Trufree Case Study

Toby Davies is just two years old and gets bad urticaria (hives) within five to ten minutes of eating one mouthful of bread. His reaction to the wheat in bread means he goes bright red all over his face and neck and is covered in raised white itchy spots. He gets very hot, itchy, uncomfortable and upset - all from a piece of bread the size of a 10p piece.

His mother, Louise Davies found his allergy to wheat, gluten, egg and milk extremely difficult to live with at first and became obsessed with what Toby could and couldn't eat.

Commenting on coping with Toby's food allergy she said:

"It was something I never expected and nobody was there to tell me what to do. It might have helped me to read about others' experiences and feelings at the time. Finding out you can't feed your child bread, pasta, milk, eggs, cakes, biscuits, fish fingers, ice-cream, pizza, chicken nuggets, cheese, yoghurt or any of the other toddler staples changed my life."

"You can't just buy a ready-meal or prepare a cheese sandwich when you're busy. But through careful food management we have cut out all the irritants and Toby leads a totally normal life."

"Toby's nursery prepares him special soya based foods and special bread and my friends all prepare wheat and gluten free food when he goes to a birthday party so all the children eat the same things."

"Food allergies are a growing problem and the 'free from' market has grown significantly so bread, biscuits, cake mixes and even pasta are readily available, which is a huge help. Toby is also learning what foods he can and cannot eat because they make him poorly and he asks for his special Toby biscuits and Toby bread."

"The main thing to remember is that this affects more people than you think and you are not alone. I do worry about Toby starting school and losing control over what he eats but there is a great support network out there and I find living with Toby's allergies easier every day."

Nicola Davies from Trufree says:

"If you are in a similar situation to Louise and struggling to find foods for your child to eat, ask your GP for a referral to a state registered dietician who will be able to help you through the minefield of labelling and suggest alternative foods to ensure your child has a safe, healthy and balanced diet."

Internet: www.trufree.co.uk