1. Evaluate Your Symptoms
Wheat allergies can cause a great deal of suffering to people who have them. Simply having a piece of bread can result in nasal congestion, hives, nausea, stomach cramps, swelling or itching of the throat or mouth, airway inflammation, asthma or vomiting. Allergy symptoms can worsen if you exercises shortly after eating wheat or it is inhaled in the workplace. A wheat allergy can also worsen already-present symptoms like depression, anxiety, arthritis, eczema, migraines, psoriasis, boils, rashes, acne, tiredness, headaches and sweating.
In extreme cases, wheat allergies can cause anaphylaxis, which requires immediate medical attention. Anaphylaxis can spark restricted breathing, dizziness, a racing pulse, rapid drop in blood pressure (shock) and even fainting. When people have such a severe reaction, their physician will typically suggest that they carry an injectable shot of epinephrine with them in the event their symptoms flare up.
2. The Way They Make You Feel
Bread crumbs, battered foods and pasta may be some of the foods you would expect to contain wheat, but there are a number of items that you wouldn't think include the grain. Some of these items include salad dressings, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, canned soup and chili, vinegar, sausages, ice cream, mustard and mayonnaise, packet sauce mixes and candy, especially those with nougat.
Some other foods that will make a person with wheat allergies feel ill are pizza, cakes, muffins, scones, many seasonings, pita bread, beer, vodka, gin, many ready-made foods, pastries, baking powder, Chapatiis, naan bread, Taramasalata, meatloaf, pancakes, crumpets, many muesli's and some rye breadcrisps.
When purchasing food at the grocery store, do not buy foods with the following ingredients as they contain wheat: farina, all-purpose flour, barley, farro, polenta, white flour, semolina, couscous, spelt, kamut, wholemeal flour, graham flour, bulgar and plain or self-raising flour. Be on the lookout for these words because they forms of wheat: cereal protein, cereal starch, cereal protein, (special) edible starch, binder, rusk, thickening agent, food starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, MSG, modified starch, cereal filler/extract and cereal binder.
3. Wheat vs. Gluten
Some people who appear to have wheat allergies may actually have gluten allergies. Gluten is one of the proteins in wheat. Often, people can be allergic to gluten, which is different than being allergic to wheat. A visit to an allergist can help determine which of the two is causing your symptoms. In more severe cases, people who are allergic to gluten may actually have celiac disease, a genetic, autoimmune disease that can have serious complications if it is not appropriately treated by a physician along with proper lifestyle changes by the patient.
