Blowing the Whistle on Disinformation – Part 1
The Daily Mail published this article:
The strong message this article gives out, as do many of the readers’ comments that follow, is that allergies are legitimate when diagnosed by the medical profession, but that the symptoms you may be experiencing as a result of food intolerances are mainly in your head.
I have multiple food intolerances, as well as sensitivities to other substances I encounter in the environment, such as fragranced products, house dust, tree pollen and insect bites. I am not on a slimming diet, I am not interested in seeking attention by being a fussy eater, I do not have an eating disorder, and I am not depressed.
In fact, I would love to be able to eat anything. What a luxury it would be to be able to go to someone’s house for dinner and not have to give a list of things that I do and don’t eat. It would save so much time (and probably grocery bills too) if I could just throw any old thing into the cart, instead of having to read all the labels for “naughties”. It would be amazing to be able to stop at any cafe or snack bar and have the entire menu to choose from. It would be great to be able to go on trips abroad without having to pack wheat-free loaves etc. in my luggage. Why on earth would I want to deliberately restrict myself?
As it happens, I did not self-diagnose. I have had my intolerances tested by four different alternative health professionals, none of whom knew what the others had found. Further, I saw a nutritionist who gave me an extremely detailed questionnaire and consultation session. Guess what? All of them gave me the same advice regarding the foods/substances to which I am intolerant.
My GP, by contrast, merely sent me for a blood test when I complained of being constantly tired. The test came back negative for diabetes, and this in her opinion meant there was nothing medically wrong with me!
Someone remarked that if there were food shortages, you would quickly see the number of allergies and intolerances drop. Yes, but that would only take care of the people who are playing the allergy/intolerance card as an excuse. For those of us who have genuine reactions to some foods, we would be the first to suffer if supplies were scarce. I myself have chosen to go hungry rather than eat something that I know will make me ill, such as when an airline forgot to provide my specially-ordered meal and all there was available was (wheat) sandwiches. If food was in limited supply, I suppose you could say the number of vegetarians would drop overnight. The only difference there is that vegetarianism is a choice; having bad reactions to certain foods is most definitely not. (Oh, and before the hate mail starts coming, I used to be vegetarian, until I realised that with my intolerances, my diet was going to be limited enough already.)
I hope those people who believe we should all put up and eat up NEVER have to suffer the painful heartburn, constantly upset stomach, itchy eyes and skin, blurred vision, sleepiness, thirst that won’t be satisfied even after a whole two litre bottle of water, gas and bloating, runny nose, headaches and other body aches, and feelings of lethargy and general malaise that come after eating foods which do not agree with them. Over time, the result can be exhaustion and lack of energy, poor sleep, weight gain, moodiness, and a whole plethora of digestive problems and bodily discomforts. I should know, because I have been there. And I think I probably know my body a little more intimately than any doctor can.
There are many good books giving sensible diet advice, but if I were to pick one outstanding one, it would have to be “The Ultramind Solution” by Dr. Mark Hyman. Although written from the perspective of how things that go wrong in the body affect the mind, there is plenty of user-friendly information on diet and health.
I shall close this article with the following:
The two most common foods to which people complain of allergies and intolerances are wheat and cow’s milk.
Guess which two foods have been, and continue to be, the most mucked around with by the food industry (pesticides, fertilisers, genetic modification, antibiotics etc.) in the name of profits?
When these type of articles spring up from time to time in the national press, and the opinions of doctors are solicited, guess which two food groups these doctors make the most fuss about people not eating?
I shall leave the reader to their own conclusions.
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