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FRANCES WALKER

DIETITIAN

 

 

 

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Anybody can have food intolerances from breast feeding babies to kids  through to adults, young and older. Foods can cause so many different symptoms depending on your particular sensitivity.

 

A thorough nutritional assessment can help expose what food intolerance issues may be causing your individual symptoms and importantly how to replace lost nutrients from any food group eliminated.

Who I Help

WHAT I DO

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I chose to specialise my Dietitian practice in Food Intolerance and Food Allergies because this I love  how changing a diet can reduce distressing symptoms such as gut or IBS symptoms or eczema and rashes, mood changes, behavioural issues in children and even sleep issues in babies. That a food change can help manage such issues is quite amazing. 

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Food intolerance is a complicated area that requires a thorough knowledge of what  foods are made up of and how to manipulate these foods to reduce different components in the diet, be it FODMAPs such as fructose and lactose, or fibre or food proteins such as cow's milk protein or even some naturally occurring food chemicals such as salicylates and amines.

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The end result is that  you get to learn so much more about which different foods may affect you, your child and/or your baby and empowered with this knowledge how to make food decisions for your health and your family's health.

NOTE ABOUT FODMAPs:

FODMAP (IBS) symptoms tend to be confined just to the gut: bloating, tummy cramping, constipation and/or diarrhoea and excess gas. Feeling awful is secondary to these symptoms, and also fatigue/reflux can co-occur. Any other symptoms that seem to be triggered by food for example skin rashes are not FODMAP symptoms. 

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Symptoms typically occur 4 - 24  hours post eating the high FODMAP food. Sometimes lactose intolerance symptoms can occur within 30 minutes on an empty stomach, especially if the lactose containing food is a drink, for example milk. Faster reactions tend not to be FODMAP reactions.

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FOOD CHEMICAL symptoms in kids and adults can cause a wide variety of symptoms. You may have noticed that trigger foods don't always cause symptoms.Symptoms can change over a lifetime for example a new symptom can seem to spring out of nowhere while other symptoms can seem to disappea.

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Common symptoms experienced:

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  • Gut or IBS (Irritable Bowel) symptoms: bloating, gut pain, excessive wind, constipation, diarrhoea 

  • Chronic mouth ulcers

  • Headaches and migraines

  • Skin reactions such as hives or rashes or eczema

  • Extreme fatigue, run down, flu-like aches and pains

  • Feel like you have been 'hit by a bus'

  • Sinus congestion or polyps

  • Brain 'fogginess'

  • Irritability, ADHD, mood changes, anger, oppositional defiance

  • Bladder issues 

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Did you know that mouth ulcers (when food related) are almost always due to salicylates?

 

Food Issues Often Occur Together

Food issues dos not always fit into neat little boxes (unfortunately). You may have any combination- and not identifying all the major triggers means you may only experience a partial improvement when undertaking an elimination diet like a Low FODMAP diet. Specialist guidance is highly recommended not only to sift through the potential intolerances but to replace lost nutrients that can occur if many foods are eliminated from the diet. This is especially important if a whole food group such as wheat and dairy is excluded, and the lost nutrients not adequately replaced.. 

Contact: Email fran@foodstoeat.com.au

Frances Walker

Specialist Food Intolerance Dietitian

APD Clinical Dietitian 30 years experience

Monash University FODMAP trained

Professional Certificate- Medical Nutrition Therapy in Food Allergy and Intolerance

Qualified Educator (Dip.Ed)

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