Wheat

anonymous69

Dono if this is the right forum.

Hey guys, I recently found out im allergic to wheat. Is wheat the main ingredient in alot of things ye?

Im just wondering what im gonna have left to eat??!

Does this mean ill have to cut out bread cereals pasta etc ?

Faith

Moved to Food/Drink.

Krusty_Clown

It's definitely a wheat allergy and not gluten right? Make sure you know the difference.. Gluten-free products can still contain wheat.

My daughter is 'allegedly' allergic to Wheat.
No, you don't have to cut out any of those things, you just have to shop carefully, read the ingredients lists carefully, and spend a lot more money (wheat-free products are typically a lot more expensive).

There are a lot of wheat-free breads available from the usual supermarkets (they'll typically have their wheat-free products grouped together) but apart from this, you can find Spelt breads and Rye breads which taste just as good (if not better) than standard bread.. Dunnes Stores stocks ABC breads, which have variants of the above.. Usually around 4 euro a loaf, so slice it up and freeze it!

Tesco sells wheat-free pasta, but I have to say I find the stuff gluey, brown, and disgusting. I usually end up cooking two family meals.

Cereals - just avoid wheat-based cereals (weetabix being the obvious!) but you can of course have Oatabix, which my daughter loves. then there's cornflakes (made from corn!), rice crispies (made from rice!) you get the picture... Just read the list of ingredients!

Biscuits and crisps are difficult, as many contain wheat. Flapjacks usually don't contain wheat, but read the ingr..... You get the picture..

Also restaurants - You'll need to check with them for every course.. CafeBarDeli in town is actually a great option, and has wheat free breads and pastas for all of their popular dishes..

flossie

how did you find out you have an allergy? many people go for these tests in health shops and are told they are 'allergic', but to have an allergy a specialist has to diagnose it in a hospital. Some people are intolerant to it. I developed a sudden intolerance to wheat a couple of years back, resulted in terrible pains, IBS etc. A couple of months off of it and i could re-introduce myself slowly ad am OK eating it now.

There is some corn pasta out there which is good. It is in a red packet.....not as gloopy as the standard wheat-free ones. Superquinn in Carlow and Tesco both stock it, but the name slips my mind. Be careful as lots of sauces, yoghurts, snacks, soups contain wheat......

Krusty_Clown

I agree 100%. That's why I said 'allegedly' allergic.
Still trying to find somewhere to send her for a proper 'scratch and sniff' test.
Anyone have any recommendations?

anonymous69

I had blood tests done by my doctor for something else, and cos ive hayfever and asthma, she did an ellergy blood test aswell. thanks for the responses guys

dudara

Sounds like you are a coeliac then. Blood tests are performed in order to detect the coeliac antibody.

If this is the case, then you need to avoid gluten, which is contained in wheat, barley and rye. It can also be present in anything that is processed in a factory or situation where wheat, barley and rye are present.

Gluten-free products are available in most supermarkets (usually at a fair extra cost) and the Coeliac Society of Ireland can offer advice and help. Another option is to cook as much as possible yourself. Then you will know exactly what is present in your food.

I was diagnosed about two years ago, and switching to a gluten-free diet immediately improved my overall health. I didn't ever particularly eat much bread, although I loved noodles and pasta. I do find the gluten-free alternatives stodgy, so I just don't eat them. I cook as much of my own food as possible.

Untreated, coeliac disease leads to nasty effects. Wikipedia has a good article on it.

If I am mistaken, and you have a wheat allergy, then you can still take advice from the above on how to avoid wheat products.

lukegriffen

I think a lot of irish people will show up as having a mild allergy to wheat & dairy products, mainly because we eat so much of it.
For pasta, try switching to rice, for breads, try rye bread/ryvita.

It's hard though, wheat is everywhere.

eamonn4321

x-posted elsewhere but had to share the good news!

Dunnes now do a gluten free black bean sauce - Fantastic!! My wife has not had this for years as she is coeliac, and most BB sauces have soy sauce with wheat in them.

Cooked with it tonight and it was lovely.