If you’ve ever eaten an off-plan meal and indulged in a calzone, cake or pie (or all three), you may have noticed some discouraging symptoms erupting as a result within minutes, and some within hours. You may have developed a runny nose, bloating, headaches, and restless legs. Or maybe you suffered other frustrating and uncomfortable symptoms you don’t normally feel when following a healthy, whole foods plan.
What you don’t know is that you might have just erupted a resting beast in the form of a wheat allergy.
What is a Wheat Allergy?
Not to be confused with celiac sprue (is a genetic disease that sets off an autoimmune response causing damage to the small intestine), wheat allergies tend to run the symptom gamut, erupting from topical allergies (touching) to ingestion, to inhalation of certain parts of the plant itself, but are all generally caused due to the proteins in wheat.
Wheat allergies include the following symptoms, ranging from niggling symptoms associated to hypersensitivity to wheat, to more frustrating and potentially life-threatening side effects:
anxiety
acne
eczema
asthma
hives
hay fever
angioedema
abdominal cramps
anaphylactic shock
arthritis
bloated abdomen
chest pains
depression
mood swings
diarrhea
dizziness
headache
joint and muscle aches and pains
nausea
vomiting
palpitations
crawling/restless legs
palpitations
psoriasis
sneezing
irritable bowel syndrome
swollen throat or tongue
tiredness and lethargy
unexplained cough
sneezing
watery, runny or itchy eyes
Foods and ingredients to watch out for:
Becoming an ardent label reader will ensure to a large degree that wheat isn’t sneaking its way into your body. Following is a list of more obvious forms of wheat:
bread crumbs
bran
cereal extract
couscous
cracker meal
enriched flour
gluten
high-gluten flour
high-protein flour
seitan
semolina wheat
vital gluten
wheat bran
wheat germ
wheat gluten
wheat malt
wheat starch
whole wheat flour
Less obvious sources of wheat could be:
gelatinized starch
hydrolized vegetable protein
modified food starch
modified starch
natural flavoring
soy sauce
soy bean paste
hoison sauce
starch
vegetable gum (specifically beta glucan)
vegetable starch
People with wheat allergy who are gluten sensitive may also need to avoid related cereals, rye and barley, which have similar glutinous proteins.
Seek medical attention when symptoms either cause restriction in breathing or shock (serious) or other uncomfortable effects which hamper quality of life (restless legs, depression).
How you spell relief: With a medical partner, once a diagnosis is made through testing, determinations for dietary/lifestyle changes can be recommended. Many will simply avoid all wheat products or wheat protein derivatives as a precaution.
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