There are more allergies in existence today than a lot of people care to imagine. One particular allergy that is getting a lot of press is wheat. This is a very tricky allergy because wheat is found in so many things, including in some products that no one would suspect to contain wheat.
Significance
Wheat allergies are caused by a bad reaction to immunoglobulin E, or IgE, to antibodies of wheat proteins. This sets off a reaction through the body that can be as mild as skin irritation or as severe as anaphylaxis which is mainly seen in athletes. Anaphylaxis is a very severe reaction to an allergen. In many cases it can even lead to death.
Types
There are 3 places that wheat can be found. These would be in wheat products such as wheat flour, bran, starch and enriched flour; wheat ingredients such as gluten, vital gluten, wheat germ and vegetable starch; and wheat containing food such as breads, crackers, cereals, cakes and pasta.
Warning
It is very important to read all ingredient labels when shopping. Wheat can be found in products such as ice cream, soup, sauces and condiments like ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. Often times, there will be a notation on the label indicating if it is wheat-free or not. But it is still a good idea to look in the ingredients to be safe.
Prevention/Solution
It is not uncommon to have a wheat allergy. A lot of people suffer from them but don't even know it. It is not the end of the world to be diagnosed with this allergy. The simplest strategy to overcome it is to simply avoid foods that contain wheat. This can be done over a period of months--it doesn;t have to be done all at once. This is called the elimination plan: one product gets eliminated at a time to make it easier.
Theories/Speculation
There are many people who have voluntarily eliminated wheat from their diets. They follow a wheat- and gluten-free diet (gluten is a protein found in wheat). The diets mainly consist of fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and other forms of protein and grains that are wheat-free, such as amaranth, arrowroot, rice and potatoes.
Expert Insight
There are alternatives to almost every wheat product. This goes for bread, bagels, muffins, pizza, cookies, cakes and even doughnuts. Stores of all kinds, especially health food stores, have complete sections devoted to wheat-free products (see Resources below).
Tags: contain wheat, products such, wheat found, wheat This