Do you have a wheat intolerance? Or could it be something else?
Two thirds of my clients last week suspected they had a wheat intolerance. How many of them were actually affected by wheat? None!
I am no longer surprised when a client rolls up , and says that he rarely eats wheat or gluten. Wheat and gluten-free products are big business. And any article [magazine, internet, newspaper] written on food intolerance will state wheat and gluten to be very common intolerances. And even GPs will suggest wheat avoidance to get rid of troublesome symptoms as varied as irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, headaches and migraine.
How come? When I test people I find less than 1% of my clients have a wheat intolerance. So far in the whole of 2016 only 3 people out of 457 were wheat /gluten intolerant, and one of those was a diagnosed coeliac.
There are several possible reasons…
- Wheat can be hard to digest. If someone’s gut is upset by a regularly consumed food or drink, wheat containing foods may well give symptoms. But the person does not have a wheat intolerance. Last week 50% of those came to me for testing suspecting they had a wheat intolerance were actually reacting to their frequently used hot drinks, [tea, coffee and green tea], and not to wheat at all.
- When someone changes from normal bread to ‘Free From’ wheat and gluten free bread they happen coincidentally to avoid soya. Soya flour is in nearly all ‘normal ‘ breads. 25% of my clients who suspected wheat intolerance last week were actually reacting to the soya flour in the ‘normal’ bread, and not to wheat.
- Another 25% were reacting to yeast, all cheeses and all yogurts. These people had noticed symptoms after eating bread and pasta, and therefore assumed a wheat intolerance. But their actual reaction was to the yeast in the bread, and the cheese eaten with the pasta.
- Sometimes the adverse reaction is to an additive in bread. The commonly used additives are E282, Calcium Proprionate, and E471, E472, mono and diglycerides of fatty acids. If a person swaps ‘normal’ bread containing E282 for a gluten free bread containing E471 [or vice versa] and feels better, he will presume that wheat was his problem.
To conclude
Less than 1% of people I test have a wheat intolerance, despite the plethora of reports stating it is very common.