Gluten-Free Food Important for Food Allergy Sufferers
The school sessions have begun and that means children, parents and school administrators need to be reminded of the lurking possibility that certain students may suffer from food allergies.
In general, food allergies such as gluten intolerance, wheat allergies and celiac (or coeliac) disease, an autoimmune disease that can damage the small intestine, is possible in the United States according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.
Chicago-area paper, ElmLeaves, ran a timely story this week about the need for those allergic to glutens to be wary.
Those with celiac disease cannot ingest gliadin, a subprotein of gluten according to a pediatric and adult allergist and immunologist consulted for the article in the Chicago area. Intestinal swelling can result in an interference with the absorption of nutrients due to the antibody to gliadin that is produced.
Food allergies are more prevalent than most people think.
According to The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, from 1997-2002, for example, peanut allergies doubled in children - and now over 4% of the U.S. population has some form of food allergy.
Symptoms of celiac disease can be diarrhea, abdominal bloating and pain according to the Elm Leaves article. The only treatment for sufferers is a gluten-free diet.
Wikipedia notes that dermatitis herpetiformis sufferers also need to adhere to the gluten-free regimen which it says may include certain grains and starch sources such as maize, potatoes, rice, and tapioca (derived from the cassava).
Gram flour, which comes from chickpeas, is also gluten-free.
The good news for some children who have food allergies is that it is possible they will grow out of it.
Terry Lutin, Morrison Healthcare Food Services’ clinical nutrition manager at Chandler Regional Medical Center, says on AZCentral.com that “By the time children are 7 years old, most of them outgrow allergies to milk, wheat, and soy, but they generally do not outgrow allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shell fish.”
September 3, 2008 – 9:45 pm