Wheat Allergy

wheatWhat causes wheat allergy?

Like all other allergies, wheat allergy is caused by an immune system malfunction. This malfunction causes your immune system to recognize certain proteins in wheat as harmful, and to protect your body against these harmful proteins, your immune system will start to produce antibodies (immunoglobulin E (IgE)).

Glutano Gluten-Free Crackers (Soda Style)

These antibodies will then try to neutralize the wheat proteins the next time you eat or get in contact with them by producing histamine and other chemicals.

It is the high concentration of histamine that causes the allergic symptoms such as red itchy eyes, a running nose and other symptoms.


This type of allergy is also known as instant allergy because the symptoms show immediately or within a few hours after you get in contact with the allergen.

The symptoms may be

  • itching in the mouth,
  • hay fever,
  • hives,
  • asthma,
  • vomiting,
  • diarrhoea
  • or at worst anaphylactic shock.


Some will only have symptoms if they are making efforts, such as running, just after they have eaten or have been exposed to the allergen.

Allergies to wheat is not the same as coeliac disease, read more about coeliac disease in the “what is coeliac disease?”

The protein, you form antibodies to, can be gluten, but it may also be other proteins in wheat.

If you have wheat allergy, you may well eat the foods that are naturally free of gluten, because they are completely free of wheat proteins. It is not certain however, that you can withstand the so-called gluten-free products, which are special products, where the gluten content is reduced. Here there are still very small quantities of wheat protein left, which may be enough to trigger allergic symptoms in a person with wheat allergy.

If you have wheat allergy and will test you up with gluten-free products, it is therefore important that you first speak with your doctor.

It is most common to have allergies to one cereal only – mostly wheat. Therefore you do not have to avoid rye, barley, oats, corn, millet or buckwheat, unless you are allergic to these corn types.

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What Are the Symptoms of Wheat Allergy?

First of all, wheat allergy is not the same as coeliac disease.

symptoms of wheat allergy - headache

If you suffer from wheat allergy, your body will produce antibody (IgE) to one or more of the proteins in wheat. The proteins you form antibodies against could for instance be gluten or other proteins in wheat which cause allergies. Wheat allergy with antibody (IgE) is also called acute allergy because the allergic reactions often shows immediately, within minutes or hours, after the ingestion of the wheat protein.
Symptoms of wheat allergy include any, some, or many of these:
  • Hay Fever
  • Itching in the mouth
  • Hives
  • Asthma
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhoea
  • Or, at worst, anaphylactic shock

Some might only experience symptoms of wheat allergy after a strenuous effort, for example running or other physical exercise just after they have eaten.
Reactions might also appear when exposed to hot or cold conditions. A hot shower for example, might give red, flaming irritated skin and being out in the cold – for example cycling in frosts, can give reactions to the hands, neck and face.

Physical and psychological reactions to allergy

The symptoms range from acute reactions to late reactions.
The acute reactions are obviously quicker to identify because the reaction comes right after you have eaten the allergen, smelled a flower, mowed the lawn or drunk a glass of wine.
Late reactions first show up after 1-4 days and is therefore more difficult to identify.
Personally, I have noticed that dust, odours, smoke and flowers, reinforces my reactions to food.
The list below can be used to identify genes and symptoms of food allergi.
In this step it is a good idea to make a diary of your food and your physical and psychological condition.

Make a note of what you eat, drink, and your physical and mental genes and symptoms.
Symptoms: Reaction seen within:
Reflux and poor digestion ½ hour
Headache 1 hour
Inflammation of mucous membrane in the nose 1 hour
Breathing difficulties, asthma 1 hour
Feeling bloated and diarrhoea 3-4 hours
Rash 6-12 hours
Increased weight, fluid retention (oedema) 12-15 hours
Feeling confused 12-24 hours
Mental disorders 12-24 hours
Blisters in the mouth 48-96 hours
Pain in the joints, muscles and back 48-96 hours

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Lactose Intolerant? Probably not!

1053786_food_2More and more people choose expensive, lactose-free milk for the stomach’s sake. But often quite unnecessarily.
- Lactose intolerance has become a hip diagnosis!

A soy latte please! More and more people, especially young women, opt out of regular milk because they think they have a lactose intolerance. Because the stomach is rumbling – and because of the much talk about  lactose-free, low lactose and lactose intolerance.

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Something that makes the food industry big money. The shelves with low lactose -and lactose-free products that are significantly more expensive than conventional dairy products.
No, best to skip the milk and drinking water to food. Removing the file, and eat sandwiches instead …

- Very pointless if you do not know that you really is hypersensitive to milk. Lactose intolerance has become something of a hip diagnosis, often without coverage in reality. Mistrust of the milk is much exaggerated. It is therefore important to find out if it really is milk that is culprit.

