Hidden Sources of Wheat

An estimated 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies. Wheat is right up there on the top ten. A person who is allergic to a food will experience an immunologic response that can trigger symptoms that might include anaphylaxis (anaphylactic shock or death), angioedema (a severe skin reaction), eczema, hives, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, itching of the mouth, throat, eyes or another location on their skin, wheezing, runny nose or nasal congestion, stomach cramping, scratchy throat, constipation, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, mood swings and even depression. Allergic reactions typically happen within a few minutes to an hour after a person has eaten the offending food or just from coming in contact with it. Most people learn of their food allergies by having a bad experience, while some will not learn of their food allergies until they are tested by an allergist because they symptoms that one can experience range from mild to very serious.It is possible for one to be unaware of their food allergy due to the varying degree of sensitivity. However, if you know that you have a food allergy to something, the best way to treat it is usually to avoid it in the first place. This is not always easy to do since many food allergens can be "hidden", but knowledge is power. Below are some common hidden sources where a person may accidentally encounter an allergen.

Generally speaking, unless you buy a special gluten free or wheat free product, you should always read labels and know all of the not so obvious sources of wheat and gluten. Since some manufacturers do not always list gluten or wheat on their allergy information, it is always a good idea to contact the company to ask if the product contains wheat or gluten, and even check back from time to time since manufacturers sometimes change their ingredients and might include a "filler" or added ingredient that may contain wheat to replace something else. By calling the manufacturer, a representative can tell you the byproducts and possible cross contamination factors that may affect your favorite foods.

Breads, cereals, noodles and crackers often contain wheat. More specifically, you should avoid bulgur, couscous, cracker meal, farina, noodles and pasta. Watch out for flours and baking ingredients which can also contain wheat . Some of the common ones are: All purpose flour, cake flour, durum flour, enriched flour, graham flour, high gluten flour, high protein flour, pastry flour, semolina flour, food starch, modified food starch, gluten, malt, malt extract, malt flavoring, seitan, semolina, spelt, sprouted wheat, wheat bran, oats, oat meal, wheat, wheat flour, wheat germ, wheat gluten, wheat malt, wheat starch, whole wheat berries, whole wheat flour, durum wheat, cereal extract, and caramel coloring. Other hidden sources can be found in hydrolyzed vegetable protein, natural flavoring, soy sauce, starch, gelatin starch, vegetable gum, hot dogs, precooked meats & burgers and vegetable starch.

Reading through the ingredients list to find these common sources be overwhelming, especially to a person who has just learned of a food allergy. Keep in mind that many of these products are replaceable by gluten free or wheat free products that can be found either at a health food store, the health food aisle in your local supermarkets or can be made at home. Some companies that provide wheat and gluten free premade mixes and goods are EnerG, Bob's Redmill, Miss Roben's, and Enjoy Life. There are many other alternatives to be found though, so be sure to ask around and do some research. Sometimes they can be hard to find. Another great way to find gluten free premade products is to google "gluten free products" and explore the endless possibilities. You could even google gluten free wheat free recipes and find replacements for most everything you can think of.

If you enjoy preparing your own gluten free products, or are paranoid that you might accidentally come in contact with a wheat product or a byproduct, you can abide by the general rule of thumb to stick with fruits, meats and vegetables; But for those who don't want to be confined and defined by their allergy you can find a delicious recipe and just replace the wheat containing ingredients with these tried and true wheat free substitutions. Here are some common replacements for your old favorites:

Chocolate Chips or Carob Chips can be replaced with Enjoy Life brand which makes gluten free products and can be found online at www.enjoylifefoods.com
Molasses can be replaced with Blackstrap Molasses or GrandMa's Molasses
Brown Sugar- you can use Domino
Confectioners Sugar- Domino
Flours that are Gluten Free and Wheat Free are often found at health food stores. They include: Garbanzo Bean, Brown Rice, White Rice, Soy, Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Potato Flour, Quinoa, Buckwheat (this not a grain so it is wheat free. When in doubt, go for Bob's Red Mill), Arrowroot and Sorghum flour. Keep in mind that when cooking and baking with these flours, you will often need to use a combination of two - four flours to create the right blend. When used alone, they will not perform in the same way as all purpose flour for example. Websites can be found that sell wheat free flours as well. Check out www.bobsredmill.com and www.missroben.com
Marshmallow Fluff can be replaced with Rice Mallow Fluff and can be found at your health food store
Mayo can be replaced by Spectrum brand
Shortening can be found in a few different brands at the health food store. We use Spectrum.
Margarine or butter can be purchased at your healthfood store in the refrigerated section. We like Fleischmans.
Bread Crumbs can be purchased at the health food store
Potato Chips that are wheat free/gluten free will most likely be found at the health food store, but you can also eat Fritos or other Corn chips
Cookies- health food store. Pamela's makes an excellent Ginger Snap Cookie and Chocolate Chip Cookie, they can be found online also
Cake Mix is purchased at the health food store- Frosting mix is found at the health store
Pasta can be easily replaced with Annie's Brown Rice Pasta in the health food section. Please note that Annie's also makes a wheat containing pasta so read labels carefully,
Cereals can be found at the health food store. Erwhon and Envirokids makes some great replacements like rice crispies, cocoa puffs flavored cereal, peanut butter puffs flavored cereal and corn flakes
Beef Stew- you can still use Dinty Moore.
Chicken Nuggets. Ian's has a gluten free/wheat free brand
Hot Dogs, Applegate Farms is gluten free
Fish Sticks can be replaced by Ian's as well.
French Fries- Oreida brand
Cereal bars are gladly replaced with the unique flavors of the Enjoy Life brand cereal bars
Granola Bars, shop around your healhfood store for these

Keep in mind that some of the familiar brand names that are not exclusively producing gluten free or wheat free products do often change their ingredients and therefore, gluten and wheat can be found in their products. Most companies list allergen information right under the list of ingredients. This allergen info cannot be solely depended upon as proof that wheat is not included in the product- contact the company.

There are many more replacements for your favorite wheat and gluten containing products. I highly recommend starting off slow by becoming familiar with the health food store or the health aisle at your local supermarket. Super Wal Mart often labels their allergy information very thoroughly and also their gluten free foods are labeled. Hannaford now has a health food section at most of their stores (at least in New England).

For more excellent information, you can browse autism and celiac websites. They often provide wonderful information on recipes and replacement products. Their websites also will commonly include links to other sites that sell wheat free products.
Happy Eating!

***** This article is not meant to replace the advice of a healthcare professional or nutrition specialist. Also, there are other more common sources for wheat that one should research in case of wheat sensitivity. This is not a complete list of gluten free foods and substitutions.