There are a number of different types of food intolerance, for example coeliac disease, lactose intolerance, FODMAP intolerance and food chemical intolerance.

Food chemical intolerance usually refers to intolerances to natural chemicals such as salicylates, amines and glutamates, and additives such as artificial (and some natural) colours and preservatives.

These type of intolerances are different to allergies, as they don’t involve an immune response, but rather occur when substances irritate nerve endings in various parts of the body, which can include the airways, skin, gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system. Symptoms may include (but are not limited to) stomach and bowel irritation, rashes, swellings, flu-like aches and pains, fatigue, behavioural changes and headaches.

Food intolerance is very individual, in terms of symptoms you may have, in the chemicals you may be intolerant to and in how sensitve you may be to each of these chemicals. Thus everyone’s ‘diet’ for food intolerance will look different, but how a person establishes what their intolerances are is best achieved by using a diagnostic elimination diet, systematic challenges to pinpoint which food and chemicals are a problem for them, and gradual reintroduction of foods to the individual’s ‘threshold’ tolerance level.

As you can imagine, this can be quite complicated, and it is recommended that someone suspecting food chemical intolerance, who wishes to undertake an elimination diet gets advice and support from a dietitian with experience in this area. I have many years experience of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital elimination diet, and can help with making sure the diet you follow is properly implemented, nutritionally adequate and fits in with your individual needs and life.