Food Allergies and Intolerances: How to Adapt Your Eating Plan

Food allergies and intolerances cannot be ignored when living a healthy life. People with an allergy or intolerance can run into various health problems when they eat certain foods. Adapting your eating plan and choosing the right foods is therefore vital. So how is this managed? Which steps should be taken, and how should the eating plan be arranged?

What Are Food Allergies and Intolerances?

A food allergy occurs when the immune system reacts excessively to a particular food. The body sees the food as harmful and reacts to it. Allergy symptoms usually show as a skin rash, shortness of breath, nausea or bloating.

A food intolerance is usually related to the digestive system. In this case the body has difficulty digesting a particular food. For example, people with lactose intolerance cannot digest dairy products properly. The symptoms of intolerance are usually digestive, such as bloating, gas and stomach ache. Intolerances are usually not as serious as allergies, but they can affect quality of life.

What Triggers Allergies and Intolerances?

Among the most common triggers of food allergies and intolerances are certain foods. They are as follows:

• Milk and dairy products: Lactose intolerance and milk allergy are common.
• Eggs: Allergic reactions can occur to both the white and the yolk.
• Wheat: People with coeliac disease, gluten intolerance or wheat allergy cannot eat wheat.
• Peanuts and other tree nuts: Peanut allergy in particular can cause serious, anaphylactic reactions.
• Fish and shellfish: Fish and seafood allergy is generally more common in adults.
• Soya: This food is often used in vegan eating plans, but it can cause an allergy in some people.
• Gluten: People with coeliac disease cannot digest gluten, so foods containing gluten must be avoided.

How Can You Adapt Your Eating Plan?

If you have a food allergy or intolerance, it is important to adapt your eating plan. Here is what you can do:

Identify the Problem Foods

The first step is to find out which foods cause you problems. With your doctor's help, you will need to remove these foods from your diet. To support this process you can keep a food diary. Recording which foods you eat and which symptoms you experience helps you work out which foods do not agree with you.

Find Alternative Foods

Finding healthy alternatives to the foods you are allergic to makes your eating plan more balanced. For example:

• People with lactose intolerance can choose lactose-free milk or plant milks (almond, soya or oat milk).
• People with gluten sensitivity can use gluten-free grains (quinoa, maize, buckwheat).
• People with a peanut allergy can choose alternative nuts such as almonds or cashews, as long as they are not allergic to those too and their doctor agrees.

These alternatives add variety to your diet and help you avoid the foods that trigger your reactions.

Get into the Habit of Reading Labels

When buying packaged foods, it is extremely important to read the labels carefully. Some foods may contain allergens in their ingredients, so look carefully at the "ingredients" section of the label. Pay particular attention to warnings about common allergens such as milk, wheat, peanuts and soya. The wording "may contain traces of" should also be taken into account, because it shows that the product may have come into contact with an allergen.

Get into the Habit of Cooking at Home

Eating out can be risky for people with allergies, because you may not know exactly which ingredients have been used. Cooking at home is therefore safer: by preparing your own meals you can control what goes in them. When you do have to eat out, do not forget to tell the restaurant staff about your allergy.

Get Support

This process can sometimes be challenging for people with a food allergy or intolerance, so it is important to get support so that you do not feel alone. By staying in regular contact with your dietitian or doctor, you can create an eating plan that suits your needs. You should also let the people around you know. If your family and friends are aware, it will be easier for you to stick to your diet. If you ever have signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as difficulty breathing or swelling of the face or throat, seek emergency medical help straight away.

This article is for general information only; please consult your doctor and dietitian about your own situation.