Waking up to Sulphite in food.
I'm sharing my experience here out of interest, in the hope that it helps anyone else struggling with food reactions in their little one who may not even be aware of it.
DD2 has often been difficult to settle at night as she itches her face/head and scalp which disturbs her as she tries to sleep. I have never been able to work out what is going on but decided to just avoid processed food as much as possible incase it was food additive related. I could not see a pattern though until last week. I had a some wine one night and noticed that the breastfeed following - even hours later - and the few after that, caused an intense amount of itching for poor DD. I am aware that wine container sulphites so suspected it may be the culprit and lo and behold... Bingo! Since then, I have begun to look into which foods contain sulphites and they appear to directly lead to a rash, skin irritation and itchiness for DD.
Sulphites are extremely common in our foods, added to stop food going off and to help food keep it's colour. Prawns are sprinkled with it to keep them pink for godssake! They pose no problem to most people, but those with asthma and susceptibility to skin conditions can suffer when they are consumed. This may be obvious to people who have suffered from such things, but for me who has never had a problem with allergies and intolerances it has been challenging to understand, work out and solve.
It is such a simple thing to solve too, just avoid them. So, if this sounds similar to an issue you have been having with your kids, look into sulphites. Sue Dengate's website is a great source if information.
:
On the recommendation of the WHO, food regulators have been working slowly to reduce the use of large amounts of sulphite preservatives in our foods. However, for children this reduction can be offset by increasing promotion of dried fruit as a healthy snack under new canteen guidelines prompted by the obesity epidemic. Since any dose of sulphites can be too much for asthmatics, individuals must learn how to avoid sulphites for themselves.
