My wife has been diagnosed with celiac disease or wheat allergy.Our entire lifestyle has changed as she cannot eat wheat products at all. Only rice is used at home. Even though rice is good for my wife, it has heped me put on unhealthy weight thanks to preponderance of carbohydrates.
My daughter and I eat wheat outside the home in restaurants.
Large-scale consumption of white rice causes nutritional difficulties ultimately.
I hope that there is a cure for wheat allergy.
There is no real cure for wheat allergy just as there are no real cures for most allergies. While some allergies can be overcome by exposure therapies or antihistaminergic medications, this is not true for celiac disease (also known as Celiac Sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy). It is actually an allergy to gluten, which is found in rye, barley, oats, and wheat. Because it is hereditary for ~10% of people, your daughter should be aware of any gastrointestinal symptoms that she may have in response to the food items mentioned above, especially after she passes 20 years of age.
I'm afraid changing foods is the only lifelong solution to dealing with this condition. While steroids can modulate the immune system to diminish allergy activity, they wreak havoc on our bodies and cause illness by modulating the immune system and have to be used carefully and as a last resort.
As for dealing with your own diet, you should know that rye, barley, oats, and wheat are all carbohydrates just like rice!! You shouldn't worry as much about carbohydrates as you do about all the things you eat. Carbohydrates are a very important source of energy for our bodies but just as with anything you shouldn't overdo it. It is best to try and have a diet that incorporates calories from fat, protein, and carbohydrates that do not total more than you need per day. Here is a list of foods that do not contain gluten and are good for you:
Apples
Bananas
Pears
Grapes
Cherries
Strawberries
Plums
Nuts
Beans
Potatoes
Onions
Cucumbers
Zucchinis
Squash
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Peppers
Cheese (low-fat)
Fish
Chicken
Turkey
Lean pork
Lean beef (in moderation)
But yes, if you only eat white rice you will have problems. However, your wife's condition is no reason to avoid all the healthy foods listed above.
For more reading on celiac disease, go here: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/celiac_sprue/article_em.htm I find that it's all about the alternatives, potatoe bread can be pretty good for instance, lots of soy based products are out there as well. My husband leads a gluten free lifestyle if you need any ideas or recipes let me know.
They are working on a new enzyme, I believe derived from a fungus, that will allow celiacs to eat gluten again. It is a good idea to stay off the gluten since malnutrition and even lymphoma can result. I know it is a big pain. Diet is all pervasive, we do eat everyday, well, at least I do
i dont eat gluten and at first it was really hard to get used to not grabbing bread for convenience, but now after 1 1/2 years I cant imagine eating it! The hardest part is that gluten/wheat hides in almost all packaged foods. So you have to be really careful about what you buy. I eat everything from scratch and enjoy an organic wholefoods diet, and I dont miss wheat/gluten at all. I am also dairy free and corn free...so that takes away almost everything premade. But I learned to cook with gluten free flours and youd be amazed at how much tastier most things are when you have to get creative! The only thing hard to do with no gluten is make really scrumptious yeast bread......
but with all the other possible foods to eat, with a little practice you wont look back!
good luck,
magicalmama
