A Trial of “Wheat Free” Diet: 
Advice Sheet

Details of a gluten reduced or wheat reduced diet to improve health, Paill Spectrum, immune function, general health and many multiple medical problems .

Dr Xxxxx : Clinical Circumstances are the most likely symptoms to suggest there is a Wheat Protein Allergy.
Blood tests if calibrated for deamidated wheat proteins will be negative except in extreme coeliac grade allergies.

Dr Xxxxx : The wheat protein that you appear allergic to - is called gliaden or more commonly Gluten.

Erasmus : When this condition is BAD, it is called Coeliac (Coeliac) Disease.  Mild wheat allergies not bad enough to be called Coeliac are common and commonly cause micro-nutrient deficiencies of vitamins and minerals in the long-term.
Gluten Sources in the Diet

Kinkajou : To Do a Dietary Test
If you go on the diet, you MUST have 100% commitment.

Erasmus : When you are allergic, most people tell you that even having a teaspoon of wheat per day will make you have symptoms for 1- 4 days.

You need to make your own decision whether the diet helps you.  It is possible that it may not.

 

Erasmus : Cakes, pastries, biscuits are all unfortunately wheat based.

Dr Xxxxx : Good Food? Bad Food? Why?

Wheat Allergy/ Gluten Intolerance in my opinion is present for 1/3 of the population. Coeliac exists for 1/100th of the population.

Dr Xxxxx : Not all food problems are the traditionally accepted ones.  Vegetarian and Vegan diets can be very dangerous if you are wheat allergic, due to malabsorption affecting B12, Folate and Zinc levels. These are critical vitamins affecting immune function.

Dr Xxxxx : Symptoms of Wheat Allergy/ Gluten Intolerance

Gut symptoms: typically bloating, occasional diarrhoea (diarrhoea), wind, cramping.  (Better in 1 week often :-])

Tired, weak, low exercise tolerance e.g. feel heavy if do a run/ jog. 
(Better in 2 weeks often :-]) Other symptoms can take up to two months to show some improvement. 

Notably mood and tiredness symptoms may take up to two months to improve. :-|

I would prefer you try the diet for two months minimum.
You will always get symptoms back if you “bust” on your diet. But the symptoms are not spectacular. They tend to be mild and insidious.

Avoid
Wheat
Rye (maybe)
Barley (Maybe maybe)

Dr Xxxxx : This means you are not allowed to eat:
Wheat or bran cereals, - corn rice oat cereals are generally OK
Bread (except gluten free bread), dark rye bread is generally OK
except for the more severe grades of wheat allergy / gluten intolerance.
Spaghetti, Pasta - Use gluten free or rice pasta. There is chick pea pasta available these days as well.
Biscuits or pastries: You must use gluten free options. However- chocolate is OK, Dairy and yoghurts are OK,  ice cream and ice confection are OK, sweets are OK, fruit is OK, Syrups are OK.

You can eat  
Any Fruits    
Any Vegetables    
Any dairy    
Any meat, fish, chicken, poultry, or egg  

Many people with gluten sensitivity will also have lactose intolerance. It is the gluten sensitivity which has serious consequences to you health. Lactose intolerance is annoying but generally has few health consequences.

You can eat Cereals such as:
Corn.
Rice, Rice Pasta is OK to eat.
Gluten free food or low gluten foods may be OK once you have worked out that the diet makes a difference for you.    
Oats: probably OK, but avoid in the short term. The more allergic you are the more careful you have to be.  Mildly or moderately allergic people get away with some wheat.  i.e. They often have no symptoms.
Copyright Erasmus and Kinkajou

 

Dr Xxxxx : This is a very basic wheat free diet advice sheet. It introduces the basic concepts of Coeliac disease and the rationale for dietary wheat intake restriction. Many patients who are not Coeliac, do tolerate rye and barley (gluten like) proteins without any significant reactions. Wheat allergy or gluten allergy related nutritional problems are responsible for much of (but not all) the harm caused to Paill Spectrum patients. That is why simply taking a multivitamin can make such a difference. :-r

 

Dr Xxxxx : Oats: are probably OK, but avoid them in the short term, Oats cereals are contaminated in the field due to the habit of rotating wheat crops with oat crops.  In addition, at the factory level, wheat cereals may be processed one day and oat cereals another, so the morning batch of oats may be contaminated one morning with gluten, but not the rest of the day.  In the short term, if you are trying to work out whether the diet helps you, best to avoid oats.  In the long term, see what you can get away with.

