Wheat Allergies
Wheat allergies is not as common as milk and egg allergies, but it presents more of a challenge to parents because most baked foods – commercial and homemade – use wheat flour as the primary ingredient. In addition, because most wheat flour is enriched and serves as agood source of iron, thiamin, niacin, and riboflavin, other sources of these vitamins and minerals must be found.
Fortunately, a number of wheat-flour substitutes are available. In most recipes, one cup of wheat flour can be replaced by three-fourths cup of rice flour, one cup of corn flour, three-fourths cup of coarse cornmeal, one cup of fine cornmeal, or five-eighths cup of potato flour. One cup of soy flour also may be a suitable substitute, but one-fourth of it should be replaced by anpther flour (usually potao flour) to help prtevent an unmistakable soybean taste.
Longer, slower baking usually is necessary when flours other than wheat are used. Cornmeal and rice flour tend to have grainer textures, but when they are boiled in the liquid that is used in the recipe they achieve a smoother texture. When this method is used, the mixture should be cooled before the other ingredients are added. Nonwheat flours do not react well with yeast; therefore, other leavening methods must be used to achieve a lighter density, especially with the coarse flours such as cornmeal and rice flour. Adding 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder for each cup of coarse flour, beating the egg whites before they are added to the dough, or using sour milk plus baking sode are some possibilities for creating a better texture.
Children with wheat allergy can eat breads made with 100 percent cornmeal, potato flour, and rice flour, and some can tolerate bread made with rye flour and oats. Parents must read labels is commercial breads, however, because most are made with flour mixtures that contain wheat. Corn, oat, or rice cereals usually cause no trouble for children who are allergic to wheat. Meats, fish, and poulltry should be prepared without bread-crumbs and without flour-thickened gravy. Gravy and sauces can be thickened with cornstarch or tapioca starch.
Foods to avoid on a wheat-free diet obviously include cakes, pies, cookies, and doughnuts, but also canned soups, salad dressings, pasta, hot dogs, processed sheese, and malted drinks.
Allergy to a commponent of wheat – gluten (also found in rye, oats, and barley) – is called celiac disease, or gluten enteropathy. In this cindition, gliadin, an extract of gluten, causes damage to the gastrointestinal tract when sensitive children eat it. The damage results in an inability to absorb needed nutrients. Diarrhea and growth failure often occur. Although age and symptoms may vary, most children with celiac disease develop diarrhea between 6 and 24 months of age. When gluten is removed from the diet, children with this allergy recover completely and thrive. They must remain on a gluten-free diet for life
Sensitivities to foods other than milk, eggs, and wheat tend to be easier to manage because most of the offending foods can be avoided with few problems. Fortunately, most food allergies subside as a child gets older; allergies to fish, shellfish, and nuts, however, often last through adulthood. A variety of cookbooks are available with suggestions for preparing foods for people with allergies. Some of these are listed in the Other Reading section at the end of this book.
As mentioned earlier, parents should work with a physician or a registered dietitian when their children have food allergies.
if you need more information about wheat allergies I recommend you to buy DVD from Dr. Thomas O'Brian about Unlocking the Mystery of Wheat and Gluten Intolerance
Watching this DVD, you will become more vigilant about staying away from wheat in any form. It would be an eye-opener for people with unresolved health problems. Its extensive research references clearly show a world-wide concern about the effect of Celiac disease beyond digestive problems.
Please also check about egg allergy in infants
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