is get support from a qualified professional.

The Biting Truth are a team of dietitians who understand there is no one size fits all approach and can work with you to develop a personalised nutrition strategy plan to help you become the healthiest version of yourself. You can book a consult easily today.

As a parent and caregiver, you play an important role in making healthy choices for your children and guiding them towards one day making these choices on their own.

With so many mixed messages surrounding nutrition, this is a task that can often feel overwhelming.

If your little one is a veggie hater, you might find yourself using all sorts of strategies to get them to eat veggies – bribing, sneaking veggies into meals or forcing them to eat them. While these strategies may help in the short term, they are unlikely to positively influence their food behaviours and may even lead to more challenges as they get older.

IGA’s paediatric dietitian, Alex Parker, breaks down some simple things you can do to help your little ones learn to eat (and enjoy!) vegetables.

Don’t treat veggies as the enemy

Comments such as “you have to eat your broccoli before you can eat your dessert” sends a message to kids that vegetables are not enjoyable – they are a chore. Instead, try to create a positive mealtime environment by exposing your child to vegetables without pressure, and avoid any negative connotations surrounding vegetables. This can have profound effects on their future eating habits as well as help to alleviate your stress and frustration.

Get your child involved

The more familiar kids are with vegetables, the more likely they are to eat them. Some great ways to boost your child’s confidence and familiarity around vegetables include:

• Take your kids grocery shopping and encourage them to choose a veggie or two to buy and try each week.
• Get them in the kitchen and involve them in age-appropriate tasks such as washing vegetables or peeling and cutting using a child-friendly knife.
• Get your little one to serve up vegetables to other people at the table.

All of these small experiences will ultimately help improve their overall confidence with vegetables.

Take advantage of snack times

Snacks are great opportunities to bump up your little ones’ veggie intake and will show children different ways of enjoying them. Whether you keep it simple by serving vegetable sticks with a dip or some cheese or get a little more creative and create a recipe that includes some vegetables, taking advantage of snack time is a fantastic way to boost your child’s vegetable intake.

Find inspiration from some of our favourite veggie-based snacks here:

Lead by example

This is one of the most powerful ways to encourage your little ones to eat vegetables. If you don’t eat vegetables yourself, how can you expect your child to? Children learn by example, so it is essential to start by packing in as many veggies as possible into your own daily diet. Try to frequently sit with your child to eat and show them how you eat your vegetables (without putting pressure on them to eat theirs).

Serve small portions of new vegetables, alongside familiar foods

Be careful not to bombard your child with a big portion of new (unfamiliar) vegetables on their plate, as this can be overwhelming and will reduce their likelihood of trying anything at all.

Instead, try offering small portions of new vegetables e.g. one halved cherry tomato or a teaspoon of corn kernels. Offer these new vegetables alongside a familiar food that you know they enjoy. This will ultimately provide some comfort whilst encouraging them to taste something new.

Help your child listen to their body

While you may feel tempted to beg your child to eat one more bite of peas, mealtime offers a great opportunity to allow children to listen to their body’s instincts. Most kids are able to effectively self-regulate their hunger and appetite. This means that, in most circumstances, they will naturally eat the right amount of food for their body. Try to trust that when your child says they are finished, they really are and there’s no need to force them to eat more.

Need more support?

The Biting Truth’s Little Bites Program has been specifically designed for busy families in need of a little extra support navigating fussy eating. The program includes a selection of kid-friendly recipes, articles, tutorials, printable resources and more.

6. Do you have any nutrition tips for someone following a gluten-free diet?

The most important thing to know is that it’s still possible to eat a healthy, balanced diet when following a gluten-free diet.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Avoid all gluten. Even very small amounts of gluten can cause ongoing gut damage and/or symptoms for people with coeliac disease.
2. Be careful of cross contamination. Cross contamination occurs when a gluten-free food becomes contaminated by either direct or indirect contact with a gluten-containing food.
3. Include gluten-free grains in your diet and choose wholegrain products where possible e.g., brown rice, quinoa, wholegrain gluten-free bread.
4. Eat a balanced diet that includes foods from all 5 food groups – grains, veggies, fruits, dairy and meats/alternatives.