Erasmus : Traps in Following Coeliac Type Diets
The more allergic you are the more careful you have to be.  Mildly or moderately allergic people get away with some wheat.  i.e. They often have no symptoms.

Sausages: always have cereal fillers: so stick to gluten free.
Tinned Foods: Care as wheat is often used as a thickener.
Malt = Malted Wheat: watch out for corn flakes that can have malt flavour, Milo. This is generally not an important consideration except for high grade allergy patients such as true Coeliac Disease patients.

Minor Risks
Corn flour: Can be made from wheat not corn.  If made from wheat, it is a low gluten product, but not necessarily a gluten free product.
Sauces: e.g. Soy: Wheat flour may be present in the soy sauce as it is used as a thickener in many foods, because it is sticky.
Rice Crackers: can be stuck together using wheat flour as rice is not naturally sticky.
Beer: May be a problem due to the malt content but since a processed food, the gluten content is  probably very very low.
Low Gluten: probably OK for people not too allergic but avoid these foods in the short term.

Goo : "Wheat Free" or "Gluten Free" Diets Sound Really Hard?

Dr Xxxxx : There are many normal type - gluten free foods.  The difficulty lies in that it is many of our snack foods that are gluten based, so the difficulty of undertaking a gluten free diet is amplified. 

Many people have only partial gluten allergies, so it is not so important for this sub-group of patients to avoid wheat or gluten intake to the same extent as true coeliac gluten allergic patients.  In fact, for many patients (not Coeliac), who are gluten allergic, low gluten products are quite adequate to still obtain most of the dietary benefits from this type of diet. 

Erasmus : The traditional meal of meat and three "veges" is gluten free.  Potatoes and pumpkins are of course gluten free.  Fish is of course gluten free also, and a much recommended food: Low GI, High Protein, and Low Fat.

Kinkajou : It is mainly with desserts, Biscuits- pastries- breads that the issue of gluten arises.  Sauces are another failing, but gluten substitution is less difficult here as texture of the sauce is not dependent on gluten to texturize it, in most circumstances.  Check stock cubes are gluten free, when you purchase them.

Kinkajou : Many tinned foods are also often gluten free.  (Check the label).

Kinkajou : Fruit is naturally gluten free.

Kinkajou : Dairy desserts are often gluten free, but you will need to check the labels.  Ice cream is also gluten free (assuming no wheat-based thickeners have been added, so you still need to read the labels. 

Erasmus : Unfortunately, the biggest trap for gluten patients is that although many foods are gluten free, they can be quite high in fat.  High fat intake needs to be avoided as well (for general health, not food allergy reasons), so not all gluten free foods are necessarily good for you.  Frozen fruit ice combos may well be a good substitute to ice cream, and allows the fat content of foods to be better limited.  Yoghurts also make a good low fat ice cream substitute when frozen.

Erasmus : A balanced view of basic dietary principles) Low GI, Low Fat, Good protein intake, Good intake of vitamins and minerals), needs to be achieved. 
Salads of most descriptions will also be gluten free: again check the label on the dressing bottles to make sure they are gluten free.

Erasmus : Rice and gluten free wheat readily replace wheat.  However, gluten is sticky, so texture changes in foods cooked with flour will occur.  If anything rice pasta is easier and quicker to cook than wheat pasta.  Remember, not to boil the rice pasta or it will turn into oozy glop.  Generally, it is better to add hot boiled water and let it stand to tenderize the rice pasta strands.  Tofu can be used to substitute for wheat pasta also in pasta dishes.  Again, there are benefits from low GI, high protein, and low fat.

Kinkajou : Gluten free breads and flours are readily available commercially.  Most patients have considerable difficulty in coping with the high density of gluten free bread.  Some of the corn-substituted breads are very acceptable.  Most people, who consume gluten free bread, prefer to eat the bread toasted, rather than in its natural state.

