What Can I Do About My Wheat Allergy?

Food allergies are very common. There are several different types of food allergies but a wheat allergy is one of the most common.

A wheat allergy occurs when a person suffers an adverse reaction to the protein fractions of the wheat and all or some of the other components like gluten. When suffering from a wheat allergy your allergy symptoms will be activated when food containing wheat is eaten but it can also be from inhaling flour that contains wheat which is called baker's asthma.

Although it is not known the exact number of people who suffer from a wheat allergy it is believed from data that has been collected that is up around the 40% mark. That's a lot of the population that has a wheat allergy. In the baking industry it is believe that about 42% of all bakers develop baker's asthma.

Symptoms of a wheat allergy can develop instantly or a few hours after ingesting wheat. The most common symptoms are related to the skin - eczema, itchy skin, or even hives are commonly seen.

The second most common wheat allergy symptom is related to the gastrointestinal tract with any are all of the following symptoms - nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, or diarrhea.

A wheat allergy can also affect the respiratory tract causing asthma like symptoms. And it can also cause life threatening anaphylaxis in a few unlucky individuals. The problem is many of the symptoms of a wheat allergy are caused by cross contamination from other gluten cereals like rye, barley, and oats.

For some the diagnosis of a wheat allergy is very simple. You have the same reaction every time you eat a certain food and when you remove it from your diet you no longer suffer the symptoms. Pretty straight forward right? Not always. It can be difficult to diagnosis if it is a food that you eat regularly with other foods. In these cases diagnosis usually entails a lot more.

The first step to treating your wheat allergy is to avoid all foods that contain wheat. Now that said it can be harder to do then one might think because wheat is a staple food in our diets. A wheat restricted diet creates a very restricted diet which means they may be missing out on other important nutrients. If you have children that have a wheat allergy it would be a good idea to work with a dietitian to make sure they are getting everything they need in their diet.

Sometimes children will outgrow a wheat allergy while other times they will live with it for the rest of their lives. Learning to cope can be a two part problem. First one must learn to avoid the foods that cause the symptoms and second one must learn to deal with the psychological part which our brains tend to crave most what we cannot have.

If your wheat allergy is mild you might be able to control it by reducing your wheat intake or using an over the counter medicine. And don't forget that natural supplements can bring your body back to a healthy state and it can help energize your immune system the underlying cause of all allergies.