COLLEGE STATION You’ve read the stories about improving health through proper nutrition and exercise, and you’re all ready to get started. You read about the updated Food Guide Pyramid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and are determined to use it as your basis for a more healthful diet. You have decided to do everything you can to improve your health.
But what if some of the most recommended foods upset your stomach? How can you make sure you’re getting balanced nutrition if you can’t eat whole food groups?
Don’t worry, said an expert with Texas Cooperative Extension. The guidelines for healthful eating have a lot of leeway.
Necessary nutrients usually are available from more than one source, said Dr. Mickey Bielamowicz, Extension nutrition specialist and registered dietitian. For example, if you’re lactose intolerant and can’t count on dairy products for your calcium requirements, try salmon or tuna, greens such as kale, collards, turnip or mustard, or broccoli. Dried peas and beans are also good sources of calcium, she said.
If you can’t tolerate wheat, you can experiment with recipes by substituting corn flour, rice flower or oatmeal for regular flour.
Is your stomach upset when you try to get fiber from raw fruits and vegetables? Try cooking the produce first, Bielamowicz suggested.
“If you have trouble with raw apples, maybe you can eat applesauce,” she said.
But before you write off your symptoms as just a delicate stomach, consider getting medical advice from an allergy expert, she advised. Instead of an intolerance, you might have a food allergy. And that can be life-threatening.
“The difference between an allergy and an intolerance is the way the body handles the offending food,” Bielamowicz said. “In a true food allergy, the body’s immune system recognizes a reaction-provoking substance, or allergen, in the food usually a protein as foreign and produces antibodies to halt the invasion.'”
Common symptoms of food allergy are: swelling in the lips, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, hives, rashes or eczema, and wheezing or breathing problems.
“For some, food allergies cause only hives or an upset stomach,” she said. “For others, one bite of the wrong food can lead to serious illness or even death.”
The most serious of these allergic reactions is anaphylaxis, which is “a violent allergic reaction involving a number of parts of the body simultaneously,” Bielamowicz said. “Although any food can trigger anaphylaxis also known as anaphylactic shock peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, milk, eggs and fish are the most common culprits.”
For their own health and safety, “people with allergies must avoid the offending foods altogether,” Bielamowicz said. When as little as one-five thousandth of a teaspoon of a food allergen can cause death, she said, reading food ingredients labels becomes vital.
Although reading ingredient labels is good practice for any consumer who is interested in eating better, it can be a matter of life for those with food allergies. Not so with food intolerances.
A food intolerance has nothing to do with the body’s immune system, Bielamowicz said. Instead, it affects the body’s metabolism. Symptoms of food intolerance are often gastrointestinal.
“The body cannot adequately digest a portion of the offending food, usually because of some chemical deficiency,” Bielamowicz said. For example, if someone is lactose intolerant, that person’s body is probably lacking in lactase, the intestinal enzyme that is necessary for the digestion of milk sugar, or lactose.
Unlike allergies, intolerances are not usually a potential medical emergency.
And also unlike allergies, Bielamowicz said, “intolerances generally intensify with age.”
An intolerance can be a painful annoyance, she said, but food allergies can be fatal. That’s why medical diagnosis is so important. In addition to being under the care of an allergist, a person with a food allergy should also seek the advice of a dietitian, she added.
And always read food ingredient labels. “With so many new food products available in our grocery stores, consumers can look for alternative foods, such as lactose-free milk substitutes, wheat-free products, and so on,” Bielamowicz said. Over-the-counter dietary aids may be a help too, she added.
Know your dietary limits, Bielamowicz said, and keep good nutrition within those limits as part of your daily goal.
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