Goo : There is unfortunately something about wheat that makes you want to eat it.  There has been some discussion in medical circles about the presence of endogenous type opiates (a natural “high” chemical) in wheat flour. 

Also to make your rice pasta have a little more pull or kick, you will need to add a little more flavouring to what you normally would to wheat pasta.

Kinkajou : Where the texture enhancing effects of wheat flour (that allows pastry products to rise), is unimportant, the substitution of gluten free products is of course a lot easier.  Gluten free pizza bases is perhaps the prime example of this.  Curries and pie style baked dishes readily allow gluten free substitutes.

Kinkajou : Most rice or risotto recipes will be gluten free.  It is just a different style of cooking that most people need to get used to. Rice crumbs will readily substitute for Bread crumbs.  Baby rice cereal can be used to lighten gluten free cakes

Kinkajou : Guar gum can be used when making cakes, biscuits, or bread with rice flour.  Add ¼ teaspoon to every cup of rice flour.

Kinkajou : Instead of thickening casseroles with flour, use mashed potato, sweet potato, or pumpkin.  These will enhance flavour and texture.  Adding rice about 20 minutes before the end of cooking the casserole will also allow the texture of the casserole to be thickened.  Most soups can be easily made to be gluten free and can be made to serve hot or cold depending on the season.

Kinkajou : Stevia is a sweet non-sugar sweetener that is approximately 8 times sweeter than sugar.  It can be used to replace glucose derived from wheat starch. It has a different taste to sugar, perhaps a bit much on its own but quite compatible with more complex recipes.

 

Erasmus :
Any of the following terms may indicate the presence of wheat:
Flour
Starch
Thickening
Bran
Wheat germ
Malt
Semolina
Spelt: a traditional or older wheat grain

Erasmus : Gluten free on labels often implies that Soya flour or skim milk have been used to substitute some ingredients.  Most labels contain information on wheat content, but beware terms such as “other”.

Kinkajou : Flour in the Gluten Free World
Gluten free flours
Rice bran
Rice Flour: white or brown
Soy Flour
Maize flour
Corn Meal (Polenta)
Potato Flour
Lentil Flour
Arrowroot Flour
Pure maize (Corn) cornflour
Tapioca flour
Ground nuts or seeds
Pure Bean Flour
Chickpea Flour


Kinkajou : Foods for Thickening Gravy:
Pure cornflour (not wheaten cornflour)
Rice flour
Arrowroot flour
Potato Flour
Sweet Potato Flour
Tapioca
Sago 

 

Kinkajou : Do not eat: (unless gluten free)
Wheat cereals or bran cereals
Bread except gluten free bread
Pasta
Spaghetti
Biscuits
Pastries
Pizza
Batters
Breadcrumbs
Cake mixes
Cakes
Some crispbreads
Some custard or gravy powders
Instant puddings
Mueslis unless gluten free
Packages soups
Sausages or other cold deli style processed meats: cereals are often used as fillers in these foods, often wheat
based fillers.
Stuffing 

Erasmus : It may be “legal” (not necessarily false advertising), to label some foods with gluten-like proteins as gluten free. 

For example, the wheat like proteins in rye or barley, are not called gluten. 

Many people, who are gluten allergic, may be allergic to these foods though. 

Many people who have mild allergies (Not Coeliac grade allergies), may however get away with eating these foods and have no allergy symptoms.

Kinkajou : General Gluten Free Advice
Try to convert all your old recipes into gluten free recipes. Some recipes, especially where they rely on the gluten texturing the dough or pastry when it rises, will not work. Gluten is the sticky stuff that helps baked foods like pastries or cakes or biscuits, not to crumble. It also traps pockets of air, which helps to improve the texture of the baked foods

Obtain some new recipes to replace some lost old recipes. Our ENKPAILL.com site has links to Internet gluten free cooking sites. It also has a smattering of recipes with a commentary to help teach some good dietary habits.

Large parts of the world survive without (gluten) wheaten flour e.g. Asian or Thai or even Mexican Cuisines can be gluten free.

