Wheat Allergy

I want to be clear. I will be covering wheat allergies. Celiac's is a MUCH more extensive conversation. All of the items discussed below will apply to Celiacs. Note that this post does NOT include all you need to know for Celiacs... Yes, I'm being repetitive. However, it is crucial to know the difference

When I was first diagnosed with food allergies, I was told I was allergic to milk, eggs and rice. (I'm allergic to 13 known food allergies at this date). A year went by. I researched, diligently avoided allergens, and still had problems. I had a nagging suspicion I was allergic to something else... in a major way.

If you know me at all, you know that I have a needle phobia. I can be a functioning phobic, but my doctor had to prescribe me valium in order for me not to cancel my allergy testing appointments. My GP talked to me for 3 years before agreeing to that appointment... all in major fear of needles. I was almost hysterical at my consultation and I KNEW there wasn't going to be needles near me. It was sitting in that lobby for 40 minutes while patients constantly went in and out to get shot therapy for some environmental allergen. Sigh...

A year later, and a couple more valium, I went into the doctor's office. I explained they made a mistake. Said to test me for only food this time. Made sure they did the best test to find out once and for all. At the end of it, they said, "you were right. You're allergic to wheat not rice." Seriously?! 

Life became better once I found this out. 

Wheat is everywhere! Believe it or not, just about everything around you is composed of wheat (with regard to food!). I was shocked to learn about how much wheat was in food and beverages. Yes. You heard me correctly. I have found wheat in beverages!! Makes me shake my head.

Variety of Wheat:

All Purpose Flour

Bread — any type made with white flour, wheat flour; bread crumbs

Bulgur
Cereal extract
Couscous
Cracker meal
Einkorn
Emmer — also known as farro Farina

Flour — atta, club, common, durum, einkorn, emmer, farina, graham, kamut, maida, semolina, spelt, triticale, triticum

Flour — all purpose, bread, bromated, cake, enriched, high gluten, high protein, instant pastry, phosphated, plain, soft wheat, steel ground, stone ground, self-rising, unbleached, white, whole wheat 

Fu

Gluten — wheat gluten, vital gluten, vital wheat gluten, fu

Kamut® — khorasan wheat Malt, malt extract

Matzo — Matzo meal (also spelled as matzoh, matzah, or matza)

Noodles, Matzo

Seitan

Semolina

Spelt

Tabbouleh

Triticale

Triticum

Wheat, whole wheat — wheat berries, wheat bran, whole wheat bread, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, wheat germ oil, wheat protein isolate, wheat starch, wheat sprouts, sprouted wheat

Wheatgrass  - this might be the ONLY item a person with Celiac’s can have that a person with a wheat allergy cannot have.

Wheat can be found in other items & Has Other Names

Artificial flavoring, natural flavoring

Caramel color

Dextrin

Food starch*, gelatinized starch, modified starch, modified food starch, vegetable starch

Glucose syrup
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) Maltodextrin
Monosodium glutamate, MSG
Oats**
Soy sauce, shoyu, tamari, teriyaki sauce Surimi
Textured vegetable protein
Vegetable gum

Gelatinized Starch

Licorice

Jelly Beans

Hard Candy

Dairy Products

Meat products (fresh meat as well as hot dogs and cold cuts)

Condiments

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein

Beer

When doing your own research on wheat allergies, note that most information online talks about gluten. If you remained gluten free (with one exception), then you will be okay.

I can hear what’s going through your mind right now. Wheat in dairy? Come on. That has to be a joke. I took the following from a Healthy Eating website. “Sometimes food companies add gluten-containing ingredients to processed food. They act as flavoring, thickeners, stabilizers, coloring or binding agents. It's important to read the label on any type of flavored or otherwise altered milk before drinking to ensure it's gluten-free. Some cheese, yogurt, whipped cream and other processed dairy products may contain gluten from food additives as well, so be sure to check the label. According to the website Celiac.com, ingredients that may contain gluten have names such as malt, caramel color, dextrin, fat replacer, food starch, flavoring or stabilizers.”

