Have just been emailed this little gem as part of the BBCi's Lifestyles Newsletter:
Wheat Intolerance
Jane Clarke
BBCi Healthy Eating
It seems that the wheat-free diet has become the latest in thing. Growing numbers of people are avoiding bread, pasta and other concentrated sources of this staple crop for a variety of reasons, including warding off spots, stomach aches, bloating, headaches and athlete's foot, as well as banishing the excess pounds. But is wheat intolerance simply a fad?
Many people who have a wheat-free diet feel better as a result, although this may be for psychological, rather than physiological, reasons. That having been said, some people certainly do have a serious allergy to wheat and the gluten that it contains, such as those who have been diagnosed as suffering from coeliac disease, an increasingly common condition that affects the intestine and its absorption of food. The symptoms of coeliac disease include stomach aches, weight loss, bloating, general weakness and diarrhoea, and if you suspect that you have it, it's important to consult your doctor, who can carry out a simple blood test to ascertain whether this is so. If you do receive this diagnosis, you may be encouraged to hear that once you've cut the offending gluten from your diet your gut will recover and you shouldn't suffer further.
I'd like to clear up any misunderstanding about the difference between gluten and wheat. Gluten is the protein that is present in wheat, barley and rye, so if you're told to avoid gluten, you'll need to steer clear of all such grains, along with pasta, breakfast cereals, pastries, other flour-containing foods, such as pizzas and certain sauces, and oats. You should also check the labels of all processed foods or drinks for the presence of gluten (contact the Coeliac Society, PO Box 220, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP11 2HY, for an excellent information pack that includes a list of gluten-free products). Although gluten-free ranges of pasta are available, you won't need to buy them if you stick to what I call a 'pure' diet of unprocessed fish, meat, dairy produce, eggs, pulses and rice. Indeed, living with coeliac disease needn't blight your life as long as you enjoy a varied diet and are vigilant about checking that any food that has been prepared by someone else, be it an individual, a restaurant or a manufacturer, doesn't contain gluten.
If you don't have coeliac disease, but find that you feel better when you avoid gluten- or wheat-containing foods, note that it may be the wheat, and not the gluten, that is the culprit, which means that you may be able to tolerate rye, barley and oats, and even a little pasta or bread, as long as you don't each too much of them. Try, for instance, having the occasional bowl of spaghetti or slice of bread to see how your body reacts to it. If you feel OK, celebrate, because as far as I'm concerned, pasta and bread are two of the most delicious and versatile of foods, and it would be a shame to deprive yourself of them needlessly.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/healthyeating/jc_wheat.shtml
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... although this may be for psychological, rather than physiological, reasons.
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Hmmmmmmmm, so my IBS and indigestion prior to low carbing and giving up wheat was all my imagination
Is wheat intolerance simply a fad?
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