John Arts Abundant Living johnarts.co.nz

These days it seems that everyone is intolerant to some type of food. Most commonly it is gluten in grains, lactose in dairy products, seafood and various nuts. while I have no doubt that in the past these intolerances were under-diagnosed, there has been a steady rise in people with a range of problems related to food allergies and intolerances. A food allergy involves an immune response against food compounds, while intolerance theoretically does not and is more of a digestive problem.

If you or your family have, or suspect any GI tract problems, I recommend that you first see your doctor who can arrange a whole range of tests and may refer you to a specialist for further diagnosis. For minor or low grade GI problems such testing is often inconclusive, but it is important to eliminate any serious problem. I have a granddaughter who often complained of sore tummies and a series of tests showed she was highly gluten intolerant. A change of diet and adding some supplements has resulted in a happy and contented child.

The big question is of course what causes these food allergies and intolerance problems like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)? the second question is of course what to do about it. This is one area where natural therapies excel, and creating a diet, nutrition and supplement programme can really help. while true food allergies cause a faulty immune system response even low grade food intolerances can cause inflammation in the GI tract. This can cause any number of symptoms from stomach pain, bloating, gas, and abnormal bowel habits. Most GI tract problems have an element of inflammation. This includes allergies, intolerances or serious autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis.

If the problem is more minor I like to try lowering GI tract inflammation before food elimination, as complete removal may increase the intolerance and create a worse situation. however if after a few months this approach fails then I would normally recommend a naturopath or nutritionist to create a full diet programme. however it is really surprising how many people can get a great response by adding a range of anti-inflammatory nutrients and co factors, that help to take the inflammation out of the GI tract, and help the immune system start to function properly.

John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. For product information visit abundant.co.nz if you have questions or would like a free health plan you can contact John at or phone 07 578 9051 or 0800 423 559. You can join his newsletter at johnarts.co.nz