It says consultant and magspecialisten Lars Blomquist, which in recent years been more and more patients who are convinced that they are intolerant to lactose. In fact, it is almost always the colon irritabile, irritable bowel, often associated with stress, anxiety and irregular eating habits.

This is not to say that you should not take lactose intolerance very seriously, “stresses Lars Blomquist. And it is true that the diagnosis is more common today than ten or twenty years ago – partly because of immigration, and that it has become easier to diagnose.

Being lactose intolerant means that it lacks or, usually, have more or less of the enzyme lactate in the small intestine.
An enzyme needed to break down milk sugar, lactose intact, so that its components can be absorbed. Rather than continuing down the lactose intact in the colon and becomes food for intestinal bacteria, leading to, among other gripe, gas and diarrhea.

We Swedes have generally much lactate in the small intestine, possibly to milk products largely contained in our food culture since time immemorial. In Africa, Asia and Latin America, however, are almost a hundred percent of the population is lactose intolerant, in the Mediterranean countries about 50 percent and in Finland about 20 per cent.

There are three types of lactose intolerance. The major is an inherited, primary laktasbrist, normally detected in four-FIVE-YEAR-OLD. But for some, with more diffuse symptoms, it may take up in their teens and even longer in-nan stomach problems in the context of milk and mjölkmat.

That it is genetically does not necessarily mean that one or both parents need to have symptoms.
Congenital laktasbrist is extremely rare and seen directly, because the child reacts strongly to breast milk.

It may also become temporarily lactose intolerant after an intestinal infection, for example, a tourist diarrhea, secondary laktasbrist, but it moves with time.
However, there is no evidence that it becomes less resistant to the milk with increasing age.

How do I know when it is lactose and not stress and bad habits that make my stomach unhappy?
- You can start by testing yourself by completely abstain from all milk products and such you suspect contains milk at a time. Then you can try drinking a little milk on an empty stomach and see what happens, and then increase the amount gradually. Reacts tummy with tummy ache, noise, gas and diarrhea, you are probably lactose intolerant and should have that confirmed with a test, “said Lars Blomquist, and points out that lactose intolerance is a digestive disorder and not allergy as many believe. So it is not dangerous to get in the milk if you are lactose intolerant. Most also withstand any decilitre per day.

The test can be done with the family doctor to go to first to drink a water solution containing a substantial amount of lactose. Then measured the degree of laktasaktivitet with a blood test or a breath.

There are self to buy at the pharmacy, a DNA sample that is to rub a stick against the inside of the cheek and send for analysis, but it just shows if you have inherited laktasbrist and not the degree.

A disadvantage, says Icakurirens dietician Viveca Annell. If you think you are lactose intolerant, it is useful to know how sensitive you are, so as not to refrain from milk unnecessarily.

- Milk is a veritable vitamin bomb with its fourteen different vitamins and minerals. Ideally there should be in itself the equivalent of five decilitre day. Hard cheese, for example, contains no lactose at all. And yogurt can most successfully.

That there are now so many lactose free and lactose-reduced dairy products on the shelves like Viveca Annell is great progress.
Both låglaktosmjölk and lactose-free milk containing lactose in addition to the same nutrients as regular milk. Låglaktosmjölk, however, is sweeter (for the lactose intact spjälkats the sugars glucose and galactose), which means that many prefer lactose free. Oats and soy beverages are good options if they are fortified with calcium and vitamin D.

There are also prescription lactate tablets to buy at the pharmacy that makes it not very hypersensitive temporarily can eat food that contains lactose. Good if you’re going out to dinner and do not know what is offered.

How do I know if there is lactose in foodstuffs other than milk?
- There is no requirement that it should be lactose in the ingredient list, and it is rare. Look for milk, milk powder, skimmed milk powder, whey, whey powder, dried milk or milk sugar.

- Be careful also when it is creme fraiche, cream, Cream milk powder, kesella, cottage cheese, COTTAGE CHEESE, cheese, mesprodukt, butter and vegetable margarine. Lactose can also be found in, for example, bread, sausages and liver. Then there is Luring as easy mayonnaise and meringues. Lactose is also included in some medicine tablets filler, but in such small quantities that most lactose intolerant do not notice it.

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Gluten Allergy Symptoms

In wheat, barley, rye, and low level oats, there is a tough protein called gluten. This substance is what makes the dough bind, which you can see with baked breads and other baked foods. Although these grains contains gluten, which may cause a gluten allergy in responsive people they additionally contain numerous additional proteins that can also trigger allergy symptoms.

