Regretfully, Dr. Joneja is not accepting new clients at this time in order to concentrate on research and writing. However, you will find a great deal of information on this site about food allergies and intolerances. Please explore all the Frequently asked questions (FAQ), Books, Journal, Newspaper and Magazine articles, and Presentations. You will find answers to many of your questions somewhere within those pages.
This is reaction in which the immune system fights protein molecules in foods that the body mistakenly perceives as a danger to its health. Symptoms of allergy include hives, eczema, swelling of tissues (especially of the face and throat), itching, nasal stuffiness and congestion, asthma, digestive problems, headaches, and in the most severe cases, life-threatening anaphylactic reactions. The dietary management of food allergy starts with an accurate diagnosis and identification of the culprit foods. Elimination of a person’s food allergens is crucial to their health, as is the careful replacement of the nutrients in the allergenic foods from alternate sources, and development of a dietary regimen that is compatible with the allergy sufferer’s life-style.
Paediatric food allergy often requires management strategies that differ from those of adults. Effective measures include reducing the risk of development of food allergies in babies, which may involve management of mother’s pre-pregnancy diet, mother’s diet during pregnancy, early feeding regimens for the new-born, and the best methods for introducing solid foods to the potentially allergic infant. Established food allergy in children requires accurate diagnosis of the offending foods, and a diet that eliminates the child’s allergens, but provides essential nutrients from alternative sources. Careful monitoring of an allergic child’s diet is essential to ensure that all of the nutrients necessary for the child’s optimum development in this critical life phase are supplied in their appropriate form.
A food intolerance is an adverse reaction to a food ingredient that may seem like an allergy, but because the immune system is not involved, all allergy tests are negative. The symptoms are often caused by a metabolic dysfunction, such as a lack of a particular enzyme. The triggers are mostly non-protein ingredients in foods such as carbohydrates (in particular, lactose); food additives (e.g. artificial colours such as tartrazine; flavourings such as MSG; and preservatives such as sulphites and benzoates), and naturally-occurring chemicals (e.g. histamine, benzoates). Management of food intolerances requires careful identification of the offending food component, and its removal from the sufferer’s diet. This area of food sensitivity management requires extensive knowledge about all sources of the culprit food components, which often enter a person’s diet as unsuspected ingredients in manufactured and prepared foods. Educating the food-sensitive individual to recognize the foods that contain the culprit ingredients is an essential part of the food intolerance management program.
Gastrointestinal conditions that are made worse by food components, for example: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Symptoms of the condition include abdominal bloating, pain, excessive flatulence, irregular bowel habits with diarrhea and/or constipation. Although food does not cause the condition, food passing through an “irritated” gastrointestinal tract makes the condition worse. The basis of dietary therapy for IBS, and related digestive tract problems, is identification and exclusion of food components that exacerbate the symptoms. Complete balanced nutrition is supplied from alternative sources to ensure optimum health and well-being.
Every person is unique and everyone suffering from the effects of adverse reactions to foods requires and deserves a dietary regimen that is designed for their individual needs. As Head of the Allergy Nutrition Research Program and Allergy Clinic at Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre for 13 years, Dr. J. has developed numerous regimens for the management of each food sensitivity. Details can be found in Dr. Joneja’s books, practice manuals, journal articles and in the many sections within this website.
