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We are discussing Cooking for life
With Kurma Dasa, Sue Dengate, Dave Tuff, Jacinta Dugbaza, Roger Bayley

Question:
My wife wakes up at night sometimes with heart palpitations, swelling of her face and itchy welts all over her body. It seems to be after soup from Meals on Wheels. Is this possible?

Answer:
Sue - There are many causes of hives and other rashes including medications, food additives, other chemicals, allergies or insect bites. However, the Food Intolerance Network has received numerous reports of rashes due to new flavour enhancers introduced in the 1990s: ribonucleotides (635), consisting of disodium guanylate (627) and disodium inosinate (631).

Effects can include any one or more of the following symptoms: intensely itchy rash, swelling of the lips, eyelids and tongue, heart palpitations, anxiety, panic attacks, sleep disturbance, children’s behaviour problems, reflux, irritable bowel symptoms, headaches and other symptoms of food intolerance.

Symptoms can occur within minutes but in the majority of reports consumers are affected hours later - up to 48 hours - so are unsure of the cause. Effects can last up to a week or more, sometimes coming and going during that time, so one exposure per week can cause a chronic rash. The higher the dose, the higher the chance of a reaction.

The 635 group can be used in flavoured chips, crackers, noodles, snacks, flavour sachets, takeaways, hot chips with chicken salt, frozen meals, stuffed or seasoned fresh or rotisseried chickens, sausages, marinated meat, crab sticks, seafood extenders, stock cubes, stocks, soups, gravies and sauces.

Some people find their rash goes away when they avoid the 600 number additives. Others may be affected by a range of food chemicals and a dietitian-supervised elimination diet can help identify the cause of the problem.

For more information, see the Ribo Rash factsheet http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/factsheets/635 or email confoodnet@ozemail.com.au for a list of supportive dietitians.

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