When Anna Rowland was struck down with gastric flu and ordered to bed by doctors, the newly-qualified lawyer put it down to stress.

She had just quit a job with a law firm where the mammoth workload and long hours had left her with little time to relax.

But when Anna failed to recover months after leaving the company, still suffering from sickness and dizzy spells, she knew was dealing with more than a stomach bug.

The 41-year-old from Eaton Grove, Hove, says: "I was in bed for two weeks but when I got up and about I still had a lot of strange symptoms, such as blacking out and constantly feeling as if I was going to be sick.

"I saw my GP and he sent me for every test but in the end he thought it was just stress and depression.

"I did some research and contacted a nutritional therapist and she diagnosed a yeast infection of the stomach.

"She put me on a wheat, diary and sugarfree diet with no alcohol and caffeine and within days I was fine."

It was her own experiences of trying to find foods to suit a new diet which prompted Anna to set up the specialist internet deli www.wheatanddairyfree.com The web site, launched in March this year, offers a selection of 360 products which cater for the growing number of people suffering from allergies and food intolerances.

It is run from a room in Anna's home, while the supplies are stocked at a farm warehouse in Lewes.

Freshly-baked bread, rice, noodles, pizza and pasta - foods all known for their high wheat content - are among the products available on the web site, as well as biscuits, desserts and speciality teas and coffees. Sufferers overwhelmed at the thought of checking the list of ingredients on typical supermarket produce can buy goods from Anna's internet deli safe in the knowledge it won't trigger a reaction.

And for those keen to learn more about their condition and foods which are safe to eat, there is complete list of ingredients for every item sold on the site.

Anna says: "People think it is all or nothing and either you can have nice things and be happy or you give up everything to be on a strict, miserable, healthy diet.

"The key is getting hold of the right things. I have got to a stage now where I can choose to have a healthy diet but, if I want biscuits, then I can do that, too.

"Every now and then we all want chocolate cake."

The numbers of people diagnosed with food allergies and intolerances in the UK is growing every year as awareness about these conditions becomes more widespread.

Recent figures released by the Royal College of Physicians suggest the number of chronic food allergies has trebled in the past ten years.

Nut allergies, reactions to dairy products and gluten-free diets are becoming increasingly talked about as people begin to question the impact of the food they eat.

But while the High Street supermarkets stock a growing selection of organic foods, for most allergy sufferers it takes several trips to different stores to check off all the items on their weekly shopping list.

When Anna first developed food intolerances ten years ago, nutritionists advised a complete overhaul of her diet.

The impact of the change was immediate, a turnaround she now likens to recovering from a long-term hangover.

But along with the change in her health, Anna also discovered her lifestyle was beginning to alter.

She explains: "People invite you to dinner and they think you are being fussy and just going out for a meal is a challenge.

"Going abroad for the first time after I was diagnosed was a bit of a fiasco and I spent five days in bed.

"But over the years I have learned things and once you get on top of it, it is less hassle. "The difference it makes is enormous.

It affects your whole outlook on life - you rediscover feeling positive and having lots of energy."

The practicalities of living with a food allergy or intolerance are covered on her web site. It also offers tips on how to travel abroad and still eat well, plus suggestions for meals to suit different dietary needs.

Dealing with food allergies in children and explanations on different conditions are all served up for visitors, along with a tried and tested restaurant guide.

The web site is receiving up to 400 hits every day, with freshly-baked produce, cakes and biscuits arriving at the shopper's front door within 48 hours of making an on-line order.

Anna says: "Interest in the web site has surpassed my expectations, but there is a growing recognition about food intolerance and allergies and it is not going to go away.

"There is not a lot out there for sufferers and the most difficult thing is finding alternative foods, finding choice and finding things which are good.

"The web site is a supermarket where you can come in and shop easily, knowing you can eat all the things ."

For more information and to view the goods, visit www.wheatanddairyfree.com