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The four most important proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley includes albumin, globulin, gliadin, and glutenin, better identified as gluten. Gluten Allergy Symptoms As the symptoms and severity of the symptoms of gluten allergy differ from one person to another, in general a person would notice

  • hives,
  • swelling,
  • abdominal cramps,
  • nausea and vomiting,
  • asthma

If the person is very sensitive to gluten allergy, the symptoms may be life-threatening. The positive news regarding gluten allergy is that if the person has a response following consuming wheat or wheat product, formulating an early diagnosis quite uncomplicated. The complexity is that lots of the foods we eat are made with wheat, making it challenging to identify where the real problem lies. Most often, a qualified doctor or allergist may conduct a skin prick test or take blood to substantiate that gluten allergy is the scalawag. If the response to gluten is very severe, the best solution might be to eliminate wheat and wheat by-products from the diet.

Yet, if the gluten allergy is insignificant, then reducing the amount of wheat consumed and/or allergy medication or shots might do the trick. If the person with gluten allergy is a young child, chances are he or she will outgrow the allergy. Gluten Intolerance, otherwise known as Coeliac Disease, is a inherited illness that has an effect on the immune system. In this circumstance, when gluten is consumed, the mucosa, which is the lining of the small intestine, is damaged. When this happens, critical vitamins and nutrients are not absorbed suitably.

When a person has this sort of gluten allergy, the symptoms will be unlike in children than they will be in adults. For children, the gluten allergy is observed as abdominal distension, impaired growth, abnormal stools, irritability, poor muscle tone, malabsorption, poor appetite, migraine headaches and wasting of muscle. If an adult has this type of gluten allergy, then diarrhea, significant weight loss, abdominal cramping and bloating, constipation, and offensive stools are general. In both cases of gluten allergy, a doctor would need to perform blood tests to make a definite diagnosis.

Once done, the single treatment is to have gluten totally eradicated from the diet. For this reason, it is necessary that nutrient and vitamin insufficiency is addressed with things such as niacin, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, chromium, magnesium, selenium, folacin, molybdenum, and phosphorus. With apt attention and diet, a person with gluten allergy can enjoy a ample choice of foods without the frustrating symptoms. Cosmetic Surgery Herbal Life - The best products and customer services. Herbalife

What To Expect When Following A Gluten Free Diet

Following a gluten free diet is not easy, and you will need to become an expert in reading labels. As mentioned, gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and a few other closely related grains. However, tt’s also found in 95% of all processed foods (maybe I’m overstating this a little), including things you may not expect: like low fat yogurt. It’s used for a number of purposes (apart from the obvious pastry and bread): to mask a high fat content, to replace the creaminess lost in producing a low fat version of something, to thicken gravy etc, and to add bulk.

Many medicines contain gluten, for example to make the tablets/capsules a reasonable size – tiny tablets are easily lost – or to thicken a liquid mixture. These foods contain no gluten if they are unprocessed: meat, fish (but not seafood sticks and processed fake seafood), cheese (but grate your own, as shop-bought grated cheese is coated in modified starch), eggs, dairy products (but read the label carefully), fruit, dried fruit (but watch that they are not coated in modified starch), vegetables, nuts, rice, millet, corn, quinoa, oats. The problem with oats, even though they do not contain gluten, is that they are often contaminated by being processed alongside other grains that do.

Buy oats labeled gluten free, which will have been processed in a gluten free facility. Start the easy way, by buying some steak and serving it up with some potatoes and vegetables – hey presto, a gluten free meal without even thinking about it. Basically, avoid food coated in batter, crumbs or sauce. Watch out! some frozen products like roasting potatoes are coated, which may not be obvious. You will need to make your own using gluten free ingredients if you want these. Watch out for malt and derivatives, modified starch and soy sauce. Soy sauce is made with wheat! There are glutenfree varieties available, but these are very expensive and not usually found in your local store.

The golden rule (I call it my mantra) is: Check the Label Every Time You Buy remembering that manufacturers change recipes without warning, if price/availability changes.

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New Social Network for Families with Food Allergies


Finding Friends Who Understand is Priceless

Imagine attending a play date for kids with food allergies…or getting together with other parents to share recipes and bake allergy-friendly goodies…or finding a pen pal for your child who feels isolated. With KFA’s new social network for families dealing with food allergies, these opportunities are real!

Sign-up for KFA’s Friends Connection™ today!

Families with Food Allergies

Find friends who understand…
  • Submit your family profile.
  • Search for friends with common food allergies, interests or medical concerns.
  • Search for friends in your geographic location.
  • Join or create play groups, mothers groups, cooking clubs and more!
  • Send private messages through our forums to communicate with new friends.
  • Only your username, comments and public profile information are displayed to other members. Your zip code, e-mail address and children’s birth dates are kept private.

