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Wheat
allergy requires patience and careful eating
Feb. 21, 2008
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Some
people seem to be allergic to just about everything. If the
problem is a wheat allergy, their claim may be close to the
truth.
I often hear from readers who say they’re allergic to
wheat. Wheat is one of a handful of the most allergenic foods,
but more children than adults appear to be affected. And though
it appears to be uncommon in adults, the prevalence is unclear.
Anyone with a wheat allergy, though, knows how difficult it
is to avoid a food ingredient that seems to be everywhere.
In wheat allergy, the body reacts to one of several proteins
in wheat. Typical symptoms may include an upset stomach, stuffy
nose, hives or irritated skin, and swelling or itching in
the mouth and throat.
Be aware that gluten-induced enteropathy, also called celiac
disease, is different than wheat allergy, even though the
culprit in celiac disease is gluten, a wheat protein. I’ve
written about celiac disease in a past column that you can
read at www.onthetable.net/gluten.html.
If you think you have a wheat allergy, your doctor can run
tests to confirm it or to rule out wheat allergy or other
medical problems. You can also do a little detective work
yourself.
Standard treatment for most food allergies is an elimination
diet. The first step is to keep a detailed food diary, recording
everything you eat or drink for a week. That will make you
more aware of what you typically eat. Then, figure out which
foods contain wheat and wheat-based ingredients, and stop
eating them.
Easier said than done, of course.
Wheat is used to make bread, cookies, cake, crackers, breakfast
cereals, pancakes, biscuits, couscous, pasta, and thousands
of other foods. In natural foods stores, you may see spelt,
an ancient variety of wheat. Bran, graham, bulgur, semolina,
starch, malted wheat, and durum flour are all forms of wheat,
too.
Wheat can turn up in some surprising places. For example:
* Chinese restaurants and vegetarian meat substitutes. Seitan,
made from wheat gluten, is used to make vegetarian versions
of chicken, seafood, beef and pork used in meat-free entrees.
Imitation crab meat and hydrolyzed vegetable protein used
in meat substitutes such as veggie burger patties and hotdogs
can also contain wheat.
* Thickening agents. Modified food starch, wheat starch, vegetable
starch and vegetable gums may contain wheat. You may see them
listed on food labels for salad dressings, ice cream, sherbet,
cake frosting, cream soups, and packaged pudding mixes.
* Sauces and condiments. Gravy thickened with wheat flour,
Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce, which is often made with
wheat, are examples. On food packages, “natural flavorings”
may include wheat ingredients.
* Beer and ale. Some are made with wheat and others aren’t,
so you’ll need to check the web site of your favorite
brand to determine whether or not the brew is wheat-free.
Natural foods stores are a good source of common foods made
with wheat-free ingredients, including wheat-free breads,
crackers and breakfast cereals. You can also make your own
wheat-free recipes at home with some simple substitutions.
You may need to experiment a bit, depending upon the recipe,
but these ingredients can generally be swapped for one cup
of all-purpose wheat flour:
* 1 1/3 cups rolled oats or oat flour
* 1 cup of potato flour, corn flour or rye meal
* 5/8 cup potato starch or 1 cup soy flour plus 1/4 cup potato
starch
* 7/8 cup rice flour or 5/8 cup rice flour plus 1/3 cup rye
flour
For more information about wheat allergies, see the non-profit
Food Allergy Initiative at www.foodallergyinitiative.org/.
Patience and a keen eye focused on food labels are what you
need most to manage a food allergy. It’s a simple fix,
but it’s never easy.
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