So after we discovered W's wheat allergy I had several people ask me if we were going to go totally gluten-free. I wasn't sure at the time, but knew that we would likely lean that direction since the options for gluten free living are so much more abundant these days and it seems like wheat cross contamination can be prevalent with other types of grains.
And then...there was a beautiful purple baby food pouch that called to me. I know that this sounds ridiculous, and it is. It can be frustrating when you stand in the baby food isle and consistently pick up the same three or four pouches, but still look at every single one because "There have to be more that he could eat," or "Maybe they changed the ingredients." When so little is available to your child, excitement takes over when you find something new that contains none of his current food allergens.
Read the label and there it was, barley. The main grains that cause issues in Celiac and gluten intolerance are wheat, barley, rye and spelt (as discussed in my earlier post Wheat vs. Gluten). We have the wheat allergy confirmed, so do we try it and see? How much like wheat is it? He can have oats, so why not barley? Questions, questions, questions! Doubt, guilt, fear!
I am quite often psyching myself out of so much when it comes to W, but fear that all my incessant worries will indeed end him up in a bubble, a la that horrid Jake Gyllenhall movie. So I allowed the newness and purpleness to win over (really people, they spend countless dollars on making the packaging appealing enough that I would eat it!) W really love it, but I am afraid that it just didn't love him, and back up it came within minutes.
Since all of the other ingredients were things that W had successfully eaten in the past, I am pointing the finger at barley until we can confirm with our allergist. In light of all of this and deciding to embrace my sometimes neurotic intuition, we will be going gluten-free and for now we will beware of the barley!
The journey of one family to take control over food allergies and answer the question, "What Does He Eat?"
Showing posts with label food allergy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food allergy. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
Wheat vs. Gluten
I myself have been very confused since W's wheat allergy diagnosis. Does he have to go gluten free?
Is something that is labeled gluten-free guaranteed to be wheat-free by definition? So I got to reseaching.
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, but is also found in other grains such as barley, rye, and spelt. There seem to be differing opinions as to whether or not oats belong in the gluten category as well.
The difference between Gluten-free and Wheat-free
W's diet will require food items to be wheat-free as his allergy is to wheat, not to gluten. Good news for us is that he can eat foods labeled gluten-free as any gluten-free food will also be wheat-free (ingredient/label reading will likely still prevail). The reverse, however, is not true in that wheat-free may still contain gluten from additional sources listed above.
The recent influx of gluten-free items into the food market have made the lives of those living with Celiac disease rejoice, and I have just jumped onto their bandwagon! It has certainly seemed easier to find substitutions and alternatives to wheat by looking to gluten-free products.
The Controversial Oat
Before I even began to look at gluten-free products for W, I searched and searched for a wheat-free Oatmeal on the regular store shelves to no avail. They all either listed wheat as an ingredient or included the dreaded bold, "OATS MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF WHEAT" at the bottom.
As I started to search online for "wheat-free oats" I came across lots of information about oat/wheat cross contamination. "Pure Oats," which seem rather hard to find, are those grown, milled and processed exclusive of any other grain types and are thus able to be certified as gluten-free (and thus, wheat-free!)
I found Glutenfreeda Oatmeal at our local Whole Foods Market. It is available in six different flavors such as Maple Raisin with Flax, Banana Walnut with Flax, and also in a variety pack.
With its fabulously simple ingredient list (gluten-free oats, brown sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, ground flax, salt) that was devoid of any other allergens, we chose the Strawberries and Brown Sugar with Flax Oatmeal.
Not only did W love it, but I sneaked a bite and was impressed. I am an old fashioned Quaker Apples and Cinnamon girl myself, so I wondered if it would hold up to the standard. I know that oatmeal is not usually something to write home about, but what I liked was that this oatmeal did not skimp on the fruit and it didn't have any of that artificial flavor/sweetener taste that you get with others. The sweet taste came from the strawberries and brown sugar alone.
