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Wheat-Free
Diet
If you feel frustrated and helpless due to food allergies, you
are not alone. Up to 60% of Americans have shown signs of food allergy at one
time or another. About 10% of food allergy sufferers exhibit symptoms serious
enough to see a doctor. Food allergy typically does not appear overnight. In
susceptible people, allergies to foods eaten regularly (if not daily) progress
over time. Because allergy onset is subtle, identifying offending foods can be
difficult and often requires trial diets. Once the food has been identified,
the patient may incorporate acceptable substitutes in his or her diet and avoid
the food completely.
Nearly any type of food can cause allergy, but cow’s milk,
eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, corn, cereal grains, chocolate, citrus fruits,
peanuts and soy products most commonly provoke reactions. Because many foods
come from related plant and animal species, which contain cross-reacting
substances, a person may suffer an allergic reaction from a food he has never
eaten.
The following diet excludes all wheat and wheat products.
This includes any wheat flour (cake, whole wheat, etc.), graham flour, wheat
germ, bran, farina, bread crumbs, cracker meal, or flour used as a thickening
agent. To eliminate wheat completely, you must read labels before you purchase
any commercially prepared food.
|
Types and Amounts of Food |
Include |
Omit |
Soups
As desired |
Bouillon, broth, consommé
Cream soups made with allowed ingredients and thickened with cornstarch or
rice flour |
Soups containing noodles, alphabets, dumplings, spaghetti, or
thickened with with wheat flour |
Meat and Meat Substitutes
2-3 servings
(5 oz total) |
Beef, ham, liver, lamb, pork, veal, chicken, turkey
Fish, cheese, peanut butter “ All Meat” wieners or luncheons meat
Dried beans or peas
Eggs |
Floured or breaded meat or poultry
Meats containing fillers such as meatloaf, wieners, bologna, luncheon meat
|
Potato and Potato Substitutes
2 or more servings
(¼ cup each) |
White or sweet potatoes, rice |
Noodles, macaroni, spaghetti
Potatoes or ice prepared with wheat flour, such as escalloped potatoes |
Vegetable
2 or more servings
(¼ cup each) |
All
Any prepared with allowed Flours (include 1 serving dark-green or
deep-yellow vegetable daily for a source of vitamin A) |
Vegetables breaded or prepared with wheat flour
|
Breads
3 or more servings |
Breads made from arrowroot, corn, rice, rye, potato, barley,
oat flour
Ry-Krisp®Rice sticks |
Bread or bread crumbs made from wheat flour
Wheat crackersDoughnuts, muffins, biscuits, rolls,
dumplings, pancakes, French toast
Bread and cracker stuffing
Rye bread or cornbread with wheat flour |
Cereals
1 or more servings
(1 cup each) |
Cereals made from corn, oats, or rice and to which no wheat
has been added in manufacture |
Cereals containing wheat |
Fats
3 or more servings
(1 teaspoon each) |
Butter, margarine, cream, vegetable oil, shortening, lard
Pure mayonnaise, gravy made with cornstarch |
Commercially prepared salad dressings thickened with wheat
flour
Commercial gravy, gravy made with wheat flour |
Fruits and Fruit Juices
2 or more servings
(¼ cup each) |
Fresh, frozen or canned fruits
Fruit juice (include 1 serving citrus fruit or juice daily for a source of
vitamin C) |
Strained fruits with added fruits |
Desserts
In moderation |
Custard, fruit ice, gelatin, cornstarch or rice pudding
Homemade cookies, cake, pie, from allowed ingredients
Homemade ice cream, sherbet, popsicles |
All products made with wheat flour: cake, cookies, pie.
pastries, ice cream cones
Commercial ice cream, sherbets
FrostingPrepared mixes, packaged puddings |
Milk
3 or more servings
(8 oz each) |
Homogenized, low fat, skim, Evaporated or dry milk powder,
Buttermilk |
None |
|
Beverages |
Water as desired
Weak tea, carbonated beverages, fruit drinks |
Postum
Beer, whiskey |
|
Miscellaneous |
Salt (iodized), sugar, honey, jelly, syrup, hard candy,
chocolate, cocoa
Catsup, mustard, pepper, spices, herbs
Pickles, olives, popcorn, vinegar, cornstarch |
Sauces thickened with wheat flour
Pretzels
Accent®
Many commercial candies contain wheat products: candies
with cream centers, prepared chocolates, some brands of yeast, soy sauce
(read label) |
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Substitutions
If your allergy is limited to wheat flour, you may be able to
substitute other types of flour in cooking and baking.
Substitutions for 1 tablespoon of wheat flour:
½ tbsp cornstarch
½ tbsp potato starch flour
½ tbsp arrowroot starch
½ tbsp rice flour
2 tsp quick-cooking tapioca
Substitutions for 1 cup of wheat flour
½ cup barley flour
1 cup corn flour
¾ cup oatmeal (coarse)
1 scant cup cornmeal (fine)
5/8 cup (10 tbsp) potato flour
7/8 cup rice flour
1-¼ cup rye meal
1-¼ cup ground rolled oats
Combinations of these flours can also be substituted for 1 cup
of wheat flour and often results in a better product than one flour:
½ cup rye flour + ½ cup potato flour
2/3 cup rye flour + 1/3 cup potato flour
5/8 cup (10 tbsp) rice flour+ 1/3 cup rye flour
1 cup rye flour + ¾ cup potato starch
(Soy flour must always be combined with another flour)
Helpful Hints:
- When baking, wheat
substitutes often require longer and slower baking times.
- Coarse flours and meals require more leavening than wheat flour: use 2-½ tsp
of baking powder for each cup of coarse flour.
- Wheat flour substitutes are often better when used to make smaller portions
such as muffins and biscuits, rather than loaves of bread or cakes.
- Use dry cereals such as rice flakes or corn flakes for breading chicken,
chops, and fish.
Brand names are used for clarification only and do not constitute an
endorsement. |
