Wheat Allergy

Living With Wheat Allergy

If allergy testing shows that your child has a wheat allergy, the doctor will provide guidelines on how to stay safe. Wheat allergy is more common in KIDS than adults, and many children seem to "outgrow" their wheat allergy over time.

But if your your child has wheat allergy, he or she must completely avoid products made with wheat. Although most allergic reactions to wheat occur after eating a wheat product, sometimes people can react to raw wheat that they breathe in (such as a baker who inhales flour in the workplace).

Natural food stores and the health food section in grocery stores usually have safe alternatives, including wheat-free breads, crackers, and breakfast cereals. Also, look for substitute flours made from potato, rice, soy, barley, oats, and corn.

For detailed information, you can visit websites that your doctor recommends, such as the Food Allergies and Anaphylaxis Network.

Manufacturers of foods sold in the United States must state in understandable language whether foods contain any of the top eight most common allergens: wheat, milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, and soy.

The label will include "wheat" in the ingredient list or say "Contains wheat" after the list. This label requirement makes things a little easier. But you still may want to learn the names of some common ingredients, such as durum, that mean wheat.

Cross-Contamination

Cross-contamination means that the allergen is not one of the ingredients in a product, but might have contaminated it during production or packaging. Companies are not required to label for cross-contamination risk, though some voluntarily do so. You may see advisory statements such as "May contain wheat," "Processed in a facility that also processes wheat," or "Manufactured on equipment also used for wheat."

Since products without precautionary statements also might be cross-contaminated and the company simply chose not to label for it, it is always best to contact the company to see if the product could contain wheat. You might find this information on the company's website or you can contact a company representative via email.

It's also important to remember that "safe" foods could become unsafe if food companies change ingredients, processes, or production locations.

Eating Away From Home

When your child eats in a restaurant or at a friend's house, find out how foods are cooked and exactly what's in them. It can be hard to ask a lot of questions about cooking methods, and to trust the information you get. If you can't be certain that a food is wheat-free, it's best to bring safe food from home.

Watch for cross-contamination, as wheat can get into a food product because it is made or served in a place that uses wheat in other foods. This can happen on kitchen surfaces and utensils — everything from knives and cutting boards to a toaster or grill. Fried foods often have the potential to be cross-contaminated, because they can be fried in the same oil as a foods that contain wheat.

Also talk to the staff at school about cross-contamination risks in the cafeteria. It may be best to pack lunches at home so you can control what's in them.

Here are some other precautions to take:

• Don't feed your child cooked foods you didn't make yourself — or anything else with unknown ingredients.
• Tell everyone who handles the food — from relatives to restaurant waitstaff — that your child has a wheat allergy.
• Make school lunches and snacks at home where you can control the preparation.
• If the manager or owner of a restaurant is uncomfortable about your request for wheat-free food preparation, don't eat there.

Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD
Date reviewed: September 2012