FOOD ALLERGIES and INTROLERANCES
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Vital food, which fives life and energy to the majority of the population, can be a terrible poison for people suffering either food allergy or food intolerance.  Some types of good can trigger lethal reactions - sometimes even death - while for others certain foods can make people lethargic or ill and prone to irritating or debilitating complaints.  Symptoms are usually quick and severe and easily diagnosed, but food intolerance has been greeted with a certain amount of scepticism.
A food allergy can be detected in a skin prick blood test.  The symptoms are usually sudden, acute and obvious.  Sufferers can go into anaphylactic shock, stop breathing and possibly die in the worst cases if they ingest even a tiny amount of the food they are allergic to.

Peanuts are one of the best known culprits for causing food allergy, but hazel nuts and cashew nuts can also trigger allergic reactions.  Milk allergies are more common babies and children.  Fish, especially shellfish, cause allergies too, as well as citrus fruit and tomatoes.
A food intolerance is much more difficult to pinpoint and the symptoms are often 'soft' like headaches, migraine, upset stomachs, asthma and eczema.  It can go undiagnosed by GPs, causing patients additional distress and suffering.

Food intolerance is often triggered by the most commonly eaten foods, such as wheat and milk, but it can also be caused by citrus fruit, tomatoes, nuts and peanuts.
  • Soda bread, pitta bread and chapattis are good substitutes for yeast leavened bread, although some pitta breads do contain yeast, so check before eating.  Soda bread is made using baking powder.
  • Yams are probably the best potato substitute.  
  • Chickpeas are more floury than other beans, with a less beamy taste and fewer unpleasant after-effects.  They make  good filler if you cannot eat wheat or potatoes.  Add to soups and casseroles.
  • Margarine is the obvious substitute for butter, but some brands contain a small amount of milk solids, so watch out for that and look at the label.
  • People who cannot eat ordinary cheeses can often turn to goats' cheese or sheep cheeses without any ill effects.  Soya based 'cheese' spreads are another alternative, as is tofu, which can act as a substitute to soft cheese.
  • Goat's milk, sheep milk ad soya milk can be substituted for cow's milk and creamed coconut is a good alternative to cream.
  • For people with an intolerance for wheat - gluten-free bread, rye bread, rye crisp breads, oatcakes and rice cakes can make good substitutes,
  • Carob is a tasty substitute for chocolate.