What to Feed If Have a Wheat Allegy?

Hello L.,

I have a suggestion, you can research to see if this would help you. I came across a Food Allergy Cookbook for kids this weekend, it states recipes are all free of wheat, gluten, dairy, nuts, eggs and low in sugar. The cookbook is advertised for $14.95 on www.leapsandbounds.com (item # 12360). If you have never heard of this web address, it along with www.onestepahead.com was created by other moms ideas.

Good Luck,

J. W.

Dear L.,

There are many non gluten, wheat free grains which you can find at most health food stores. Abby's on North Dale Mabry in Tampa, Chuck's in East Tampa on Fowler past USF, Souther's on 574 in Dover. Let me know if you need other places to check. Kamut, spelt, quinoa and millet are great wheat alternatives. You can also find buckwheat pancake mix and puffed Kamut cereal in the Greenwise section at Publix. Brown rice blended with rice milk makes a great cereal. It is a good idea to soak your grains in a little water with lemon juice overnight. This releases enzymes that increase Vitamin B availability and makes digestion alot easier for your little one. See http://www.westonaprice.org/splash_2.htm for more info. Also the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron has some great recipes. Hope this helps.

Hi L., If you have a health food store near you, you can find even more gluten free selections. Remember, it's not just wheat that contains gluten. I give my daughter spelt bread which she loves. However they're not all the same. It may take trying a few different brands. She also likes beans. I make her quick bean soup as well as white bean dip and hummus. I put the dips on the spelt bread as a sandwich or you could use crackers or corn chips. This is a great way to incorporate good fats and protein. And how about fruits and veg? Salmon cakes made w/ wild Alaskan canned salmon are easy to make and much cheaper than using fresh wild salmon. Let me know if you'd like my recipe. We also use a brown rice pasta that is just as good as wheat pasta called Pasta Joy, Little Dreams which is about a dozen different shapes that are adorable. Serve it w/ homemade red sauce or broth made w/ chicken stock, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, shredded carrot or veg your child will eat and fresh chopped parsley. I like to toss in a little SHEEPS milk(check the label) feta. Good luck L.. If like more ideas or just to chat, please email me @ ____@____.com.

Hi L.,

I know it's hard in a regular grocery store to find things for a wheat free diet. Fortunately, the natural food stores have great selection in this area and helpful staff as well. The store I recommend is Rolling Oats (9th St. and 28th Ave. N.) - they have very knowledgable staff or Nature's Finest (Central Ave. and 66th St.) those are both in St. Pete. In Tampa, Wild Oats just opened on Dale Mabry and 275. They would also have a great selection (and it's probably a bigger store than either of the other two)

K.

I know how hard it can be! Unfortunately most regular grocery stores are not going to have much of a selection. If you are in Tampa, there is Abby's on Dale Mabry and Nutrition S"Mart also on Dale Mabry (both around the Bearrs area). There are pastas and crackers made out of rice flour, but be careful when you cook the pasta because it can come out slimy. There is also spelt and quinoa breads and cereals readily available. It may take a time or two at the shelves reading labels but eventually you will find stuff that works for you. Just be prepared to pay a lot more for these foods than you would a store brand item in a regular grocery store. Good luck!

There is a lot out there my kids are both on a GFCF diet which means Wheat free and milk free. If you go to publix and look in there greenwise section there is a lot. Look for things to say Gluten free that will mean wheat free. They have rice spagetti noodles, Wheat free Mac and Cheese. Nutrition depot is another good place to shop as is Whole Foods. I also buy a lot of things on line from www.ener-g.com Most of the stuff I buy from there is free of wheat and milk. There really is a lot out there to choose from.
There is also Wheat free Waffles in the freeze section. They are by a company called VANS and say Wheat Free on the Front they come in original, Apple Cinnimon, and Blue Berry.

D.

You've gotten some great suggestions and there are some great cookbooks too, just do a google search for "gluten-free cook".

What makes you suspect wheat? Dairy is the most common, followed by soy - but wheat is up there, too. And know that there is a difference between a wheat allergy and gluten intolerance. Oat and Barley still contain gluten. :)

I happened to be in my neighborhood Whole Foods Grocery and found an entire aisle dedicated to Gluten Free foods for ages ranging from infants to adults. Perhaps your local health food store or grocery has one as well. Also, your child's Pediatrician should be able to refer you to a Nutritionist who may be able to direct you to a source. Good luck!

L.- My sister Heather has a LOT of experience with this stuff. If you'd like, email me at ____@____.com and I will pass her email along to you and let her know you will be contacting her about this. Both of her children have allergies- my nephews were the most severe. She'd be happy to help, so just email me and I'll get you in contact with her.

I am a 45 year old mom with ecezma/psorasis. It erupted on me around age 5-6. It is something I have battled my entire life, although it has moved from my ankles and knees to my hands. My daughter, age 9 first got it around 9 months of age. Her pediatrician said she would outgrow it, but it now covers her ankles, knees and elbows. I am not sure about the allergy connections, although it does make sense. Having battled this pretty much my entire life, I have learned that the best defense is to keep it moisturized. My daughter and I use Neutrogena (walmart brand is good too) body oil every day after bathing. Also I had a dermotologist have me apply cortisone cream fairly thick to the affected areas and cover with saran wrap (taped in place with scotch tape). This allows the medicine to soak in and works well, if it done consistantly. The worst part about the ecezma is the constant itching, but keeping it moisturized helps keep that in check. I wish you the best of luck!!! S.

What a great idea, we have been wheat free for years and have just started introducing wheat back in.

Publix carries the following;

Chick pea flour/oat flour/spelt flour/barley flour.
buckwheat pancakes (not the same as wheat, it is a different grain)
Ezekial bread that is sprouted wheat.
Rice noodles instead of regular pasta or egg noodles, but you have to read the label because they add wheat to the egg noodles. Rice noodles are the best!
The healthfood stores carry wheat free breads. Our favorite is oat bread, but they have other choices. You have to experiment to see what you like.

Corn tortillas are great for meals.

You just have to play with recipes and see what works for you. Delicious meals can be made without wheat.

D.