FAILSAFE #6

Newsletter of the Food Intolerance Network of Australia

January-February 1999

THIS MONTH:

• do you eat additives 310-321?

• tinnitus

• reflux in babies

• genetically engineered labels

• depression

• call for additive ban

• product warnings & recipes

With our move into electronic publishing, the Dietpage has changed its name and is now available free by email. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

- Sue Dengate, editor

Can you avoid antioxidants?

People living in New Zealand are faced with a special problem when attempting an elimination diet because there is no suitable cooking oil. All supermarket cooking oils contain antioxidants from the group (310-321) which have long been associated with adverse reactions.

Cold-pressed oils from health food stores are preservative-free but contain natural salicylates which may also cause problems in sensitive people. So what are the alternatives? Although canola oil is recommended by nutritionists as the healthiest cooking oil, Kiwis who react to antioxidants are stuck with butter or beef fat for cooking - neither of these are recommended for healthy hearts!

For those who are also sensitive to dairy foods, there are no suitable dairy-free preservative-free margarines like Nuttelex available. These people will have to rely on friends to mail oil from Australia - at $3.25 for a litre of preservative-free cooking oil, and $14 for airmail post and packing (winepack).

In Australia, the "vegetable oil" on a label generally contains antioxidants as there is no requirement to list small quantities of this additive.

Since oils containing antioxidants 310-321 are used in a vast range of commercial products from fried fast foods to biscuits to potato chips, other snack food and even babyfood, some people eat these additives many times every day. Reactions build up slowly, are dose-related, cumulative, and difficult to identify - see product warning. It is possible to be affected unknowingly.

Tinnitus

People who hear noises or ringing sounds in the ears have a condition known as tinnitus which can range from mild to life-dominating. Although often associated with deafness, tinnitus can also be caused by drugs and food chemicals. Aspirin-induced tinnitus is acknowledged in medical texts.

Less well known is the link to food chemicals of a similar molecular size, including colours, preservatives and salicylates. One man who had been bothered by tinnitus for years found he had only to avoid his nightly glass or two of wine. (Wine, grapes, sultanas and grape juice are all very high in salicylates - gin, vodka and whisky are not.) Others may need to complete an elimination diet to discover which chemicals cause the problem.

Genetically engineered food labels

In a surprise move, all health ministers except Victoria, Canberra and NZ recently voted in favour of labelling genetically engineered foods - and against the recommendation of the Australia and New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA). ANZFA is now expected to produce such a complicated draft labelling standard that the ministers will be forced to change their minds. If you appreciate your minister's courage, let him or her know.

• Depression

The article about a link between food chemicals and depression/suicide in FAILSAFE 3 attracted many comments. An adult who visited a specialist physician reports "I mentioned my past depression and my food intolerance challenges while giving my history. I thought she would be sceptical but she told me that although she has no real scientific evidence she believes there is a strong link between amine reactions and chemical imbalance in the brain and that most people with depressive tendencies would benefit from limiting amines." Salicylates were also mentioned by some readers as causing their problems.

• Reflux

Reflux in babies is often associated with food intolerance. In Melbourne, members of an association set up to support mothers of babies with reflux were surprised to find three years later that nearly all their children were food intolerant.

A reader writes: "My son was a difficult baby. Everyone kept telling me I was a new mother, babies cry, you are doing this or that wrong ... At six weeks he was medicated for reflux and although that helped, he was still far from right. I was continually looking for answers when ... we learned about food intolerance and since he was six months old he has been on a special formula and a restricted diet. His personality is wonderful while on the correct diet, however, if he gets something he shouldn't eat, he is an irritable, cranky, whingey little boy."

Call to ban food additives

A Queensland-based consumer group has called for a ban on certain food additives in response to a review of food regulations currently undertaken by the Australia and New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA). In the review, known as Proposal 150, ANZFA proposes to encourage "innovation in food technology by applying the minimum restriction on use [of food additives] ...".

