The Anti Dairy Fairy

Condition or fad, let’s see…

Yesterday (23/1/07) the Daily Mail ran an article titled “Food Intolerance – a real condition or nothing but a fad”. Well I read this with interest and learnt the difference between an intolerance and an allergy, causes, how common it is, etc., but I was most concerned about the paragraph on how common it is.

As you all know my daughter suffers with a severe dairy/lactose intolerance and over the years it has become clear that she is not on her own, far from it. That being so I was perturbed to read that Dr. Hurlstone (from where I do not know) claims that :-

“people are quick to jump on the bandwagon”

Is he mad? Why on earth would you forgo certain foods if you did not have to? It is not easy, is certainly unenjoyable, sidelines you from being able to enjoy meals out, purchasing normal everyday food and increases your food bill by vast amounts of money. Taking this into account why would you do it if you didn’t have to?

I take his point that people get misdiagnosed and that is sad, but the old chestnut of the ‘bandwagon’ is really harmful to people who do have an intolerance and the way they are perceived by other people. My daughter has suffered for years and has been called an attention seeker and anorexic. She is neither of those things and found it quite distressing. Her intolerance affects her health and well being and she copes remarkably, she rarely moans and just gets on with it.

Imagine this scenario: you are at work and it is someone’s birthday. As usual it is cakes/chocolates all round and everyone gets stuck in, except you can’t indulge. Your workmates are all aware you have an intolerance but that doesn’t stop them shoving cakes/chocolates at you saying ‘go on, have one, it won’t hurt’. Well yes it does hurt and it does make her sick and it doesn’t matter how many times she tells them, it still goes on. It must be hell to have to sit and watch them and I know if it was me I would have had a hissy fit by now. There is nothing she would like more than to sit down to a large piece of brie or a slab of chocolate but she can’t so she doesn’t, her willpower is amazing.

It is the same with restaurants/cafes. We all take it for granted that if we want to dine out or go for a snack we can go wherever we want. Not so for someone with an intolerance, it is incredibly difficult. It is embarrassing to have to keep asking the chef if dishes contain dairy and my daughter usually ends up cobbling a meal together, settling for what is on offer rather than what she actually would like. Recently we ate at a hotel and she chose red cabbage, luckily she asked if it contained dairy – now why would it – but just in case she asked. Yep, it had been cooked in butter, why? It is a minefield trying to choose a complete dinner that does not contain any dairy.

Maybe the Daily Mail could do some articles on places to eat that cater for intolerances, where to shop for ‘free from’ foods that are reasonably priced and easily obtainable, that would be of more help.

I did fire off an email to them with my thoughts on their article but will not be holding my breath for it to be published.

Maybe I should contact Jamie Oliver, he seems to like a cause. You never know I might just do that…

ADF