How can you tell if you or one of your family members is allergic to wheat?

According to the Mayo Clinic, wheat allergies are one of the most eight common allergies that people suffer from. Wheat allergies can affect children far more than adults and will usually present itself within a few minutes after the intake of wheat or wheat products.

Signs or symptoms that you have a wheat allergy can be anything from mild to severe skin reactions, nasal congestion, and gastric or digestive problems. Rarely, however, does it present as anaphylaxis, where a person can’t breathe and must be rushed to the hospital—much like people who are allergic to Penicillin or bee stings.

Because children, especially toddlers, can develop wheat allergies, it can sometimes be difficult to speak with the child about what is bothering them, unless it is clearly a skin reaction. To find out if your toddler or infant is allergic to wheat, you can keep track of your toddler’s reactions to wheat products. If their skin breaks out after consuming wheat, write down what they ate, how much, and when it was. Keep track of this daily to show to your toddler’s pediatrician.

Excessive diarrhea and constipation can also be a cause so write that down too. Observe your toddler on a day-to-day basis—it can be as simple as keeping track of your toddler, their reaction to wheat or wheat products, and talking with your doctor.

Some other symptoms you may have after consuming wheat are hives, stomach cramping, itching in the mouth or throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Wheat allergies can also be genetic, so if your family has a history of wheat allergies, you may have one or pass along one to your children.

Visiting the correct physician is important to determine if what you are allergic to is actually wheat and not something else. Allergy doctors can tell by using wheat patches and pin sticks and analyzing your skin after testing.

Visiting a doctor who doesn’t specialize in food allergies may cause you to go through numerous medical tests that aren’t necessary if the doctor isn’t looking for a wheat allergy.

Just as with your toddler, if you think you are reacting after you eat wheat products, you should keep a diary of what you are eating. Often you may think what you are eating doesn’t contain wheat or you may not know enough about wheat products. Many flours have gluten in them and we all know how often flour is used in the products we eat. Fried food can also contain gluten so stay away from fried or breaded fried foods if you develop a reaction after eating them.

As with any food allergy, you may have other symptoms that don’t appear here, so in your diary write down everything that occurs when you consume wheat. No two people are alike and neither are their reactions to food allergies so it is important to keep track of what you eat and visit an allergy physician to discuss your symptoms and food consumption to find out if you are allergic to wheat.

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