About

Hi!  I love eating and have a wheat allergy.  Here's my (long-winded) story:

Background
Last year, I contracted food poisoning twice within the span of a couple months.  I had only had food poisoning once prior to these occurrences, and I still am not sure what triggered the incidents.  Although I recovered quickly, I wasn't able to consume food like I did before the illnesses.  It seemed like everything I ate caused severe stomach cramps that made it difficult to concentrate in meetings after lunch or various social gatherings.  I was very stressed out from work and grad school, so I assumed the cramps were caused by stress and lack of sleep.

Diagnosis
When I informed my general physician during my annual physical two months after the food poisoning, she was very concerned that I had chronic cramps after eating and suggested I get a blood test for allergies.  I was extremely surprised when the results indicated I had a high allergy to wheat.  

I know there are some articles that question the accuracy of the RAST test, but the results indicated severe allergies to food I already knew I was allergic to prior to taking the test.  Peanuts were in the highest band for severity per the RAST test, and I experienced textbook reactions during the unfortunate incidents I've had after accidentally eating something with peanuts.

I was taken aback by the wheat results--I loved starchy food (cake, cookies, fresh bread, flour tortillas, and so much more...) and indulged in anything .  My doctor said that food poisoning can trigger the development of allergies and suggested I go for a month without eating anything with wheat.  I cut out the wheat from my diet and the cramps went away.

Outcome
I've been wheat free for about a year and a half and haven't looked back.  I've heard that one can grow out of allergies, but I haven't felt the need to experiment with reintroducing wheat for fear of the stomach cramps.

I started this blog to help others with wheat allergies (or those looking to make a lifestyle change) find edible, gluten-free options.