DD diagnosed as being allergic to wheat - anyone else out there?

[CuppaTeaAndAJammieDodger]

DD has just been diagnosed with being wheat intolerant (not celiac) - I've bought out the local sainsburys wheat free range but have already tripped up by buying fruit flakes (a favourite treat of hers) which I thought were wheat free but turn out to use gluten free wheat fibre (serves me right for assuming).

I feel terrible for her as she's only 3 (almost 4) and will find it difficult to accept that she can't have the same food as her peers, especially when it comes to birthday parties/treats.

Any advice, recipes etc. would be gratefully received.

Hello and welcome! Just need to clarify one thing first as the title of your post says allergic to wheat but then you say that your DD is wheat intolerant. Allergies and intolerances are not the same thing but unfortunately these days many people use the two words as though they are interchangeable. My DS (nearly 5) is allergic to wheat (among other things), if he eats it he very quickly vomits, gets red and itchy, has difficulty breathing and could go into anaphylactic shock. My DD (11) is coeliac which is a bit more like an intolerance (even though it's really an autoimmune disease), if she eats gluten she gets a bad tummy, feels rubbish, looks pale, has no energy etc (plus it damages her bowel). The affect on daily life though is basically the same for both of kids, there are lots of things they can't eat, we have to read ingredients lists very carefully, they have to take their own food to parties etc. It's not easy but it is possible and it does get better over time. Your DD is young enough that it will simply become part of her life and she won't really know any different. I'm not saying she won't get fed up, frustrated or angry sometimes as this is perfectly normal but hopefully she should adjust quite quickly. To be honest, it's probably harder on you as her mum. I do still get a bit upset sometimes at parties when I see the other kids eating whatever they want but my kids are not bothered.

As you've already discovered, wheat can sneak into lots of things that you just wouldn't expect (like strawberry laces - grrrr!). And you do have to be wary of 'gluten free' products as they sometimes contain Codex wheat starch where the gluten has been removed but the wheat protein still remains. The good news is there are loads of wheat-free alternatives out there these days and there really isn't any need for your DD to go without anything. My DS loves Morrisons freefrom choc chip cookies and Dietary Specials ciapatta rolls. As for cooking at home, make sure you've got cornflour in the cupboard for thickening sauces, gravy etc and buy some Doves farm wheat and gluten free flour for baking. I know she's not coeliac but the Coeliac UK website still has some good advice about what sort of foods to avoid eg soy sauce (beware of Chinese food), some stock cubes & gravy granules, lots of flavoured crisps etc. Good luck and remember it really does get easier, I promise!

Thanks so much for all the useful advice freefrommum - apologies for the misuse of allergic - she is indeed intolerant, i.e. not putting on weight, diarrhoea and stomach pains pretty much constantly. They found that her villi had been damaged in her small intestine (hence the weight thing I guess) and that it's overproducing white cells in the same area which is apparently common in this condition, according to the doc. Am making an appointment to see a dietician but it's nice to know some other mums out there.

That's interesting, I thought damaged villi was a sign of coeliac disease but you say that they said it definitely wasn't that? I have to admit that I know very little about wheat intolerance other than the foods to avoid! Really good that you're seeing the dietician as they should be able to give you lots of advice. The other thing I should have mentioned was the importance of avoiding cross-contamination, eg never use a toaster for DD's wheat free bread unless you use toaster bags otherwise use a clean grill instead, make sure she has her own margarine/jam etc so that no wheat crumbs get in, be very careful eating out because many restaurants/take aways use the same oil for frying battered food as for the chips (McDonald's fries are OK and she could have a plain burger without the bun). My other top tip is Sainsbury's freefrom chicken nuggets from the frozen section, both mine LOVE these! Oh and Heinz beans and sausages are ok (most sausages contain wheat especially cheap ones but these don't, neither do Black Farmer's or Debbie & Andrew's Harrowgate ones).

Great advice freefrom and sorry to hear of the wheat issues cuppa. My ds is allerigc to wheat and suffers like freefrom's. It is tough but it is getting better. I have found the wheat free range widening and the quality improving. Amisa pizza bases are excellent and Genius have recently introduced a range of pretty decent pita bread.

Parties are hard but my son is more than happy with a Lazy Days Foods Tiffin bar or 2 which beats a lot of cake!