In order to participate in KFA Friends Connection™, you will need to be a Family Member of our community. Family membership offers a unique and valuable service to parents and caregivers looking for support, information sharing and allergy-friendly recipes.

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Celebrating Easter with Food Allergies

Available to the Public
The free resources below are available to all website visitors:

Celebrating Easter with Food Allergies

This booklet contains tips and ideas to help you safely celebrate Easter with food-allergic children, including: allergy-safe crafts, Easter basket ideas, Easter egg hunts, Easter egg decorating activities and allergen-free recipes.

Food Allergy Safe Easter Baskets

Instead of using milk chocolate, real eggs and other items that present allergy hazards, try filling your Easter baskets with these non-food items that are peanut-free, egg-free and milk-free.


Easter Egg Decorating for Children with an Egg Allergy

Real eggs and egg cartons can pose a hazard to egg allergic children, so as an alternative, try these five Easter egg decorating activities.

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How reliable is testing?

Back in November, 2 days after Luke turned 3, we went to see our Allergist for the “Peanut Challenge Test.” They felt it was best, given his history, to have peanuts for the first time in his life right there in the office.

Before they had him eat peanut butter on his gluten-free pretzels, they first did a skin test. It was the 2nd time we have done skin testing for peanuts – and once again – we had a negative skin test result.

So, I was feeling fairly confident when he ate his first bite of peanut butter pretzel. We started with 1/8 of a tsp of peanut butter. Right away, his cheeks got bright red and he started rubbing his nose.

Then, they gave him another 1/8 of a tsp and he literally stopped breathing through his nose -his nasal passage had totally swollen shut and he started breaking out in dime-sized hives all over his cheeks. Shortly after that, he had diarrhea.

Obviously, the Allergist said that the “peanut challenge test” showed that he is allergic to peanuts.

My question remains – what about the skin testing? There are still so many unknowns in the world of allergies.

I have heard that unless you have had the allergen in the past, the body may not recognize it right away as an allergen — just like how you hear of people being severely allergic to bee stings but they don’t know about their allergy until they’ve been stung 2 or 3 times.

Luke didn’t react to the antibiotic, Gentamicin until his 3rd dose. However with Ciprofloxacin, he reacted within in 5 seconds of his 1st dose.

We are learning as we go and keeping our epipen & benadryl with us everywhere we go!

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17 New Allergy-Friendly Foods!

Available to the Public
The free resource below is available courtesy of Kids With Food Allergies:

New Allergy-Friendly Foods for Kids New for 2010!
New Allergy-Free Foods Read our most recent report on new allergy-friendly foods to find out what products are now available for you and your children.

Over 17 new foods are profiled including Funky Monkey Snacks, Cool Fruits® Fruit Juice Freezers and Erewhon® Strawberry Crisp Cereal.

For your convenience, our report includes information on company websites, product descriptions and photos, allergens and cross-contamination, and how to purchase these products.

Read article on our website Download PDF to save/print Adobe Reader

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Celebrating Passover with Food Allergies

Passover with Food Allergies Celebrating Passover with Food Allergies
Some aspects of parenting a food-allergic child leave you with no control over the situation. This brochure is meant to help all those who celebrate Passover to fulfill the traditions within the Seder. We here at KFA encourage you to do the best you can during this holiday and hope that we can help in that goal. We understand that Pikuach Nefesh, which is avoiding the endangerment of one’s life, is more important than fulfilling the traditions on Passover. Some aspects of parenting a food allergic child leave you with no control over the situation; examples would be contact allergies and/or if your child required a formula-only diet. We hope this brochure helps you to still be able to have a fun and spiritually fulfilling Passover.

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Vaccine Ingredients, Contraindications and Food Allergies

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Subscribe to be a KFA Family Member to access the following premium resources:

UPDATED! Vaccine Ingredients, Contraindications and More
Find out which vaccines have common food allergens like milk derivatives, beef, pork, antibiotics and other allergens. Contraindications, contact information and latex allergy concerns are included. These resources have been updated to incorporate new information about vaccines, including 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza vaccines.
Vaccinations and food allergy

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School Registration and Planning for Kids with Food Allergies

Food Allergy Resource Center
Each month, KFA provides new or updated food allergy articles to educate families, caregivers and the public about different topics regarding food allergies. Premium resources are available to KFA Family Members only.

Available to the Public
The free articles below are available to all website visitors.

School Registration School Registration and Planning
Whether your food-allergic child will be entering preschool, kindergarten or high school, now is the time to start planning for school registration. KFA offers 12 free resources to help you prepare your child and their school to manage your child’s food allergies.

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