Food Allergy

Food intolerance can cause a change in mood - being less irritable, touchy, cranky. An important point is that change in mood was also found by other researchers around the world. You may find the person is “easier to live with” on their diet.

Other symptoms that can change include - difficult to reason with, impulsive, poor concentration, demanding and argumentative, restless, difficult to control, tantrums and sleep problems.

Food sensitivity can affect not just the brain but can also affect any of the body’s systems. This is important as families or individuals with ADHD children who who have other food sensitivies. Some of the symptoms include:

Central Nervous System, CNS
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD, Attention Deficit Disorder ADD; irritability, mood changes, tantrums, poor self-esteem, aggression, developmental delays, hypoactivity;
- headache, migraine, problems settling to sleep or sleep, night terrors, nausea, car sickness;

Gastrointestinal - swelling around mouth and throat, mouth ulcers, gagging, itchy throat, retasting food, tummy aches, vomiting, looseness or diarrhoea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, lower gut cramping, halitosis (bad breath), constipation;

Genitourinary - frequency, scalding, mucous, bed-wetting, strong smelling urine;

Respiratory - ear aches, hay fever, rhinitis, post nasal drip, constantly clearing throat, wheezing, asthma;

Skin - eczema, psoriasis, urticaria, dermatitis, strong body odour;

Systemic - limb pains, feeling faint, anaphylactic shock.

It is important to know that a food sensitivity is not related to the quality of the diet. Your child may be eating a healthy diet, but the natural chemicals in food may be affecting their behaviour. It is important to identify the specific chemical in order to exclude it from your diet.