The following is new to me. I haven’t read much on this. Yet, I’ve read the same information multiple times over the past handful of years.

Wheat-dependent, exercise-induced anaphylaxis

“Some people with a wheat allergy develop symptoms only if they exercise within a few hours after eating wheat. Exercise-induced changes in your body either trigger an allergic reaction or worsen an immune system response to a wheat protein. This condition usually results in life-threatening anaphylaxis.”

The above I took from the same Healthy Eating website. I do not know anything about this. I have not met anyone who has had this happen. Wanted to be sure to pass on the information, though. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to take care of your body.

If you have a wheat allergy and not a gluten intolerance, you area able to eat barely, rye and oats without issues. That doesn’t mean these foods won’t cause you grief on occasion. It isn’t common to be allergic to all in the gluten group with a wheat allergy. Will it hurt you to not eat the above items? No, but why give it up, if you don’t have to??

Elimination Diet... Peace of Mind

I started my elimination diet again last week at some point (odd I have no recollection of what day I started!). Been feeling amazing! It is easier to not worry about when I will finish and introduce other foods this time around (I completed 2 weeks last time).

What I remind myself each day is the level of gratitude I have for feeling better not eating certain foods. I have no idea which foods are causing me grief, but there isn't a doubt that something doesn't agree with me now that I have greater energy, clearer thoughts, no digestive issues, and the like.

May not be an allergy. It could possibly be an intolerance. Either way the result will be the same... elimination of the food from my diet. No sense in not feeling 100% over food. I think I've come to peace with the fact that I can't eat whatever I want, whenever I want.

I'm sure that most people would have assumed that I should have already come to peace with that fact. Unfortunately, I've struggled with it ever since I found out about my allergies. Here it is about 15 years later, and now is when my brain has cut me some slack. LOL

I read posts from 1000s of others about how strict they are with the food they eat, and don't falter. I was envious. Other than tree nuts (there are a few I cannot eat and my reaction necessitates Epi and ER), I have not always been as careful when eating out. It became a chore. Eating out is usually a social event and all the stress of worry if I could eat there wasn't worth it to me at times.

After working at a restaurant for the past 3 years, I know that every time I eat out, it is a gamble. That thought is less than exciting to say the least. The past couple of months, I've eaten out a couple of times. Sushi (I know what to stay away from, but still had minor reaction), one place where all I ate was a cucumber and onion salad... and a local mexican restaurant. I found out the hard way what not to eat there!

I keep a busy lifestyle. Losing convenience of eating out or packaged food has been depressing and frustrating at times. Now, I don't care as much. I nibble on what makes me happy (avocados, variety of lettuce, tomatoes, pears...)

Too bad I couldn't talk my brain into learning this lesson 15 years ago. ;)

Egg Allergy ~ What To Avoid

One of my 13 food allergies is eggs. Oh joy! When I was in my 20s, I opted to be a pesca-vegetarian (sort of). 95% of the time I did not eat meat other than fish. About 5 to 10% of the time I would eat meat. meaning if I went into a restaurant, I did not ask if they used chicken or beef stalk when cooking potatoes, rice, etc. Additionally, I would crave red meat. I would eat red meat about once a 3 to 6 months.

I didn't eat eggs by themselves that often. However, I liked eating egg whites of hard boiled eggs. a couple of years before I found out about my allergy to eggs, I started cooking them for my daughter. Became fairly adept at egg cooking. It was easier to maintain a mostly pesca vegetarian lifestyle for 7 years. 

Once I learned of my egg allergy, I started eating meat on a regular basis (it was due to finding out about being allergic to milk, eggs and wheat that instigated this moment). It wasn't fun considering being a vegan who didn't eat wheat.

Onto what to look for with an egg allergy!

You would think that it would simply be listed at egg, right?! Not always the case. Although, the newer FDA labeling laws dictate that it must be listed for consumers to know of the top 8 allergens. Yet... what if the product wasn't made in the US? What if the company forgot to label is separately? You NEED to be aware of other names for egg.

