Was It Something You Ate?: Food Intolerance: What Causes It and How to Avoid It [Paperback]

John Emsley (Author), Peter Fell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198509669 | ISBN-13: 978-0198509660 | Publication Date: April 25, 2002 | Edition: 1

This is the first book for general readers that offers clear guidance through the chemical minefields that can be present in food. While most people are sensitive to one or more chemicals in their diet, such as MSG, alcohol or caffeine, our bodies can usually tolerate modest amounts of these offending substances. If we know which chemicals give us a problem, we can usually avoid unpleasant bouts of nausea, headache, and diarrhea. This book helps identify the substances that can provoke a toxic response--ranging from benzoates to serotonin, sorbates, and tyramines--and explains why food intolerance occurs, what its symptoms are, and why some people are so badly hit while others are not bothered at all. Each chapter is illustrated with actual case studies of people who have been stricken by substances in their diet. Based on proven medical and scientific research, this essential book will help people to avoid troublesome chemicals and enjoy their food.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Science writer Emsley (Cambridge Univ.) and physician Fell (Director of the Oxford Allergy Center) define food allergy as the immune systems reaction to either a particular food (usually a form of protein such as eggs or peanuts) or an environmental agent that is out of proportion to the amount of the substance ingested. Intolerance, on the other hand, ``is caused by the body's inability to detoxify certain components in food''there is no immune system involvement, just a substance ingested that acts like a poison. Some intolerances are to a nutrient like lactose that an individual lacks the enzyme to process, some to non-nutrients such as sulfites or MSG (these latter occurring either as part of processing, or by contamination). Although the focus throughout is on presenting sound scientific information, Emsley and Fell organize their material in a way that makes it possible to sort out a possible food sensitivity: The common culprits are toxins, biogenic amines, salicylates, caffeine, sulfur dioxide and sulfites, and the big one, alcohol (``moderately poisonous, but such is the pleasure derived from drinking it'' that we ignore the facts and suffer the consequences). Lucid and informative to anyone trying to pin down a specific food intolerance. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Elmsley and Fell organize their material in a way that makes it possible to sort out a possible food sensitivity." "Lucid and informative to anyone trying to pin down a specific food intolerance."--Kirkus Reviews

"If you want to know more about food intolerance, authors John Emsley and Dr. Peter Fell have collaborated to assemble an in depth and easy to read book regarding common dietary problems, It's called 'Was it Something You Ate?' The book explains why food intolerance occurs, what the symptoms are, and which foods naturally contain these chemicals."--CBS.com

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Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (April 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198509669
• ISBN-13: 978-0198509660
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,403,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Food intolerant? You need this book., November 23, 2000

By 

Sharla Race (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Was It Something You Ate?: Food Intolerance: What Causes It and How to Avoid It (Hardcover)

At last - information on how, naturally occurring, food chemicals can make you ill. The food chemicals covered include amines, salicylates, caffeine, sulfur, MSG and lectins. If you are convinced that food is in some way making you ill but allergy tests and traditional elimination diets have shown up nothing then this is the book for you.

You'll discover how even the 'healthiest' of foods such as fruit and vegetables can be toxic to some people. You'll also find out about natural toxins including, among many others, mad honey disease, mushroom and mold toxins. There are also sections on food additives and advice on vitamins. And chapters on alcohol and on the important role the gut has to play.

I myself am salicylate sensitive and there is so little information generally available that I wholly applaud John Emsley and Peter Fell for making this information available.

The only down side is that, although they present details of food chemicals and very useful case histories to illustrate the type of health problems that can be caused by these, they don't give much guidance on how to test for a sensitivity to these chemicals. But still, an excellent starting place.

The book is clearly written and easy to read. An absolute must for anyone concerned about food chemicals.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative, September 8, 2002

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Was It Something You Ate?: Food Intolerance: What Causes It and How to Avoid It (Hardcover)

This book presents a very informative introduction to foods that make people sick. The authors, a university chemistry professor and an allergist MD are quite knowledgeable. They present the mainstream scientific research on food intolerance in a way that is easy to comprehend for the general reader. Dr. Emsley's interest in chemistry is evident throughout the book as he explains the biochemistry of what happens to the food we put in our bodies as well as the chemistry behind food intolerance symptoms.

Emsley and Fell are very clear on what is a food allergy and what is not. They explain that a person is properly said to have an allergy to food only if his or her immune system is involved in a negative response, and that true food allergies are not very common. On the other hand, many other people, perhaps as many as 20%, are intolerant of certain foods. According to the authors, this intolerance is because they lack the ability to break down the food into usable chemical substances. Food intolerance can cause many of the same symptoms as food allergies, but it is also implicated in such problems as headaches or mood disorders; in rare occasions, food intolerance attacks can even be fatal.

With their definition of food intolerance as any situation where the body is overwhelmed by the chemicals in what has been consumed, the authors go beyond standard "problem foods" identified in other books on the topic (such as biogenic amines, salicylates, and sulfites). For example, they discuss how alcohol is broken down chemically in the body, and the chemistry behind drunkenness and hangovers. They also discuss the toxins involved in food poisoning, a very extreme type of intolerance reaction that everyone is susceptible to.

Overall, I found this book highly informative, much more so than books that lump all food problems into the allergy category. The book includes a brief guide to nutrition and food for a healthy lifestyle, but these sections seem almost an afterthought. The book doesn't include a special diet or treatment plan. Instead, its main strength is the scientific explanations of what happens in a food intolerance attack. I think it will go a long way towards helping me understand why I can nibble some foods, but not indulge freely. In general, it's great for patient information, but MDs and naturopaths may also find much of interest.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clear and easy read, December 24, 2005

By 

Sara M. Doepke - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Was It Something You Ate?: Food Intolerance: What Causes It and How to Avoid It (Hardcover)

This a a great book to read if you have an intolerance to certain things and don't know what to do.I have an intolerance to eggs and wheat, so this was a real eye opener.
It is a nice and easy read.