- See more at: http://www.glutenfreeda.com/our-products/oatmeal/strawberry/#sthash.yuMFwTCZ.dpuf
- See more at: http://www.glutenfreeda.com/our-products/oatmeal/strawberry/#sthash.yuMFwTCZ.dpuf
So this was step one into our wheat-free world, and so far, it seems that this might be one allergen with good options for replacements and substitutions. My next plan of attack will be to make some gluten-free/wheat-free granola. I'll keep you posted.
UPDATE:
I must make a confession, that when I get excited about a food with safe ingredient list, that I jump on it. While on this new journey, I am constantly having to take a few steps back, stop and re-check. Twice this week I have found foods in my cabinet that could be unsafe. The first, a baby food pouch of fruit and grain (oats) that also contained trace amounts of wheat. Fortunately, we didn't feed that to him. The second, unfortunately was the oatmeal. It is processed in a facility that also uses tree nuts, dairy, eggs and soy. Luckily for us, there was no reaction with the bit that he ate.
Like with anything new, we make mistakes and learn. We try our best to keep W safe, and I hope that any lesson learned will never be learned the hard way.
Is something that is labeled gluten-free guaranteed to be wheat-free by definition? So I got to reseaching.
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, but is also found in other grains such as barley, rye, and spelt. There seem to be differing opinions as to whether or not oats belong in the gluten category as well.
The difference between Gluten-free and Wheat-free
W's diet will require food items to be wheat-free as his allergy is to wheat, not to gluten. Good news for us is that he can eat foods labeled gluten-free as any gluten-free food will also be wheat-free (ingredient/label reading will likely still prevail). The reverse, however, is not true in that wheat-free may still contain gluten from additional sources listed above.
The recent influx of gluten-free items into the food market have made the lives of those living with Celiac disease rejoice, and I have just jumped onto their bandwagon! It has certainly seemed easier to find substitutions and alternatives to wheat by looking to gluten-free products.
The Controversial Oat
Before I even began to look at gluten-free products for W, I searched and searched for a wheat-free Oatmeal on the regular store shelves to no avail. They all either listed wheat as an ingredient or included the dreaded bold, "OATS MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF WHEAT" at the bottom.
As I started to search online for "wheat-free oats" I came across lots of information about oat/wheat cross contamination. "Pure Oats," which seem rather hard to find, are those grown, milled and processed exclusive of any other grain types and are thus able to be certified as gluten-free (and thus, wheat-free!)
I found Glutenfreeda Oatmeal at our local Whole Foods Market. It is available in six different flavors such as Maple Raisin with Flax, Banana Walnut with Flax, and also in a variety pack.
Not only did W love it, but I sneaked a bite and was impressed. I am an old fashioned Quaker Apples and Cinnamon girl myself, so I wondered if it would hold up to the standard. I know that oatmeal is not usually something to write home about, but what I liked was that this oatmeal did not skimp on the fruit and it didn't have any of that artificial flavor/sweetener taste that you get with others. The sweet taste came from the strawberries and brown sugar alone.
 |
| Happy boy with his oatmeal! |
brown
sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, ground flax, salt - See more at:
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/our-products/oatmeal/strawberry/#sthash.yuMFwTCZ.dpuf
Ingredients:
Certified gluten-free oats, brown sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, ground flax, salt- See more at: http://www.glutenfreeda.com/our-products/oatmeal/strawberry/#sthash.yuMFwTCZ.dpuf
Ingredients:
Certified gluten-free oats, brown sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, ground flax, salt- See more at: http://www.glutenfreeda.com/our-products/oatmeal/strawberry/#sthash.yuMFwTCZ.dpuf
UPDATE:
I must make a confession, that when I get excited about a food with safe ingredient list, that I jump on it. While on this new journey, I am constantly having to take a few steps back, stop and re-check. Twice this week I have found foods in my cabinet that could be unsafe. The first, a baby food pouch of fruit and grain (oats) that also contained trace amounts of wheat. Fortunately, we didn't feed that to him. The second, unfortunately was the oatmeal. It is processed in a facility that also uses tree nuts, dairy, eggs and soy. Luckily for us, there was no reaction with the bit that he ate.
Like with anything new, we make mistakes and learn. We try our best to keep W safe, and I hope that any lesson learned will never be learned the hard way.
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