Here is the list I have at the moment:

Albumin


Apovitellin


Cholesterol free egg substitute (e.g. Eggbeaters®)


Dried egg solids, dried egg


Egg, egg white, egg yolk


Egg wash


Eggnog


Fat substitutes


Globulin


Livetin


Lysozyme


Mayonnaise


Meringue, meringue powder


Ovalbumin


Ovoglobulin


Ovomucin


Ovomucoid


Ovotransferrin


Ovovitelia


Ovovitellin


Powdered eggs


Silici albuminate


Simplesse


Surimi


Trailblazer


Vitellin


Whole egg

Eggs are often found in :

Artificial flavoring

Baked goods

Lecithin

Natural flavoring

Nougat

Pasta

Meatloaf / Meatballs / Hamburger patties

Fried Rice 

Drink foams (yes! Not kidding!! Some root beers use egg whites to create the foam. Check all drinks! You would probably have to contact the manufacturer because the amounts might be small enough to not have to list)

When I found out about my allergies, I was told I'm allergic to egg whites. I do not think the doctor tested me for egg yolks. The dietician I was sent to was telling me it was okay to have egg yolks. However, how do you make sure none of the whites are still there? I never ate just yolks. 

Do I recommend you eating yolks only? No. However, if you have a mild allergy to eggs and you don't mind trying it out, then go for it! Not everyone is the same. I will say one definitive remark regarding consuming any amount of allergen... If you have a child, I would keep a strict NO tolerance policy.  My daughter's pediatrician believed in that philosophy. I kept to it for 4 years, and she grew out of some of her allergies. She only had a couple of mild ones left after that.  I was crazy, over the top, strict about it. It worked exactly the way he said it would.

Does that mean it would work for you the same? Of course not. People claim a multitude of methods that worked or did not work. Yet, I think that a strict no tolerance policy of keeping poisons out of your body is ideal. Yes, I consider allergens poison. It wreaks havoc on your body over time. Why chance it? I blog about this topic another day.

Other Eggs?

Are you able to eat eggs from other poultry sources? From all I have read, the answer is no. I haven't attempted to eat other types of eggs. I think after finding out I'm allergic to all animal milk, I took the same stance with eggs.

Reactions?

There are a multitude of reactions from egg allergies. I will cover this in another blog post. I probably could write a book on the subject matter. Not kidding! You would be amazed (or maybe not if you have lived through this or are a parent of a kid who lives with this) what I have found out over the pats 15 years.

One reaction I want to point out now... lowered blood pressure. It IS a sign of a food allergy. Did not know that was one of my issues for so many years. My reaction became exponentially worse depending on what I ate and how much of it. Please be careful. If you have lower blood pressure on a regular basis, take a look at what food you are eating

Nerdy Girl Wisdom :)

Milk Allergy

I've decided that it is time to revisit creating lists about what to avoid when having different allergies. I'm going to start with cow's milk. It just so happens that I'm allergic to all animal milk, but I will not let that influence the list of alternative products.

This might be a work in progress since it has been awhile since I've done the research. I'll update the list, and post updated list as I continue to learn about products on the market.

Obvious foods to avoid...
  milk (all types of cow's milk; low fat, whole, fat free, buttermilk, butter, yogurt, ice cream, gelato, cheese, cheese containing products, cream, custard, pudding, and the like.

Ingredients with milk protein; whey, casein, lactose, lactate, curd, ghee, hydrolysates, rennet, lactalbumin

Ambiguous ingredients; artificial and natural flavors. Although companies are required to separately list ingredients of the top 8 allergens, I'm still hesitant to believe that they list it when there is nominal amounts

Products that often contain milk protein: protein powder, artificial butter, artificial cheese, vegetarian cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream

Other products to be wary of contents: cake mix, cereal, chocolate, gum, canned tuna, donuts, margarine, malted milk, coffee cream, baked goods, sherbet, mashed potatoes, salad dressings, deli meats, canned meat, nougat, shellfish (some agencies dip shellfish in milk to lessen fishy smell), bread, hotdogs, sausage, breaded food,

Medication: Look at the label. Sometimes it is listed. For prescription medication, look up nonactive ingredients online. Many capsules use lactose in their making.

