Wheat allergy is a very common food allergy in children and this happens when the immune system mistakenly identifies the proteins and wheat as harmful and triggers an allergic reaction. Symptoms in this particular case will range from mild to intense including skin rashes, digestive issues, and difficulty in breathing and in rare cases life-threatening problems will also be there. So, managing wheat allergy in kids will be very important for individuals by paying attention to their diet, lifestyle and medical care. If your child has been diagnosed with wheat allergy then you definitely never have to panic because with the right strategies you can ensure that they will be leading a very safe, healthy and happy life but you need to consult the paediatric gastroenterologist right from the beginning for this. Following are the most important tips that you need to take seriously for managing wheat energy in kids
- Understanding the symptoms of wheat allergy: Having a clear idea about the signs and symptoms associated with wheat allergy will be very important for people because this is the very first step to managing things effectively. Common symptoms of this case will be skin reactions, digestive issues, respiratory symptoms and difficulty in breathing as an intense reaction. If the child is showing any of these reactions, then you should seek medical help immediately as soon as possible without any problem.
- Consulting the allergy specialist and getting the things tested: The paediatric allergy specialist will be performing the allergy testing including the skin prick test, blood test and the oral food challenge. Things in this case will be undertaken in the medical setting where the small amount of wheat will be given under the supervision of a pediatric gastro specialist and the testing will be done with the motive of confirming the diagnosis and determining the intensity of the wheat allergy.
- Reading the labels very carefully: Since wheat is a very common ingredient in majority of the food items, you always need to have a clear idea about the ingredient labels before actually purchasing the products. Watching out for the hidden sources of wheat like bread, pasta, cereals, baked goods, cake, cookies, sauces, soup and flavoured chips is important so that things are very well sorted out. Ideally, you should purchase products which are free from gluten so that you can avoid any kind of allergic reaction without any problem.
- It is important to find safe alternatives to wheat: Replacing wheat in the diet of your child will be very much easier than before because all things in this case will be going to tasty alternatives. Some of the common alternatives in this case will be rice, oats, millets, corn and the other associated options including bajra and jowar. All of these alternatives will be helpful in making sure that your child will be getting the necessary nutrients without any exposure to the wheat and further things will be sorted out. Eventually, the kids will have easy access to nutritious meals based on Indian cooking without any problem.
- It is important to plan a wheat-free meal menu: Wheat allergy-friendly meal plan will always make sure that the child will be getting a balanced diet without any feeling of restrictions further the ideas in this particular case will be based upon including oats and Poha in breakfast, rice with Dal and vegetables in lunch, roasted Makhana and snacks and Grilled chicken with veggies in dinner. All of these options will definitely provide you with the best possible element of support in terms of creating a wheat-free menu and further support the concept of meal planning without any problem. This will be helpful in streamlining things very successfully right from the beginning.
- Making your kids aware of the allergic symptoms: As the child grows, they will be also capable of understanding the basic nature of allergy and how to handle it. Teaching them how to recognise unsafe food items and say No if they are unsure, ask before eating anything offered by others and remain medically aware of their condition is important. Informing the teachers, friends and caregivers about the wheat allergy of kids is also very important so that they will be very safe in schools, birthday parties and other social gatherings. This will be helpful in making sure that there won’t be any kind of adverse scenario for the kids at any point in time.
- It is important to focus on proper packaging in tiffin for school and travelling: At the time of sending your kids to school or on trips, packing homemade wheat-free snacks is important so that there is no scope for any kind of accidental exposure at any point in time. Some of the good options in this particular case will be the homemade granola bars with nuts and seeds, rice cakes, millet cookies, fruit and yoghurt options and other associated things based upon hummus with vegetable sticks. Informing the school staff about the allergies of the kids is very important so that monitoring of the meals will be very well carried out and your kids will never be under exposure at any point of time intentionally or unintentionally.
- It is important to pay attention while dining out: Eating out could be a very tricky concept in itself but it will be very much streamlined when you will be proceeding with careful planning. Before planning a visit to any of the restaurants it is important for you to call ahead and ask about the wheat-free options, informing the waiter and chef about the allergy is important so that you can simply avoid the food items which are having wheat in them. Further choosing simple and whole food items including grilled meat, vegetable and rice-based dishes will be important so that things are sorted out and accommodation with allergies becomes very easy.
Apart from the points mentioned above, remaining in touch with the Gastro specialist and the gynecologist Hyderabad will be very much recommended for the parents so that everyone will be able to create the best possible action plan which can be shared with the teachers, babysitters and other family members to ensure quick response whenever required. Hence managing the wheat allergy in kids will always require the people to focus on a combination of awareness, diet management and safety precautions so that everyone will be able to enjoy delicious and nutritious meals every day.