Gelatine and egg whites are an important part of gluten free cooking as they allow binding of ingredients and improve the lightness of the texture of a number of food preparations.

Flaxseed can be used as an egg substitute. Add one part ground flaxseed to 2 parts hot water. ½ part lecithin will help texture. Substitute for eggs on an equivalent volume basis.

Xanthan gum will substitute for guar gum.

White rice cannot be substituted for sweet rice, as it is not sticky enough.

Gluten free breads are better beaten by hand rather than by mixer, as the coarser texture of hand beating retains more air in the mixture.

Care in the use of Potato, bean, arrowroot or tapioca flour.
If the bread is sticky when baked, reduce these further in the next batch.


Gluten Free Self-Raising Flour
2 heaped tablespoons Potato flour
¾ cup of rice flour
½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon of guar gum or Xanthan gum or pre-gel starch
(This item may only be available through specialty suppliers like the Coeliac Association in your area.

Gluten Free Baking Powder
¼ cup of Bicarbonate Soda (Baking Soda)
½ cup of cream of tartar
Mix well and keep in an airtight container.

Flour Combinations
2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup of potato flour, 1.3 cup tapioca flour
½ cup Soya flour & ½ cup corn starch (Maize corn flour)
½ cup Soya flour & ½ cup potato flour
½ cup Soya flour & ½ cup rice flour
½ cup Soya flour, ¼ cup potato flour, and ¼ cup rice flour
Bean flour, tapioca flour or starch, chickpea flour, arrowroot flour or starch, sorghum flour can all be used as flour substitutes in the above formulas.

Care re your Soya flour. Some have milder flavours and some have some quite strong flavours, that may be unacceptable to people.

Some people have used unsweetened apple sauce instead of oil in recipes. It makes the food generally moist, though it can be a little heavy.

There is a type of rice flour called glutinous rice flour. It can help to put the stickiness back in food. The glutinous rice flour still tends to make the baked foods a little heavy, so experiment with additions of soy flour,
potato flour and normal rice flour.

Gluten Free Pastry
60g of corn flour
¾ cup milk powder
1 ½ cups of coconut
120 g of melted margarine, preferably omega 3 enriched.

Gluten Free Daily Bread           
I prefer to use a packet mix and add rice bran
I have used a bread maker with its own recipe for gluten free bread and have tried different packet mixes.  The packet mix that I prefer is “BASCO” gluten free bread mix, purchased in health stores or supermarkets, (supermarkets with a well-stocked health section).  I have only been able to buy rice bran in health stores.

 
To the packet “BASCO” bread mix add
3 level teaspoons of rice mix: mix well with a mixer
Follow the packet instructions but add about two extra tablespoons of water to balance the addition of the rice bran.
Pour the finished mix into a loaf tin, ready to bake.
Brush a little milk across the surface and then sprinkle with sesame seed across the top, (helps seeds to stick).  Use as many seeds a will cover the surface of the bread.
Make sure the cover foil sheet is well oiled or margarined so that when it is removed according to the packet instructions for the loaf to brown, it will not stick to the loaf.

Options:
Seeds in the dry mix: try ¼ cup of linseed
Mixed fruit in the dry mix: Use ½ cup of mixed fruit + I teaspoon ground cinnamon + one teaspoon of brown sugar
My personal favourite is one cup of grated low fat cheese + ½ cup of dried or fresh chives.  I use chopped garlic chives from the garden.
Be adventurous and try any flavours you think you may like in your bread.  E.g. Mashed pumpkin and pepitas (Pumpkin seeds) OR
Ginger & spices OR
Sliced Olives and Onion Flakes Or
Sun dried Tomato & Basil etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kinkajou : The most common food allergies are:
Gluten
Peanuts
Eggs
Seafood

Lactose or milk is a common intolerance, but most people are not allergic to milk.  Lactose intolerance will cause stomach symptoms only if the tolerance limit for lactose is exceed.  This is an individual issue, tolerances vary.
Peanuts, eggs, and seafood can cause severe, immediate and nasty allergic reactions in allergic people if even trace amounts these food substances are present in cooking.

