YORK, England, September 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
From Tots to Teens - How mums can beat food battles with intolerance awareness
This September, when your children head back to school, make sure their diet is the best it can be!
Your child's diet is hugely important to their development, but, with charity Allergy UK estimating that a shocking 45% of the UK suffer with food allergies or intolerances, it is vital that children are getting the nutrients they need from foods that will not cause the often disruptive symptoms of food intolerance.
The symptoms of food intolerance can be hugely diverse - from IBS, bloating, fatigue and lack of concentration, through to migraines and skin conditions such as eczema. For children with food intolerances, identifying their trigger foods can help them to settle and improve their school performance as well and improving more obvious physical symptoms. With reactions recorded to anything from wheat to lettuce even the most innocent seeming foods could be the source of a child's symptoms.
Identifying triggers can be a complicated process; for many people affected by the symptoms of food intolerance it is not a single food, but rather a combination of foods that set them off, and so a simple elimination diet may not uncover the whole picture - even identifying a few of these by elimination diet in exact combination would be a very complicated business, especially with young children! It is also very important to avoid cutting out important nutrition from your child's diet, so identifying triggers using a simple pin prick test such as YorkTest can offer a less hit and miss option to worried parents.
Christine Bailey, nutritional consultant and children's recipe book author, believes that identifying your child's intolerances can radically improve their health and wellbeing: 'With so many of us suffering with a wide range of food intolerance symptoms it's not surprising that many children are affected by the foods they eat too. Everything from painful skin conditions through to concentration and energy levels can be improved by simple dietary changes, meaning that you don't need to turn to the medicine cabinet so often. By tailoring their families diets mums don't even need to stop having the foods they love - treats as well as tasty, nutritious food are easy to produce, even for those mums who are pushed for time.'
To identify your family's triggers help is at hand from YorkTest, Europe's leading provider of food intolerance programs with over 30 years experience. YorkTest food intolerance tests can uncover potential food triggers, allowing people to quickly and easily modify their diets and making the process of dietary change far less daunting for busy mums.
Commenting on the difficulty many mums face in identifying food intolerances Dr. Gill Hart, food intolerance expert and biochemist at YorkTest Laboratories, said: 'Identifying trigger foods can be a complicated process; for many people affected by the symptoms of food intolerance it is not a single food, but usually a combination of foods and drinks that cause a reaction, so the traditional approach of using an elimination diet to remove one food at a time is unlikely to uncover all the problem areas. With recent research showing that 60% of GPs are seeing a rise in food intolerances but do not feel knowledgeable enough to give their patients practical advice, taking a YorkTest can help people easily and clearly identify their food triggers.'
Find out your family's triggers - The YorkTest Food Intolerance Testing service is available as a two-stage process. The First Step is currently available at the special price of £9.99 (RRP: £20.00). Following the First Step, if your result is positive you can then progress to the comprehensive laboratory analysis and nutritional support for £245.
Unlike other more basic tests available, YorkTest customers will be fully supported with their dietary changes. The YorkTest Food Intolerance Testing service offers comprehensive patient support that includes:
- Two telephone consultations with a BANT[1] registered nutritional therapist who will offer specific individual advice
- Help on how to incorporate the recommended diet changes
- A 12 week food diary with diet tips to help sufferers keep track of the changes they are making to their diet.
Case Study
5 year old Michael was so hyperactive that he had been restricted to only attending school on a part time basis. His concentration was practically nonexistent, was constantly disruptive in class and was unable to properly socialize with other children. After being tested for food intolerances his parents discovered that he was reacting to carrots, kiwi fruit, garlic and pork - all things they believed to be healthy options for a growing child! After modifying his diet, Michael is a completely different child and is now at school full time, enjoying socialising with the rest of the children in his class. Commenting on the change in her son, Michael's mother said: "After taking the YorkTest and changing his diet, there was a dramatic change in Michael's behaviour. It's incredible!"
Notes to Editors
The YorkTest is a simple finger-prick home-to-laboratory service, which offers a solution to identifying up to 113 problem 'trigger foods'.
Unlike other kits, The YorkTest also includes two telephone consultations with a qualified nutritionist who will offer specific individual advice and help on how to incorporate the recommended diet changes. A 12 week food diary with diet tips will also be provided to help sufferers keep track of the changes they are making to their diet.
YorkTest Laboratories works in partnership with a number of leading medical charities and patient support groups including Action Against Allergy, Mental Health Foundation and Migraine Action.
About Gill:
Dr Gill Hart PhD is a Biochemist with over twenty years experience in the development and clinical evaluation of diagnostic tests.
--------------------------------------------------
1. British Association of Nutritional Therapists
Gill started her career as Senior Biochemist at the Hammersmith Hospital and subsequently worked for a number of companies specialising in the development and validation of diagnostic tests for hospital use.
Gill joined the YorkTest team in 2005, and has applied her scientific and regulatory knowledge to all YorkTest services; including putting in measures of 'self-regulation' in the under-regulated 'diagnostic testing services' industry.
About Christine:
Christine is qualified Nutritional Consultant, Chef, Journalist and Media Expert. She has over 16 years experience in the food and health industry working with a wide range of clients from Corporates, Food and Health Manufacturers to Charities, Local Authorities and individuals. During her extensive training she gained a First Class Honours degree in Nutritional Therapy at the renowned Nutrition Centre CNELM (Centre for Nutrition Education and Lifestyle Management). She is also qualified to MSc level and holds at PGCE for adult training and lecturing.
She is author of several health and recipe books including Top 100 Finger Food Recipes for Children (2012), Tasty Treats for Healthy Kids, Top 100 Low Salt Recipes (Duncan Baird 2009), Top 100 Recipes for Brainy Kids (Duncan Baird 2009), The Vitamix Cookbook (2009) and The Intelligent Way to Lose Weight (co-authored with Dr Mark Atkinson, Higher Nature 2009).
Christine is passionate about good food and believes that healthy food should not only nourish the body but be exciting, imaginative and delicious. Through her work she aims to show how to create healthy, tasty dishes whatever dietary restrictions people may have. She has a particular specialism in devising recipes for allergies and food intolerances, children's food and treating health conditions through dietary changes. She was awarded Coeliac Chef of the Year 2008 and provides food and recipe support to Coeliac UK.
For more information, please contact Julia Riddle or Katie Daniels at CCD Healthcare PR +44(0)207-434-4100 or julia@ccdpr.com / katie@ccdpr.com
Share this article