Nondairy labeled items: These items indicate they are lactose free, not dairy free (free of milk protein).

Allergic to the touch? Look at ingredients in cosmetics, toiletries (like shampoo and conditioner, lotion)

Soy. Be careful of soy when you have a milk allergy. individuals with milk allergies are often sensitive to soy. I have a severe soy milk intolerance. I did not know that until I stopped consuming cow's milk, and wanted an alternative for coffee and ice cream.

I will write a blog specifically about the phrase "may contain traces of...". Please note that any package that makes that claim is extremely suspect. In fact, I would recommend to not purchase that item. More will be explained later!

ADHD & Food Sensitivities

Hi Everyone...

Recently, I've been diagnosed with ADHD. For anyone who has spent any real amount of time with me, this is not coming as a shock. I've suspected it for a number of years, but never convinced it was real for me.

The past year has been challenging, especially the last couple of months. When my life seemed to be headed into a constant state of being overwhelmed, and I acted contradictory to who I truly am, that's when I decided to seek out professional help. Before my appointment, I decided to take whatever advice the doctor offers.

He diagnosed me with ADHD as well as PTSD. I'm being given medication to get the ADHD under control, which should in turn (theoretically speaking), help with the PTSD.

I've been doing a great deal of research (and there will be more to come!) about ADHD. Turns out that some doctors believe that a restricted diet may have a large impact on individuals like myself.

Needless to say, I was NOT excited about this fact. Well, that's partially true. I'm a firm believer that a person should do whatever it takes to make the best out of a bad situation (or challenging one). If I can help myself out thru a change of diet, exercise, etc... then it is an obligation to a better self to follow through with it.

I wil say that I've been in a state of disbelief that I am going to venture down a path of eating less than I already do. Limiting what I eat already and now changing it even more will prove to be interesting. These will not be simple changes. I know I've gone hardcore before in other ventures to feel better (like what I did to get rid of 95% of the migraines). However, this time I feel exhausted and even more overwhelmed, which is not surprising considering how ADHD has taken over my life this year.

I do well with detoxes. I'll be going on a detox for a month and then introducing foods back into my diet slowly. This will be an easier task that simply pairing down... only due to the fact I know how I mentally react to these types of changes.

Although I will always have ADHD, I can begin to find ways to adapt to situations better. If nothing else, a lot how I am makes a great deal more sense to me than before. I'm counting on that knowledge to help me make necessary changes for a happier and healthier future.

Truth in Small Restaurants... When NOT to List Menu Items as Gluten Free

The restaurant I work for has decided to stop labeling the menu items as gluten free. The restaurant is going to do a major overhaul on their menu. The chef/owner was discussing the issue with labeling items as gluten free. I told her that it has troubled me that being such a tiny restaurant, and having the pastry area in the back... which is all open, creates an environment that almost guarantees potential cross contamination.

The pastry chef is constantly making biscuits, pancake batter, special pastries and the like in an open area where everyone preps food. Flour flies all over that area. I explained when I was making a canister of whip cream that everywhere I looked there were tiny particles of flour. I went into the office to have a clean surface to lay down the lid.

It's too tricky. The restaurant is phenomenally busy. It is almost impossible to keep a person with Celiacs safe.

The chef will always go out of her way when she can to help those with dietary restrictions, but the hard truth is we cannot guarantee no cross contamination. Sad... but true. I rather have guests feel 100% safe, and know the truth instead of having them risk a flare up.

Where Did My Blog Go?

I started a food journey blog related to food allergies and intolerances, and now I can't find it. Grrr

I start again!!

This blog is dedicated to learning about the relationship between food and our bodies. More to come soon!!