Wheat Allergy Diet for Children
General guidelines for wheat allergy
When your child has a food allergy, he or she must follow an allergy-free diet. This means your child can't have the food they are allergic to, or any products containing that food. The items that your child is allergic to are called allergens.
A wheat allergy is the immune system's abnormal response to the protein found in wheat. Wheat products are found in many foods. To stay away from foods that contain wheat, it is important to read food labels. Foods regulated by the FDA must follow the federal Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA). This requires that food labels list wheat in the list of ingredients on products that contain wheat. Some manufactures voluntarily include statements such as "may contain wheat" or "may be made in a facility with wheat."
The lists below may not contain all food and personal care products that could contain wheat. But they can help guide your food decisions. It is up to you to carefully read all food labels.
|
Foods |
Allowed |
Not allowed |
|
Drinks |
Coffee, tea, fruit juices, decaffeinated coffee, carbonated drinks, all milks, cocoa |
Cereal drinks, coffee substitutes Drinks made from wheat products: beer, ale, root beer Instant chocolate drink mixes |
|
Breads & cereals |
Rye crackers, rice wafers Pure corn, rice, arrowroot, barley, potato, or rye bread made without wheat flour or wheat products Cornmeal, cornstarch, soybean flour, barley flour, oat flour, rice flour, potato starch, arrowroot flour Oatmeal, cream of rice, puffed rice, or other cereals made from pure corn, oats, or rice, which have no added wheat |
Whole wheat, enriched, or white bread, rolls, or bread crumbs Graham or gluten bread Donuts, sweet rolls, muffins, French toast, waffles, pancakes, dumplings, bread stuffing, rusk, popovers Prepared mixes for pancakes, waffles, biscuits, breads, and rolls Cornbread, potato, or soybean bread unless made without wheat flour or wheat products Cereals made from farina, wheat, or those with wheat products or malt added Pretzels, crackers Semolina, spelt, or triticale |
|
Desserts |
Custards, Bavarian creams Oatmeal, arrowroot, rice, or rye cookies made without wheat products Cornstarch, tapioca, or rice puddings Water or fruit ices, meringues Gelatin |
Cakes, pastries, commercial frosting, icing, ice cream, sherbet, ice cream cones Cookies, prepared mixes, or packaged pudding containing wheat flour Graham crackers, donuts |
|
Eggs |
Eggs made any way without wheat products |
Souffles or creamed eggs made with wheat products |
|
Fats |
Butter, margarine, animal, or vegetable fats and oils, cream Salad dressings or gravy made without wheat flour or products |
Any salad dressing or gravy thickened with wheat flour or products |
|
Fruit |
All fresh, canned, dried, or frozen fruits, and fruit juices |
Strained fruits with added cereals |
|
Meat, fish, poultry |
Baked, broiled, boiled, roasted, or fried: beef, veal, pork, ham, chicken, turkey, lamb, or fish "All meat" hot dogs or lunch meats made without wheat flour fillers or wheat products |
All breaded or floured meats, meats containing filler, such as meatloaf, frankfurters, sausage, luncheon meats, bologna, or prepared meat patties |
|
Milk & milk products |
Milk, buttermilk, yogurt, cheese, some cottage cheese |
Malted milk, milk drinks containing powdered wheat cereal or products Cottage cheese with modified starch or other wheat-containing ingredients |
|
Potatoes & substitutes |
White and sweet potatoes Rice |
Scalloped potatoes Noodles, spaghetti, macaroni, and other pasta products prepared with wheat or semolina flour |
|
Soup |
Clear bouillon, consomme, or broth Homemade soups made without wheat products |
Cream soups unless made without wheat flour Soups with noodles, alphabets, dumplings, or spaghetti Soup thickened with wheat flour |
|
Sweets |
Corn syrup, honey, jams, jellies, molasses, sugar |
Chocolates, chocolate candy containing malt, candy with cereal extract |
|
Vegetables |
All fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables, and vegetable juices |
Vegetables combined with wheat products Breaded or floured vegetables |
|
Miscellaneous |
Salt, chili powder, condiments, flavoring extracts, herbs, nuts, olives, pickles, popcorn, peanut butter |
Malt products, Worcestershire sauce, gravies thickened with wheat flour Monosodium glutamate (MSG), meat tenderizers containing MSG, prepared Asian food seasoned with MSG, soy sauce |
How to read a label for a wheat-free diet
Stay away from foods that contain any of the following ingredients:
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Bran
-
Bread crumbs
-
Bulgur
-
Cereal extract
-
Couscous
-
Cracker meal
-
Durum, Durum flours (a type of wheat)
-
Einkorn (a type of wheat)
-
Emmer (a type of farro)
-
Enriched flour
-
Farina
-
Flour (all purpose, bread, cake, instant, pastry, self-rising, soft wheat, steel ground, whole wheat)
-
Gluten
-
Graham flour
-
High gluten flour
-
High protein flour
-
Hydrolyzed wheat protein
-
Matzoh, matzoh meal
-
Pasta
-
Seitan
-
Semolina (a type of wheat)
-
Spelt (a type of wheat)
-
Sprouted wheat
-
Triticale (a type of wheat)
-
Vital gluten
-
Wheat bran
-
Wheat durum
-
Wheat germ
-
Wheat gluten
-
Wheat grass
-
Wheat malt
-
Wheat protein isolate
-
Wheat sprouts
-
Wheat starch
-
Whole wheat berries
-
Whole wheat flour
Other possible sources of wheat or wheat products
Ingredients that may mean the presence of wheat protein include the following:
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Gelatinized starch
-
Glucose
-
Gum
-
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
-
Kamut
-
Modified food starch
-
Modified starch
-
Natural flavoring
-
Oats
-
Soy sauce
-
Starch
-
Surimi
-
Textured vegetable protein
-
Vegetable starch
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