When you first start to try and eat wheat and gluten free it will seems like an impossible task. You need to look at all the foods that you normally eat and check the ingredients. It will become second nature to automatically check the ingredient lists of the foods that you buy. What makes it harder is that although some companies now label their foods gluten free, you have to check. You will become the expert. Be aware that things can be hidden and you have to be aware. It makes life a lot easier if the kitchen becomes a wheat free location, apart from the bread most people will not notice any difference. Breads are becoming better and if you are making sandwiches with tasty fillings they will not notice.
Hidden Ingredients
Often the ingredients do not necessarily say flour or wheat but starch or modified starch. It depends as some starches are from corn, which means that it could be gluten free, however, it could also be from wheat. Malt is usually from barley, a gluten grain. You do need to check everything and often you need to be aware that recipes may change and sometimes wheat flour could be added. You have to be aware that each manufacturer uses different recipes, for example some varieties of baked beans are gluten free and other are not.
Supermarket Shopping
These days it is much easier as each shop generally has a 'free from' section where you can find bread, cakes, biscuits, pasta, etc. all gluten free. However, you still to check the ingredients as that item may be milk or lactose free not necessarily gluten free. Of course not all the gluten free items are in one place, some are in the store. The Eat Natural range of nuts and seed snacks have some of the range in the 'free from' section and other items from the range with ordinary snacks even though both are gluten free. Just because the cakes and biscuits are gluten free does not make them better for you, they still contain fats and sugars, so you need to be aware that these foods can be used as treats and not an essentual item in your diet.
100% Gluten Free
I'm afraid not, things are not necessarily 100% gluten free. In the UK to be classified as gluten free there needs to be less than 20 parts per million. In Australia they have a different limit, less than 3 parts per million. Partly this is linked to the accuracy of the testing devices, they have more accurate machines in Australia.
Eating Out
Eating out is naturally dangerous and you have to beware. You will know how sensitive you and your body is to gluten and that you may be able to get away with little bits of gluten. Some people will be very sensitive. Anything that is heated or cooked in a normal kitchen could quite easily be cross contaminated. They will use wheat flour in that kitchen, how do you know that the knife used to cut your gluten free bread has not just cut a wheat based loaf. Unless the staff in the cafe, restuarant have been well trained in food allergies, they could easily use the same serving knife or the same toaster or frier that is used to toast or fry wheat or wheat based batter. Be aware that potatoes, normally gluten free, but if roasted may be coated in wheat to give it that crunchy texture, chips may use the same frier they use for breaded fish. Some restuarants are not aware of the problems, you have to ask.
Sensitivity
Yes, we are all unique and have different sensitivity to our allergies. Dian is very sensitive. To give an example, she found that some red wines upset her, these were generally the more expensive wines. It was not until we were in France and visited a vinyard where we we shown the wines resting and maturing in oak barrels that we discovered that those barrels had been glued together using a wheat based glue. She now ensures that any wine that says oaked or with smoky oak flavours are avoided.
Conclusion
If you think that you may have a problem with wheat and/or gluten then try a wheat/gluten free diet for at least one month, or if you start to feel better off gluten then continue. It can have noticable effect and in some people quite quickly, in others it may take some time. In women with endometriosis we have found that for many avoiding whet can have a profound effect on their period pain. However, if they then do eat wheat they may not notice any effect until possible weeks later during their period when the pain returns. We are all different and for some once challenged with wheat after several months off it can have an immediate and severe response. One woman was bed ridden for several days so be aware.