Questions About Sharing Food In Family With Newly Diagnosed Member

[sriddle]

We have an exchange student that has recently discovered she is gluten sensitive. She has stated she cannot use the butter and nutella presently in our home, since it has been contaminated by use with gluten products. Is this true? Must we now have two sets of such products?

[GF Lover]

Yes, she must have her own condiments that come in jars (double dipping) most can now be found in squeeze bottles.  She will need a new toaster and some pans that arn't scratched. Same with plastic ware, wooden spoons, cutting boards and strainers.  Please read the Newbie 101 thread under the coping section.  It has valuable information.

 

Good Luck

 

Colleen

[bartfull]

Yes, it's true. Check out the Newbie 101 thread in the coping section for even more information on cross-contamination. You need new butter, Nutella, mayo, anything a knife that has touched bread has dipped into. I know that for a non-celiac it sounds extreme, but it really is true. You can buy small containers of these things, or just get the larger ones and after your gueat has left, the rest of the family can use them up.

 

It is also vital that you don't use any wooded spoons, scratched plastics like teflon pans or plastic containers. You can't use the same strainer or cast iron pans for her foods. She needs her own toaster, or you can get toaster bags. And if you bake with flour, everything in the kitchen must be completely cleaned because flour dust will stay in the air for hours and then settle on everything. Also, if she breathes it in, it will get in the back of her throat where she will swallow it.

 

And please do read some of the other threads here that will show you how many celiacs feel out of place, ostracized, depressed, and generally like a pain in the butt to the people around them. So if you want your guest to feel welcome, try not to make a big deal out of it. Remember, it's not her fault, and with a little extra work and a lot of helpful advice from folks like us, you will be able to be gracious hosts for this student, and you will both get a lot out of it.

[howlnmad]

Yup, it's true. And be sure to label the items gluten-free to avoid cross contamination in the future.