Wheat

It's been called the staff of life. It's central to many cultures and is the principal food for millions of people. When you want to sell a home, the smell of freshly baked food can make people feel "at home" and promote the sale. So can there be any problem with wheat - the principal grain found in almost all baked goods?

Recent information about celiac disease is that about 1% of North American people have it. That means that wheat and all the rest of the gluten grains cause these people many problems. They include abdominal cramps, bloating, diarrhea to name just a few. In addition, celiac sufferers can have joint pain and swelling, headaches (including migraines) and anemia, as well as malabsorbtion.

What is also becoming clear to many practitioners is that, while not testing positive for celiac, a number of people, possible a large number, are intolerant of wheat. Not allergic, just not able to eat wheat. Some people may be fine with a little but can't tolerate a larger amount.

How do you know?

You might have suspected that something was wrong for a long time. Some people with wheat intolerance just don't feel well after a meal which contains wheat. They may experience cramps, bloating, pain, headache, fatigue, nausea, and diarrhea. Many of these symptoms overlap those of irritable bowel syndrome.

For some , the problem may manifest as respiratory symptoms: nasal mucus, increased clearing of the throat, a wheezy cough or even asthma.

Others may have skin problems: eczema, dry scaly skin, even the dark smudges that appear under the eyes when you haven't had enough sleep could be caused by a food intolerance such as to wheat.

Does this sound like you or your child? How do you find out?

Food allergy testing by an allergist using skin prick is not a good way. Two common test methods are ELISA blood testing - often arranged by physicians practicing integrative or complementary medicine. The other way is to avoid wheat for at least several months. You may get relief from of your symptoms almost immediately if they are abdominal, digestive or headache. But if they are skin or mucus related, this takes longer. One of the 'rules' of natural healing is that when you eliminate something which your body doesn't 'like', there will be a 'discharge'. This often takes the form of a cold, flu, or other 'illness' which is actually your body using these organisms to help clear out your system.

In which foods do you find wheat?

It may surprise you, when you begin to investigate foods, how many of them contain wheat. The list includes:

• breads, muffins, crackers, bagels. Don't be mislead by deli rye - it's about 85% wheat.
• noodles (oriental noodles like udon are wheat as are some soba noodles), Pastas, unless they say specifically "gluten or wheat free".
• cous cous, bulgur
• almost all baked desserts and most cookies, some chocolate bars and even licorice

What are acceptable wheat substitutes?

Two 'ancient' grains have been rescued from obscurity and are very similar to wheat in the way they bake, but are OK - kamut and spelt. I prefer kamut. It has a nutty, rich taste and the bread baked from it holds together a little better than spelt.

100% rye bread is fine for most people, but it's heavy. The most familiar form is the dark rye German breads - usually found sliced thinly.

The other non-gluten grains are also fine and are now being made into a variety of pastas and noodles. They include:

• amaranth
• quinoa
• rice
• millet
• teff
• corn
• buckwheat
  
• chia (Salba)

With a little ingenuity and an investigative sense, you will, by careful reading of labels, and by becoming an observer of your own reactions, find out what works for you.