Eating Well - Beaming with Health

206 The Commonsense Gzckde to Eatilag Well
tomatoes and yeast. The substance that causes the allergic
reaction is called the 'allergen'.
A food allergy may appear in a variety of guises, taking
between one minute to several days before symptoms appear.
Symptoms include mouth ulcers, chronic diarrhoea, flatulence,
bladder infections such as cystitis, infections such as
colds, ear infections, anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, inability
to concentrate, insomnia, irritability, joint pain, asthma,
bronchitis, wheezing, itchy nose or throat, sinusitis, acne,
eczema, hives, itching, skin rashes, rapid heartbeat, water
retention, bloating, fatigue, headaches, migraines and
hypoglycaemia.
Systemic allergies have appeared only recently on the
scene, or they were not previously recognised as such.
The following are a few theories as to why food allergies
are more prevalent today.
1 Fdarity breeds contempt
The most common foods that cause food allergy are the
most popular foods; that is, cow's milk, wheat, oranges
and tomatoes. There are too many similarities for this
state of affairs to be coincidence, but no-one is able to
offer a solid explanation.
2 Poor digestive function
If food is improperly digested there is a greater chance
of larger molecules crossing the intestinal wall into the
bloodstream, thereby causing an allergic reaction.
3 Allergy babies
In industrialised countries such as our own, babies are
usually weaned at six months if not earlier, when their