If you have any allergies, you will need to modify your recipes appropriately.

Stomach irritative symptoms are the most common presentation of gluten allergy or intolerance.  Bloating, diarrhoea, wind, or cramping is common.  Many patients are diagnosed with irritable bowel disease.

 

 

For those people who have a Mould Allergy: Beware
Breads: all brands including Pumpernickel, Sour Dough, and Rolls
Spreads: Vegemite, Marmite
Cheeses: All cheeses including Cottage and Ricotta Cheese, Fetta
Fruits: all dried fruits, grapes, perhaps canned fruits
Meats: corned Beef, Smoked meats of any type
Vegetables: all Mushrooms, all pickled vegetables: cucumbers, gherkins, pickles and olives,
Sauces: Vinegar, Chutneys, Soya Sauce, Tomato [paste and Tomato Sauce, dried herbs
This list is not intended to be complete.

 

 

Kinkajou : What is Wheat and Gluten Intolerance?
Dr Xxxxx : In the case of wheat allergy and gluten intolerance, most people use the terms interchangeably. i.e. They do not make a distinction between allergy and irritation (Intolerance). Many people who are actually gluten intolerant actually DO have a gluten allergy. The allergy is just not severe enough to be labelled as “Coeliac Disease”.

Kinkajou : What is Wheat Allergy?
Dr Xxxxx : Wheat “allergy” is a specific type of immune response. Some people may have “gluten intolerance type allergy” as well as true allergic type symptoms such as rashes, hay fever, asthma or anaphylactic shock, usually occurring within 30 minutes after eating wheat. Anaphylactic shock is the most severe and life threatening true allergic reaction.

Kinkajou : Diagnosis and Testing of Adverse Wheat Reactions
Dr Xxxxx : If you suspect you have a problem with wheat or other grains you should consult your health care practitioner. Gluten intolerance (allergy) is measurable by a blood test. The allergy is just not severe enough to be labelled as “Coeliac Disease”... Testing for wheat allergy, wheat & gluten intolerance and Coeliac Disease is specific. This is crucial in the case of Coeliac Disease, as all gluten-bearing grains need to be avoided to prevent the development of serious health problems.

The newest blood test kits for wheat allergy / gluten sensitivity use a deamidated antigen as the basis of the test and are not useful at all for diagnosing lower grade wheat allergies.

Goo : What do I Eat?

 

Fruit: always gluten free.
Dr Xxxxx : Most people have problems with their diet and cooking, once wheat allergy or gluten intolerance is diagnosed. 

There is a large selection of cook books on the market that offer recipes that are wheat or gluten free. A good source of recipe books is your local library. The local health food shop may have a supply of 'healthy' recipes books and some helpful information on alternatives.

Goo : What is the Difference between Food Intolerance and Food Allergy?

Erasmus : Usually food intolerance means that a person has symptoms related to a food that is consumed or eaten, that is not allergic. An example would be the burning sensation in the mouth that one feels when one eats hot peppers. Another example would be feeling a stomach upset after hot spicy food.

An allergy implies that there is an immune reaction triggered by the food when it enters the body.

Goo : What is wheat allergy?

Dr Xxxxx : Wheat “allergy” is a specific type of immune response. Some people may have “gluten intolerance type allergy” as well as true allergic type symptoms such as rashes, hay fever, asthma or anaphylactic shock, usually occurring within 30 minutes after eating wheat. Anaphylactic shock is the most severe and life threatening true allergic reaction.

Kinkajou : Diagnosis and Testing of Adverse Wheat Reactions
Dr Xxxxx : If you suspect you have a problem with wheat or other grains you should consult your health care practitioner. Gluten intolerance (allergy) is measurable by a blood test. The allergy is just not severe enough to be labelled as “Coeliac Disease”...

Testing for wheat allergy, wheat & gluten intolerance and Coeliac Disease is specific. This is crucial in the case of Coeliac Disease, as all gluten-bearing grains need to be avoided to prevent the development of serious health problems.

The newest blood test kits for wheat allergy / gluten sensitivity use a deamidated antigen as the basis of the test and are not much use at all for diagnosing lower grade wheat allergies.