A LEADING Suffolk politician today told how her allergy has restricted her life and prevented her from visiting some parts of the world.Kathy Pollard is leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Suffolk County Council, and said she was unable to eat many foods in restaurants - and would be unable to visit far eastern countries.

A LEADING Suffolk politician today told how her allergy has restricted her life and prevented her from visiting some parts of the world.

Kathy Pollard is leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Suffolk County Council, and said she was unable to eat many foods in restaurants - and would be unable to visit far eastern countries.

She has an allergy to monosodium glutamate which is found in many prepared meals - and in many dishes that are served in restaurants.

“It is particularly prevalent in Chinese and Japanese dishes. I really have to steer clear of them and it means I couldn't really visit those countries.

“My daughter has the same allergy and is due to go to Japan for a time later this year so we don't know how she will cope.”

But it is not just oriental dishes that cause problems for Mrs Pollard.

“Monosodium glutamate is in many different products - from gravy to mayonnaise. It is very difficult to eat out although organic food does tend to be safe.”

Mrs Pollard has known about the allergy for about 10 years, and if she eats something containing the additive she can suffer an acute reaction.

“If I do eat something with this I can suffer from pretty severe fatigue symptoms for 48 hours and then be pretty ill for the best part of a week.

“It made life very difficult until the allergy was identified,” she said.

National advice line Allergy UK said today that many people were limited in their holiday choices because of their health problems.

In a survey, three quarters of the people who responded said their holiday choices were influenced by concerns over allergies.