How to Live With Allergies to Wheat

Wheat is one of the most common foods that causes an allergic response. But because the vast majority of processed foods use wheat products, it can be quite a challenge to eliminate all traces of wheat from your diet.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Cookbooks
• Bromelain
• Quercetin
• Vitamin C

1. Avoid all foods containing wheat, such as breads, pasta, cereals, baked goods, pancakes, waffles, and breaded or deep-fried foods.
2. Read labels carefully. Wheat products may be present in soups, gravies, alcoholic beverages, meat dishes such as meatloaf and sausage, most desserts, puddings, candy and vitamins - especially vitamin E.
3. Avoid products with the following ingredients: gluten, graham flour, monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed vegetable protein, durum flour, semolina and bulgur. These are all related to wheat or made with wheat.
4. Avoid products that are not labeled - chances are, they may contain wheat.
5. Explore eating new grains. You can buy wheat-free bread and pasta made from rice, soy or oat flour. These products are usually available in health food stores.
6. Invest in a cookbook and learn to bake your own breads, muffins, cakes and other baked goods.
7. Some substitutes for wheat in baking are soy, rice, rye and oat flours.
8. Be diligent when eating out. Avoid dishes with sauces and gravies, as they tend to contain wheat.
9. Take 1,000 to 5,000 mg vitamin C daily in a complex with bioflavonoids. This helps protect against allergens and reduces the body's inflammatory response.
10. Supplement with 500mg quercetin twice daily; it helps reduce your body's reaction to allergens and strengthens the immune system.
11. Add 100mg bromelain twice daily. It enhances the absorption of quercetin.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are mildly allergic to wheat, you may be able to try wheat products again. First abstain from all wheat products for at least six months, and then try a small amount. If you don't have a reaction, you may be able to tolerate wheat occasionally.
• If you have had a severe reaction to wheat, do not attempt to reintroduce it. You may be faced with a life-threatening reaction.
• Eat simple meals made with fresh foods. This will help you avoid hidden wheat, and it's more healthful.