AFTER struggling to find advice to give her clients who suffer from food allergy and intolerance, nutritionist Helen Adams wrote some herself.

The nutritionist, who runs Oakmead Clinic in Chippenham, published I Don't Know What to Eat - a definitive guide to food allergies, intolerance and sensitivities, to help out those in need.

“I wrote the book because I like to recommend more resources for my clients to help them develop good eating habits and I just couldn’t find something suitable," she said.

“There are so many myths around foods, allergies and intolerances and I wanted to shed some light on various things which I’ve come across during my time as a nutritionist.

"One of the big ones is people can take food tests and it comes up with as many as 40 foods where there is a reaction – so they cut out all of those foods. It’s not healthy to exclude that number of foods from your diet in one go.

“Often people don’t take the time to heal their gut so problems keep on recurring. The book shares information to help with making better choices.

“My top tip if you have that kind of test is to cut out the two main culprits – wheat and dairy – exclude them first. Increase your vegetables – remember ten vegetable portions and two fruit are ideal.”

The book starts with Mrs Adam's own story about her career in nutrition, which started following 11 operations and her son's issues with food.

“Aged ten, Tom had chronic fatigue syndrome and nothing seemed to help," she said. "He was off sugar, gluten, yeast and dairy and there was no ‘free-from’ aisle at that time. "It was very distressing for us all. Imagine as a mother thinking every day 'how am I going to feed this child, I know he’s sick and ill, I’m denying him foods the rest of us are eating and I don’t know what to do?'

"A nutritionist suggested red peppers might be helpful and they quickly became his superfood. Things started to change.

"As Tom’s body began to heal, many other problems just drifted away. Today he eats anything except gluten and he still eats red peppers.

"He’s now at university, plays table tennis, has normal energy levels and all because of red peppers and finding out how food can help. Food is medicine.”

I Don't Know What to Eat can be ordered via www.oakmeadcliinic.co.uk.