Wheat Allergy Diet for Children

General guidelines for wheat allergy

When your child has a food allergy, he or she must follow an allergy-free diet. This means your child can't have the food they are allergic to, or any products containing that food. The items that your child is allergic to are called allergens.

A wheat allergy is the immune system's abnormal response to the protein found in wheat. Wheat products are found in many foods. To stay away from foods that contain wheat, it is important to read food labels. Foods regulated by the FDA must follow the federal Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA). This requires that food labels list wheat in the list of ingredients on products that contain wheat. Some manufactures voluntarily include statements such as "may contain wheat" or "may be made in a facility with wheat."

The lists below may not contain all food and personal care products that could contain wheat. But they can help guide your food decisions. It is up to you to carefully read all food labels.

Foods

Allowed

Not allowed

Drinks

Coffee, tea, fruit juices, decaffeinated coffee, carbonated drinks, all milks, cocoa

Cereal drinks, coffee substitutes

Drinks made from wheat products: beer, ale, root beer

Instant chocolate drink mixes

Breads & cereals

Rye crackers, rice wafers

Pure corn, rice, arrowroot, barley, potato, or rye bread made without wheat flour or wheat products

Cornmeal, cornstarch, soybean flour, barley flour, oat flour, rice flour, potato starch, arrowroot flour

Oatmeal, cream of rice, puffed rice, or other cereals made from pure corn, oats, or rice, which have no added wheat

Whole wheat, enriched, or white bread, rolls, or bread crumbs

Graham or gluten bread

Donuts, sweet rolls, muffins, French toast, waffles, pancakes, dumplings, bread stuffing, rusk, popovers

Prepared mixes for pancakes, waffles, biscuits, breads, and rolls

Cornbread, potato, or soybean bread unless made without wheat flour or wheat products

Cereals made from farina, wheat, or those with wheat products or malt added

Pretzels, crackers

Semolina, spelt, or triticale

Desserts

Custards, Bavarian creams

Oatmeal, arrowroot, rice, or rye cookies made without wheat products

Cornstarch, tapioca, or rice puddings

Water or fruit ices, meringues

Gelatin

Cakes, pastries, commercial frosting, icing, ice cream, sherbet, ice cream cones

Cookies, prepared mixes, or packaged pudding containing wheat flour

Graham crackers, donuts

Eggs

Eggs made any way without wheat products

Souffles or creamed eggs made with wheat products

Fats

Butter, margarine, animal, or vegetable fats and oils, cream

Salad dressings or gravy made without wheat flour or products

Any salad dressing or gravy thickened with wheat flour or products

Fruit

All fresh, canned, dried, or frozen fruits, and fruit juices

Strained fruits with added cereals

Meat, fish, poultry

Baked, broiled, boiled, roasted, or fried: beef, veal, pork, ham, chicken, turkey, lamb, or fish

"All meat" hot dogs or lunch meats made without wheat flour fillers or wheat products

All breaded or floured meats, meats containing filler, such as meatloaf, frankfurters, sausage, luncheon meats, bologna, or prepared meat patties

Milk & milk products

Milk, buttermilk, yogurt, cheese, some cottage cheese

Malted milk, milk drinks containing powdered wheat cereal or products

Cottage cheese with modified starch or other wheat-containing ingredients

Potatoes & substitutes

White and sweet potatoes

Rice

Scalloped potatoes

Noodles, spaghetti, macaroni, and other pasta products prepared with wheat or semolina flour

Soup

Clear bouillon, consomme, or broth

Homemade soups made without wheat products

Cream soups unless made without wheat flour

Soups with noodles, alphabets, dumplings, or spaghetti

Soup thickened with wheat flour

Sweets

Corn syrup, honey, jams, jellies, molasses, sugar

Chocolates, chocolate candy containing malt, candy with cereal extract

Vegetables

All fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables, and vegetable juices

Vegetables combined with wheat products

Breaded or floured vegetables

Miscellaneous

Salt, chili powder, condiments, flavoring extracts, herbs, nuts, olives, pickles, popcorn, peanut butter

Malt products, Worcestershire sauce, gravies thickened with wheat flour

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), meat tenderizers containing MSG, prepared Asian food seasoned with MSG, soy sauce

How to read a label for a wheat-free diet

Stay away from foods that contain any of the following ingredients:

  • Bran

  • Bread crumbs

  • Bulgur

  • Cereal extract

  • Couscous

  • Cracker meal

  • Durum, Durum flours (a type of wheat)

  • Einkorn (a type of wheat)

  • Emmer (a type of farro)

  • Enriched flour

  • Farina

  • Flour (all purpose, bread, cake, instant, pastry, self-rising, soft wheat, steel ground, whole wheat)

  • Gluten

  • Graham flour

  • High gluten flour

  • High protein flour

  • Hydrolyzed wheat protein

  • Matzoh, matzoh meal

  • Pasta

  • Seitan

  • Semolina (a type of wheat)

  • Spelt (a type of wheat)

  • Sprouted wheat

  • Triticale (a type of wheat)

  • Vital gluten

  • Wheat bran

  • Wheat durum

  • Wheat germ

  • Wheat gluten

  • Wheat grass

  • Wheat malt

  • Wheat protein isolate

  • Wheat sprouts

  • Wheat starch

  • Whole wheat berries

  • Whole wheat flour

Other possible sources of wheat or wheat products

Ingredients that may mean the presence of wheat protein include the following:

  • Gelatinized starch

  • Glucose

  • Gum

  • Hydrolyzed vegetable protein

  • Kamut

  • Modified food starch

  • Modified starch

  • Natural flavoring

  • Oats

  • Soy sauce

  • Starch

  • Surimi

  • Textured vegetable protein

  • Vegetable starch