How to Tell If You Have a Wheat Allergy

Food allergies occur when your immune system cannot properly process something you have eaten. People with wheat allergies show an adverse reaction when they have ingested wheat proteins--ingredients found in many types of foods. Recording what you routinely eat and knowing the symptoms of a wheat allergy can help you tell if you are allergic to wheat or perhaps if you have another kind of food intolerance.

Things You'll Need

• Journal

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Instructions

• 1

  Keep a food journal if you think you might have a wheat allergy. Write down everything you eat for each meal and snack, and how you feel during the day. People who have wheat allergies may show symptoms immediately, or hours after they have ingested a wheat protein. Food journals can be an effective diagnostic tool, especially if you will need to begin an elimination diet to determine specific allergens.

• 2

  Recognize the physical signs of a wheat allergy and report them to your doctor if they consistently appear after eating wheat. Your mouth and throat might feel itchy or begin to swell, you might have a runny nose or watery eyes. Gastrointestinal symptoms can include diarrhea, cramps or vomiting.

• 3

  Think about your age when trying to tell if you have a wheat allergy. Allergies of this kind are most common in children younger than the age 5, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you suffer from symptoms consistent with a wheat allergy and are significantly older, it is less likely that you have a wheat allergy. Discuss your situation with your doctor; you may have a type of food intolerance called celiac disease instead.

• 4

  Read food labels to familiarize yourself with terms that indicate wheat proteins on ingredient lists. You may suffer from symptoms and not realize you are actually eating wheat. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America states that terms such as "hydrolyzed vegetable protein," "gelatinized starch," "vegetable gum" and "modified food starch" may not sound like they are wheat, but they may contain wheat proteins.