Saturday, February 25, 2012

How can I test for wheat intolerance?

It seems everyone is sensitive to something these days.  Most of the time it is not an intolerance to a food but simply a chemical imbalance in our digestive system due to poor eating habits or too much stress.  So how can you tell if you are actually sensitive to wheat?
Take a wheat challenge test!
A challenge test for wheat involves excluding it from the diet and then slowly reintroducing it and monitoring its effects carefully to detect any kind of sensitivity.
For a two week period you should remove all wheat products or foods containing wheat from the diet completely.  You need to read the labels of all pre-packaged foods and sauces for traces of wheat.  Some sauces such as soy contain wheat and you will need to be aware of this for the test being a success.
During this two week period you should keep a food diary including any supplements and medications.  This will allow you to keep a record and detect any foods which may have contained wheat and at the same time increase your own awareness of food ingredients and labelling.
At the end of the two weeks introduce wheat very slowly, starting with something very small like a wheat cracker.  Wait for four days making a note of any reactions.  If there is a reaction, wheat should be excluded for 6 months, then tested again.  A slight reaction suggests it can be tolerated in small quantities.  If there is no reaction, a larger amount can be tested.  This type of test can be very beneficial to detect wheat intolerance.
If you think you may have problems digesting wheat, give this test a go.

Josie :)

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