A submission from us here at FINA asked for more accurate labelling, testing for behavioural toxicity before approval, more consumer representation at ANZFA, an avenue for consumer complaint about food additives and an establishment of an adverse food reactions register. As well as these points, ASEHA (Allergy, Sensitivity & Environmental Health Association) went one step further, proposing a ban on 65 additives. They commented:

• the current allowable levels of food additives are too high as some people react to them

many additives have only cosmetic value and serve no useful purpose to consumers. They are only there so that the food industry can make profits

• the effects of food additives combined with naturally occurring chemicals in food, medications, agricultural chemical residues is not taken into account or studied

• risk assessment procedure is inadequate as some people react to food additives and some additives are known to be carcinogenic

• research into chronic impacts of food additives on human health is necessary

If food additives affect you or your child or someone you know support this proposed ban, by sending the letter below (circle your reason), or better still write a letter describing your experience with food additives. Do it now! More info from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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date................

The Project Manager

Proposal 150

ANZFA

PO Box 7186

Canberra Mail Centre ACT 2610

Dear Sir

Re: BAN ON FOOD ADDITIVES - colours 102, 107, 110, 122-129, 133, 142, 151, 155, natural colour 160b, sorbates 200-203, benzoates 210-213, sulphites 220-228, nitrates & nitrites 249-252, propionic acids 280-283, antioxidants 310-321, flavour enhancer 621, 635

I support the recommendation by the Allergy, Sensitivity & Environmental Health Association for a ban on the above food additives because of their effects on

• health

• children's behaviour

• children's learning ability

• all of the above

Yours sincerely

(signed) ................................................

name..................................................

address..................................................

address..................................................

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On the tub in large letters Country Gold is described as "butter softened with canola oil", but the fine print lists vegetable oil which according to the manufacturer contains a small quantity of antioxidant BHA (320). We noticed a slow build up of irritability and impaired concentration in our daughter over two weeks of eating this product.

• Children's medicinal syrups

Children's paracetamol, antibiotic and antihistamine syrups labelled "colour and sugar free" generally contain a high level of added flavours. One hundred per cent of food sensitive children reacted to medicinal syrups in a study by dietitian Joan Breakey, author of "Are you Food Sensitive?" Ask for white tablets instead.

• SO GOOD Lite soymilk now lists corn syrup solids, which contain small quantities of salicylates - watch for a slow build up reaction. SO GOOD regular is still OK.

• Peters New Creamy Original Vanilla Icecream in the rectangular green tub contains 160b colouring. Peters Original Vanilla Icecream in the square green tub is still OK.

• Country vegetable bake

1 leek chopped and washed

1 cup finely shredded cabbage

1 cup diced celery OR ½ cup diced celery and ½ cup shredded red cabbage

1 cup finely chopped shallots

½ cup mung bean sprouts (opt)

½ cup blended tofu

½ cup SR flour or gluten-free flour with added baking powder

¼ cup oil, 4 eggs, salt

Combine all ingredients. Spoon mixture into a 20cm round springform cake in or a muffin tray which has been well greased and lightly dusted with (gluten-free) breadcrumbs. Bake in a mod oven for 35-40 minutes or until set. Slightly less for muffins. Freeze muffins for school lunches - Sally Lauder

• Magic jelly

½ cup sugar dissolved in ½ cup warm water

½tsp citric acid

300 ml cold water

3-4 tsp gelatine dissolved in ½ cup boiling water

Combine ingredients in order. Refrigerate until set. - Margie Cole

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This newsletter is available free by email from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by mail for $10 per year from PO Box 85 Parap NT 0804. Thanks to Margie Turner, Ashley, Kerry, Gwen Higgins, Deborah Halliwell, Robyn Bailey, Susan Bull and readers for reports.

Further reading: The Simplified Elimination Diet available from dietitians, Fed Up by Sue Dengate Random House 1998 and Friendly Food, by Swain and others, Murdoch Books, 1991, both from bookstores.