Wheat is the staple of the majority of people’s diets. But due to the recent uproar about wheat allergies and their potentially deadly outcomes, people have been randomly taking out these foods from their diet to the liability of their own health.
It should be noted, however, that wheat allergies are exceptionally rare. In fact, it is one of the most irregular of all food allergies. Many claims that allergic reactions are activated by a protein, called gluten, found in wheat. When an individual allergic to gluten encounters this protein, his immune system overreacts by making huge amounts of antibodies, causing symptoms like stomach upset, eczema, hay fever, asthma, and actual fatal anaphylaxis.
There are several ways by which you can control the symptoms of wheat allergies, but the best option remains to be strict avoidance of wheat and wheat products. People who are allergic to wheat should avoid wheat altogether and be alert to the kind of foods they eat.
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Here are some tips to help you control wheat allergies:
Inspect the Label
When buying foods from grocery stores or food shops, be sure to inspect the label containing the list of ingredients used in producing the product. Many processed meals, including ice cream and catsup, may contain wheat flour. And even if you’ve been using that product for some time now, don’t withhold checking the label. Many factories change their recipes sometimes, and food that activates your wheat allergies may be added to the new recipe.
Avoid Wheat-Containing Foods
This is honestly easier said than done. Humans have been eating wheat for millennia and to unexpectedly stop now just to avoid getting wheat allergies may lead to extreme changes in your diet which may do you more damage than good. It is especially difficult to avoid wheat-containing foods. In addition, modern food processing approaches use diverse forms of wheat in hundreds, if not thousands of foods.
A wheat-free diet is very limited. And if you’re highly allergic to wheat, you will have to restrict yourself to unprocessed fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk and dairy by-products, nuts, fats and oils.
Below are examples of products and foodstuffs that may contain wheat and ones you ought to avoid:
- Bread, cookies, cakes, and additional baked goods (gluten, gelatinized starch, whole wheat or enriched flour)
- Bread crumbs (hydrolyzed vegetable protein, high gluten flour, and lofty protein flour)
- Crackers (brain, vital gluten)
- Cereals (wheat bran, flour)
- Acker meal (wheat germ, graham flour)
- Couscous (wheat gluten, bulgur)
- Cracker meal (vegetable gum, durum)
- Pasta (vegetable starch)
- Spelt
- Semolina
- Wheat malt
- Wheat starch
- Modified starch
- Starch
Get Vitamin Supplements
The major problem that wheat allergic people are facing now is vitamin deficiency caused by the lack of wheat in their diet. Cereals and bread are significant sources of dietary fibre, vitamins, especially the B vitamins and minerals. To make certain that you do not develop deficiencies if you have cut all wheat-containing meals out of your diet, it is recommended that you consult a clinical dietician for supplements you may take.
Not Jump to the Conclusion for Wheat Allergies
There is undoubtedly such a thing as wheat allergies, this is not a license for you to skip wheat altogether when you find yourself showing even the most distant signs of an allergy.
For one thing, true wheat allergy is enormously rare. And other adverse responses to wheat are also uncommon (0.1%, excluding coeliac disease). A number of individuals today believe that food intolerance to wheat is rising. However, it should be noted that wheat-based food often has a mixture of ingredients, any of which could cause adverse reactions.
Secondly, there are two phrases related to a wheat allergy that is clearly misused. These are “food allergy” and “food intolerance.” People usually think that the two are interchangeable and mean the same thing when the truth couldn’t be any distant. The differences between these two states are vast.
Food intolerance is infrequently life-threatening. It will not activate the immune system to overreact quite in the same way as in food wheat allergy. However, it may cause signs and symptoms like migraines, bloating or skin rashes, and in some possibilities, worsen the effects of situations such as asthma, eczema, or migraines.
On the other hand, a food wheat allergy is essentially immunological. It is an abnormal reaction to a food that is activated by the immune system and is far more severe in nature. According to the Food Standards Agency, the food allergen is noticed as ‘foreign” by the immune system and triggers an immune reaction and the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE attaches to mast cells in the mouth, nose, and gut and causes the dismissal of histamine which is accountable for inflammation and other symptoms of allergic reactions.
Food allergies, like wheat allergies, may produce violent responses, from swelling of the lips and tongue (oedema) or a red rash to, in severe cases, fatal anaphylaxis. Other symptoms of wheat allergy may also include asthma and urticaria, which are generally known as hives.
An extended majority of people claiming they have wheat allergies may at worst have only food intolerance. Often, the case is that an individual has, at one time, tried to pull food from his diet, say, for example, cheese. And the next time they eat it, they develop a headache, prompting them to acknowledge that they are allergic to it.
The lesson, hence, is not to immediately jump to conclusions when you have a bad understanding of food. When you get a response from certain kinds of food, like wheat, be sure to note it down, or keep a food diary that you have wheat allergies.