Why is Cream of Wheat OK but not any other wheat??

[Shelsi]

Ok so I started off on a TED about 4 mos ago for dd and have been slowly introducing things. One of the first things I tried was wheat. I needed some more breakfast type stuff so I added in cream of wheat and she had no reaction Ok so then I went and got some 100% whole wheat spaghetti, it had no other ingredients, and started eating that and she reacted. Confused I stopped eating the spaghetti but kept eating the cream of wheat and her reaction stopped. So I just stayed off wheat and just decided to re-visit it later. So here I am about 2-3 mos later, still eating the cream of wheat just fine btw, and I decide to try wheat again. This time I find a whole wheat bread who's other ingredients have been tried and passed. And again she reacts with rosy rough cheeks, a red bum, and possibly extra fussy although there are some other factors that could be causing the fussiness.

So what's the deal? I realize cream of wheat is probably pretty processed but so was the bread most likely. It came from a bakery but still, it's not like I made it, ya know? I just don't understand. And it's such a bummer to be able to eat bread for a few days and then have to go off it again. I'm a huge bread lover and I was excited that I would be able to make pita chips, breads, possibly even pancakes, etc. It really would have broadened what I can eat and made me a happier person.

[chlobo]

Shelsi,

I have no advice but I was wondering how you are doing?? How is the baby?

[alysmommy2004]

Could it be eggs? I get hives from eggs, usually just raw, but I have had a reaction to cooked eggs on occasion, so has my DH who is also allergic.

[Shelsi]

Originally Posted by chlobo

Shelsi,

I have no advice but I was wondering how you are doing?? How is the baby?

She's doing a lot better with me on the diet. She also has outgrown one of her sensitivities. Originally she was allergic/sensitive to corn, dairy, wheat(?), eggs, oats, and strangely avocado. Also her rice could only be one certain brand I think because of corn contamination. She outgrew the oat allergy so I am starting to go through all her known allergens again to see if any others have been outgrown as well. That would be so cool.

Originally Posted by alysmommy2004

Could it be eggs? I get hives from eggs, usually just raw, but I have had a reaction to cooked eggs on occasion, so has my DH who is also allergic.

Yes, she is allergic to eggs but there weren't any eggs in what I ate.

[Chinese Pistache]

Could it be that she tolerates wheat in small amounts and when you introduced a second wheat product, she reached her threshold and reacted? Were there any other ingredients in common between the bread and spaghetti (including what you may have put in the pasta)?

[Shelsi]

Originally Posted by Chinese Pistache

Could it be that she tolerates wheat in small amounts and when you introduced a second wheat product, she reached her threshold and reacted? Were there any other ingredients in common between the bread and spaghetti (including what you may have put in the pasta)?

I thought about this too but I haven't been eating cream of wheat lately, maybe just once a week if that because she over came her oatmeal sensitivity and I much prefer that for breakfast. Plus when I first added in the wheat using cream of wheat I was still on an extremely restricted diet and I was so happy to have something else that I probably ate 3+ bowls a day for the first week and she was fine. It just has me completely scratching my head over it.

I went out and found a different bread. This one has even fewer ingredients and uses sprouted wheat. So we'll see what happens with this one. Her cheeks aren't all red anymore but her butt is still fairly red.

[changingseasons]

:

I'm really curious about this too. I actually used Cream of Wheat as my wheat 'challenge' on my TED, and it seemed fine for me and DD. But since then, I've gotten a pretty big stomach ache after eating other wheat items- like tortillas. We were both just tested, and it turns out that I'm the one with a gluten sensitivity. But Cream of Wheat never bothered me either. weird.

[Ruthla]

Maybe she's reacting to wheat bran or wheat germ- ie something in the "whole wheat" that's not present in the "refined wheat". Have you tried "regular" white pasta?

Bakery bread could very easily be contaminated with corn. Cornmeal is often used to keep bread dough from sticking to pans, and isnt' always listed as an ingredient.

[Shelsi]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

Maybe she's reacting to wheat bran or wheat germ- ie something in the "whole wheat" that's not present in the "refined wheat". Have you tried "regular" white pasta?

Bakery bread could very easily be contaminated with corn. Cornmeal is often used to keep bread dough from sticking to pans, and isnt' always listed as an ingredient.

Nope haven't tried regular "white" pasta. If I tried it and she was OK with it would that mean that it's probably like you suggested and wheat bran or germ that might be causing the issue? That would be interesting. I'd get to eat white bread, white pasta, etc. All the unhealthy stuff lol. Not that I'd mind at this point in time, I'm so sick of my current very limited selection of foods.

[kjbrown92]

Possibly a reaction to the yeast in the bread? (but the theory on the wheat bran sounds good for the spaghetti reaction)

[Sweetjane]

Most pasta is produced on shared equipment or at the least shared facility with egg. This is because most of those comapnies also make egg noodles. Bread is almost always cross contaminated with seeds or egg. Maybe there was some cross contamination reaction? DS is very allergic to eggs, nuts and seeds and even though we are trying gluten now, I can not find a wheat pasta or bread that I am comfortable giving him.

Good luck!