I've never had any food allergies in the past. Now that I've changed my diet drastically, I've been trying many new things. The other day I was shopping at a grocery store that my boyfriend's cousin works at. He was throwing in weird stuff every time I wasn't looking: baby food, wrapping paper, wine, you name it. I got most of it, except for this package of pita-like tortilla wraps - my boyfriend eats a lot of wraps so I figured he had put them in the cart. Since I had already paid for them I made one for lunch...
My face and neck broke out! I was bright red and not to mention ready to scratch my face off! Then my palms started itching to the point I wanted to cut them off. After checking the package, the only "odd" ingredient was wheat gluten which was in bold print, I guess for a reason. I decided to look some things up about it to share with fellow new vegheads.
Gluten allergy is also sometimes called coeliac disease. The symptoms of the allergy are not at all similar to what I experienced though. The actual disease is related to many abdominal and bowel problems. So was it the gluten I had a problem with? I found on mayoclinic.com that you can have reactions without the disease,
"Signs and symptoms of wheat allergy range from mild to severe and can include skin reactions, congestion and digestive issues. Rarely, wheat allergy can cause anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction." It's one of the top eight food allergies as well.
Many people are aware of allergic reactions to nuts, soy, etc., but does anyone have further knowledge on gluten?
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