7. How can I tell if a product is gluten free?

Check the label for the following claims:

• Gluten free: By law, a product can only be labelled as ‘gluten free’ when it contains no detectable gluten (i.e., less than 0.003%). These products are safe to eat for people on a gluten-free diet.
• Contains gluten or contains traces of gluten: Sometimes sources of gluten are not written on the ingredients list, but a label will state ‘contains gluten’ or ‘contains traces of gluten’. These products should be avoided by people on a gluten-free diet.
• May contain traces of gluten: Warning statements such as ‘May contain traces of gluten’ are voluntary and can be used a bit like a ‘get out of jail free’ card by the manufacturer. The use of warning statements in this way can result in the food being eaten by someone ‘at risk’ or in the food being avoided when it’s in fact safe to eat. It’s a good idea to contact the manufacturing company for more information as avoiding all foods with this warning may not be necessary.
• There are also some handy apps available if that’s your kind of thing:
• Coeliac Australia app (called ‘Gluten Free Ingredient List’ on iPhone)
• Find Me Gluten Free
• FoodSwitch (from The George Institute for Global Health)

Thank you for sharing all of your questions, we hope you’ve enjoyed reading our answers!

Read more from our Nutritionists, the Biting Truth, or discover our healthy gluten-free recipes here:

This Valentine’s day, take care of your heart in more ways than one! We’ve gathered some of our favourite heart-healthy recipes to create the perfect, romantic dinner for two.

Starter

Kicking off your delicious dining experience, we have a simple yet effective dish – a real crowd pleaser. IGA’s Almond Dukkha recipe is packed with unsaturated fats which are proven to reduce risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. Serve this nutty blend with a few slices of fresh bread and some extra virgin olive oil, packed with heart-healthy fats and antioxidants.

Main

Salmon is not only tasty, but it’s also packed with omega-3 fatty acids which have been proven to prevent heart disease and lessen the likelihood of a stroke. For this reason, we’re plating up a nutrient-rich Caponata with Salmon as your main course. Inspired by Sicilian cuisine, this colourful and healthy dish is sure to make for a happy heart and tummy.

Dessert

Take your V-day chocolate game to the next level with our Avocado and Strawberry Chocolate tart. This decadent dessert is packed full of potassium and is also relatively low in salt, all thanks to the superstar ingredient, avocado. A combination that has been recognised for its ability to lower blood pressure, whilst protecting against heart attack and stroke.

Bonus treat for that special someone!

Don’t have enough time for a three course meal? Have a go at baking a batch of our Chocolate Beetroot Cupcakes for a guaranteed happy valentine. Not only are these super tasty, they’re also an excellent healthy alternative using beetroot, boasting its ability to boost blood flow and reduce signs of inflammation in blood vessels.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

There’s no better time to get moving than the Summertime! Do your mind and body a favour and hit those exercise goals, all whilst soaking up some much needed vitamin D. Give one or all 5 of these fun, Summer activities a go…

1. Walk don’t drive

Get your steps up and save your wallet at the same time! Leaving yourself some extra time to walk is one of the easiest ways to squeeze a workout into your week, and it can also provide an opportunity to clear your mind from the stresses of everyday life. Chuck on your favourite playlist, a podcast or invite a friend and leave the car keys at the door!

2. Play a team sport

Gather your mates or members of the community and set up a friendly game of soccer, touch footy, basketball, whatever you fancy! This is a great way to exercise, whilst socialising and potentially picking up a new skill.

3. Go for a bike ride

Why not make this the summer of discovering the great outdoors! Grab a friend or make this a solo mission and get pedalling.

4. Organise an outdoor training session

Exercising outdoors is the perfect way to spice up your weekly workout routine and can also be a great alternative for anyone looking for a cost-saving and flexible alternative to the gym! Inviting a group of friends to join is also a great way to keep yourself motivated and on track to reaching your fitness goals.

5. Get in the water!

This may seem like an obvious one, but swimming is a great form of exercise, while also improving coordination, balance and posture. Plus, who doesn’t love cooling off in the ocean or pool on a hot summer’s day? Just don’t forget to slip, slop, slap!