Aussies increasingly use the internet to diagnose food allergies, cutting out major food groups without medical advice
- From: The Courier-Mail
- March 30, 2013
AUSTRALIANS are increasingly self-diagnosing food allergies and intolerances, cutting out major food groups without seeking professional advice.
Kate DiPrima, a spokeswoman for the Dietician Association of Australia, said she's seen an increase in cases through her private practice, and that cutting foods can quickly lead to nutritional deficiencies.
"People suffer from things like distension, stomach pain, wind or stomach gurgling, and assume that it's something like dairy, yeast or sugar causing the discomfort, so they cut it out," Ms DiPrima said.
"In reality, it can just be constipation or a high-fibre diet."
Quite often, she said, we simply eat too much of one thing.
"If you eat wheat in large amounts, say toast for breakfast, crackers at morning tea, sandwich at lunch and pasta for dinner, you will experience symptoms like stomach rumbling and gurgling, as a result of that diet," she said.