Question by lovinbloom: Could you be intolerant to wheat without having celiac ?
My daughter is 1 year now and ive been suspecting that wheat sometimes constipates her, and now lately that she gets a rash and just the other day she got tiny pink spots on her belly and back, im not sure the reason or if i should blame wheat or gluten, and also i think she hasnt been gaining much weight since 10 mos.
I really hope she doesnt have celiac, none of us her parents or ours have that, but please some advice !!! what should i do, thank you
Best answer:
Answer by K
…she’s sometimes constipated, occasionally rashy, and weight gain has slowed since she got more mobile. Okay, you have every formula-fed toddler on the planet.
Why would you think there’s a wheat issue here, given the total absence of symptoms of coeliac disease?
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
My youngest daughter couldn’t have wheat until she was around 18 mo – shortly after she turned 1 she started getting gassy, constipated, rashy, etc…..we did an elimination diet and if we left out dairy and wheat she was fine.
It doesn’t have to be the gluten, but she could have an allergy to wheat. Celiac disease is specific to the gluten found in wheat, rye, (sometimes) oats, spelt etc. It isn’t the food itself, it’s the gluten. For celiacs it is the inability to digest the gluten that makes them so ill, not an allergy. In allergic reaction, the body produces histamines. That’s why we get hives, rashes and in the worst case scenario, a full blown anaphalactic reaction. A person with celiac disease cannot digest the gluten, but they do not have an allergic reaction with histamine production.
My son is allergic to wheat, soy and some other foods and had very similar symptoms; alternating constipation and diarrhea, rashes, bloating etc. Yes, he was breastfed. Yes we did everything “right”. But back in those days, we didn’t have unlicensed YA doctors diagnosing the cause of illnesses in children without physical exams based on their personal biases, prejudices and “causes”.
Talk to your daughter’s pediatrician about the possibility of a food allergy and/or celiac disease. Generally, they will recommend an elimination diet. When we did that for my son when he was around 18 months, all his eczema disappeared. We didn’t have to eliminate formula because he never had it. We also found some of the other culprits this way. He still has digestive issues to this day – he’s a teen. Some of them he’s outgrown, others he has not. Children who are breastfed are less likely to have allergies or sensitivities, but it is not a 100% effective prevention method for *anything*. Every child is an individual.