Lunch Time at Work

[Bumpeh]

Hello everyone, I'm totally new here so I apologize that I haven't posted an introduction yet I just have this big problem I could use some help with.

My mother and I both have celiac disease, we were both diagnosed about 4 years ago so we've been on the diet for quite some time. I'm doing much better than I was right before I got diagnosed, I was a very sick kid. But every once in a while something slips through the cracks and I get cross contaminated and I can get really sick.

So I recently started working at my new full time job, and at work there is this very small break room for lunch. I put my lunch in a cooler bag and it goes in a fridge next to people's gluten-y lunches like subs and also loafs of bread. I also notice that at the small table I have to sit at to eat food there are often bread crumbs, and I'm sitting with other people who are eating sandwiches or something with gluten. I know I'm getting cross contaminated and I just will not be able to deal with this. I need suggestions for help on how to cope with this.

I was speaking to my boss and I kind of flippantly suggested I should get a folding table and chair, put my lunch in a cooler to keep it cool, then get the table and chair out and set up on the sidewalk to eat lunch outside, that way I completely avoid gluten. It sounds kinda silly but it's honestly sounding like the best option at this point. I have an entire hour for lunch so I have lot of time for myself. Do you guys have any suggestions or advice?

[kareng]

Don't put your food on the table?  Keep it on a placemat, or in containers.  Eat in your car? Eat at your desk?   Go to a park on nicer days ( my son always ate in his car at the park , watching the ducks on the lake, just to get out of the office).  Your enclosed lunch should be fine in the same fridge.  Is this table very very tiny and people are eating thier lunches over yours?  Just sitting near someone won't " gluten" you but if they are waving thier sandwiches over your salad bowl, that needs to stop.  

[Ennis-TX]

Yes I had this issue, might be a slightly  different source then what you think for the contamination such as touching contaminated surfaces (tables, fridge handle, microwave) then touching your food. I recall when I used to be able to hold a job to some degree, the fridge actually was completely contaminated (They had a beer explode it on several occasions as they kept it super cold) And I soon gave up on that idea. I started bringing meal replacement shakes in a shaker bottle and baggies of nuts/seeds I could keep with me, Also would bring homemade protein bars, and baked goods that I could eat out of a baggy without even touching my food. Perhaps these suggestions might lessen the strain and you can modify upon them?

[ironictruth]

Agreed. I am starting to get pretty paranoid about touching surfaces at work and my boyfriends house. 

My poor hands are so dry from the washing. Lol. 

I had to sit at a crumb filled table at McDonalds recently on a long trip (brought my lunch) so my kid could play. 

I am considering my own microwave for my office. I do not take my food out of the containers, and when I do, I have my own stack of paper plates napkins/forks in my desk. I rinse my pyrex and wash it at home to avoid cc from the sponge. 

[Mortiis]

It's more to do with my OCD but I never touch food without washing my hands first or let my food touch any surfaces or anything. This doesn't seem like an unreasonable thing to do while trying to avoid contamination. The important thing is to not let it go over the top though, I think my current level of handwashing is just about acceptable lol

[mbr22m]

I have the same problem at work. I pack my lunch in a columbia travel cooler with ice packs, make sure to keep the cover loosely on when microwaving and wash all my dishes when I get home. I eat in my car or at my desk everyday and read a book.