Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

I've meant to post this for a while, since I've had a lot of friends comment, when I told them what was in my food stash, that a LOT of people are allergic to wheat and don't know it, and that alternative grains would be much preferable to wheat just in case of wheat allergies, diagnosed or not. Anyone on here have celiac disease, and if you are, what are you storing as an alternative to gluten-containing grains?

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

How do I know if I'm allergic to wheat or not?

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

Well, with a username of Samwheat, I SURE HOPE NOT.

If you've got wheat allergies, I'd expect serious GI upset/diarrhea/cramping any time you eat a wheat containing product. Some people are so sensitive that food prep facilities (i.e. hospital kitchens) need separate prep areas for wheat/non-wheat products. They can't even toast a wheat bun on the griddle used to cook a burger patty that might go to a wheat/gluten-intolerant patient. There's enough carry-over from the dry bun to the griddle to the burger patty that the patient would be seriously screwed.

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

I am allergic to the gluten in wheat products.

It creates an immune response in me, and gives me arthritis in my hands. I can tolerate some gluten, but f I really pig out on bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits, the pain starts to come back.

For carbohydrates, I consume potatoes, and rice, and some corn. and a little wheat, in that order.

For preps, I could live entirely on rice for carbohydrate, no problem if I had to.
Rice is an excellent poverty food, and it also stores extremely well.

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

Silver Shadow, can you handle barley?

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Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

I don't know Squirrel.
My allergic reaction is to gluten, which I believe only exists in wheat products.
It is only excessive gluten that gives me trouble, I can handle small amounts, which is fortunate.

What common food products contain barley ? I have no idea.

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

Can you eat rice? My sister-in-law has celiac disease. She can't handle much of anything and is stick thin, so thin she's been hospitalized on occasion. She says she can handle a little buckwheat, but not much.

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

Rice and corn are no problem.
I am not sure what other grains are used in various food products. It is only wheat and flour that cause me grief as far as I know.

But like any allergy, peoples responses and sensitivity are different.
So what works for me may not apply to someone else.

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

I for one am not prepping for the general population and therefore could care less how common certain allergies are and how easily I am able to accomodate for those with them. Those who do have special needs have all the more reason to prep (or be prepped for by loved ones).

That said, the articles on wikipedia are fantastic for understanding this topic:
Wheat Allergy
Coeliac disease
Gluten free diet

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

As I recall, experiments with feeding people high-gluten diets showed that most people can eventually become sensitized to it. So the person who has to start subsisting largely on wheat, because that makes up the bulk of their preps, has an increased chance of encountering this problem. I think some diversity in preps is well worth the effort....

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

I read somewhere that ALL folks are allergic to wheat (gluten). It is the severity of the reaction that determines the degree sufficient for a label of "allergic".

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

I am not a medical wonk, or a scientist, (just a humble engineer) but my curiosity has lead to information that "suggests" that babies that are taken off mothers milk very early, can develop a life long intolerance to certain things.
The most common reactions are to cow's milk products, the second most common is to gluten (in wheat). This is highly suggestive, and it may or may not be true, it is just one "theory" that I have read about.

If you are allergic to something, I doubt very much if the suffering required to build up a tolerance is worth the agony.
For me, rheumatoid arthritis in the hands has an extremely painful and debilitating effect.

I am sure if you kept trying you could eventually build up a tolerance to dipping your feet into boiling water. or sleeping on a bed of nails, But why would you want to ????

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

Some grains and flours in a Celiac�s pantry include Rice, corn (maize), soy, potato, tapioca, beans, sorghum, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, arrowroot, flax, and nut flours.

:452:
These grains Celiac�s avoid in any form, even in small amounts: Barley, Rye, Triticale, and Wheat, be it durum, graham, kamut, semolina, or spelt. Malt, malt flavoring or malt vinegars made from barley, are also avoided.

:Surrender:
For a true Celiac the smallest amount of flour can trigger a reaction. For many, the reaction is not tolerable. It can be rash on the skin, but more often, the rash is under the skin, maybe an armpit, and in many cases, a Celiac is wishing their reaction was only a rash they couldn�t scratch instead of intestinal cramping so severe they are doubled over in pain, often in a public venue. Before I was diagnosed I carried a second set of clothing in the car in case the intestines were causing more than cramping.

:36_1_30:
At this time, there is no cure and no medication to mitigate the symptoms. Contrary to earlier posts, one cannot simply eat their way into wheat tolerance; the attempt may be so damaging as to be life threatening and certainly life shortening. Wheat and its flour hide in the strangest places � Taco Bell spreads flour on their shredded cheese to keep it from sticking. McDonalds uses it in their fries for consistency and texture. Kikkoman uses flour in their soy sauce. Some are so sensitive they avoid milk products where the cows graze on wheat grasses and we all stay away from beer.

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

We use Quinoa flour to bake with. Add a little coconut flour and almond meal and the result is a great muffin or loaf.

Quinoa flour, almond meal, coconut flour, ground salba (white chia) seeds, a little ground flax, walnuts, eggs, macadamia oil, agave nectar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. This will give you a very tasty muffin that is full of choice, quality nutrients.

Re: Wheat alternatives are important--lots of people are allergic to wheat/gluten
 

[quote]Silver Shadow, can you handle barley?/QUOTE]

Celiac disease is an intolerance of gliadin and prolamine, two of the amino acids found primarily in gluten. An autoimmune disease, it literally destroys the lining of the small intestine, resulting in malnutrition.

Barley, oats, buckwheat, rye, spelt, kamut, triticale, and of course wheat all contain gluten, and must be avoided entirely by the celiac sufferer.

Wheat allergies may be caused by gluten, but not necessarily, given that wheat and many other cereal grains are grasses, and that grass and pollen allergies are very common. Rye and barley are best avoided by wheat allergy sufferers, but some oats might be okay; spelt and kamut, which are primitive varieties of wheat, might not have the allergens present in modern wheat.

A book I recommend is Grains for Better Health, by Maureen B. Keane and Daniella Chace.