Trying to figure out if my family goes gluten free

[alross]

I was diagnosed last week and am overwhelmed to say the least. I can easily cut gluten out of my diet, but it feels impossible not to be exposed through cross contamination from my family. I have a 3 and 6 year old. My husband is willing to go gluten free in our house but my kids are VERY picky eaters. If I make gluten free meals, can they still have gluten snacks in our house? Do I have to make them wash their hands after touching gluten? All I can see now is how they touch everything which then contaminates it right? How do those of you with young children do this? Thanks in advance! 

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, alross!

It is perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed at the outset of the celiac/gluten free journey. We have all been there and done that and many in our forum community have had to cope with the extra complexity of having small children in the house. Let me assure you, it will get easier over time and everyone in the family will adjust such that it becomes the new norm.

The first thing I would say to you is don't make trouble where there is none. There is a wide range of sensitivity to CC (Cross Contamination) and it's too early for you to know yet how sensitive you are to tiny amounts of gluten. So, what I'm saying is it may not be as big an issue as you fear in your personal experience. Don't misunderstand me to say you can be cavalier about CC. I'm just saying you may have the luxury of not having to be quite so careful as some might. This is just something you will have to feel your way through. A follow up antibody test in 6 mos. or a year would be a good idea to find out if the precautions you are taking are working or if more diligence is needed.

Young children can be trained to be careful for mommy hands if necessary. Gluten snacks for them might best be those that are self-contained in wrappers.

Your biggest risk will be eating out rather than what you encounter in your own home where you have more control over how things are handled and prepared.

So, relax and realize that like many new endeavors you can expect a learning curve. But it will work out over time.

[patty-maguire]

The first thing you need to do it’s take a deep breath. You’ve got this!  You will make mistakes and it won’t be the end of the world.
I’ve been doing this a long time and talked to a lot of people. Most people have a “shared kitchen”. The family cooks and eat mostly gluten-free with some snack and favourites for the family. My husband has his cereal and a loaf of bread or some buns. 
You’re goal should be to get as close to zero glutenas you can, but with that said, 20 ppm or 10 - 50 mg per day is considered safe for celiac. The family should wash after eating gluten (or anything) and clean up counters etc.  we have a spot near the toaster where my husband makes his sandwiches so the gluten is all in one place and easy to clean up. 
Here is some advice on setting up your kitchen https://www.naturallygluten-free.com/gluten_free_kitchen.html

and your pantry https://www.naturallygluten-free.com/gluten_free_pantry.html

Good luck, and relax. 

[Scott Adams]

I live in a mixed home with regard to gluten, and have been able to do so without issues for over 25 years. Here is some more info that might help:

 

[alross]

On 2/17/2023 at 10:02 PM, trents said:

Welcome to the forum, alross!

It is perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed at the outset of the celiac/gluten free journey. We have all been there and done that and many in our forum community have had to cope with the extra complexity of having small children in the house. Let me assure you, it will get easier over time and everyone in the family will adjust such that it becomes the new norm.

The first thing I would say to you is don't make trouble where there is none. There is a wide range of sensitivity to CC (Cross Contamination) and it's too early for you to know yet how sensitive you are to tiny amounts of gluten. So, what I'm saying is it may not be as big an issue as you fear in your personal experience. Don't misunderstand me to say you can be cavalier about CC. I'm just saying you may have the luxury of not having to be quite so careful as some might. This is just something you will have to feel your way through. A follow up antibody test in 6 mos. or a year would be a good idea to find out if the precautions you are taking are working or if more diligence is needed.

Young children can be trained to be careful for mommy hands if necessary. Gluten snacks for them might best be those that are self-contained in wrappers.

Your biggest risk will be eating out rather than what you encounter in your own home where you have more control over how things are handled and prepared.

So, relax and realize that like many new endeavors you can expect a learning curve. But it will work out over time.

Thank you! I I know I’ll get the hang of it. It’s just a lot at first! I’m slowly learning how to read labels and reconfigure my kitchen. Thanks again for the reply. 

[alross]

12 hours ago, patty_maguire said:

The first thing you need to do it’s take a deep breath. You’ve got this!  You will make mistakes and it won’t be the end of the world.
I’ve been doing this a long time and talked to a lot of people. Most people have a “shared kitchen”. The family cooks and eat mostly gluten-free with some snack and favourites for the family. My husband has his cereal and a loaf of bread or some buns. 
You’re goal should be to get as close to zero glutenas you can, but with that said, 20 ppm or 10 - 50 mg per day is considered safe for celiac. The family should wash after eating gluten (or anything) and clean up counters etc.  we have a spot near the toaster where my husband makes his sandwiches so the gluten is all in one place and easy to clean up. 
Here is some advice on setting up your kitchen https://www.naturallygluten-free.com/gluten_free_kitchen.html

and your pantry https://www.naturallygluten-free.com/gluten_free_pantry.html

Good luck, and relax. 

Thank you! Haha yes I know I seemed a bit frantic. I was having a hard day. I’m slowly learning what may or may not work. But you are totally right. I need to accept the learning curve. And thank you for the resources. I have an appointment with a dietician as well next week. 

[alross]

4 hours ago, Scott Adams said:

I live in a mixed home with regard to gluten, and have been able to do so without issues for over 25 years. Here is some more info that might help:

 

 

4 hours ago, Scott Adams said:

I live in a mixed home with regard to gluten, and have been able to do so without issues for over 25 years. Here is some more info that might help:

 

Thanks for the reply. I know my husband can follow precautions but my kids are rabid animals 😂. And thanks for the resource that was helpful. I guess the one thing I’m still trying to figure out is how I interpret a label that says gluten free but not certified gluten free? I noticed this article said it could still be cross contaminated. 

[trents]

There are some common sense things like not using the same toaster as other family members and making sure dishes are thoroughly washed. But then there are the situations where you would not expect to find gluten like most soy sauces, most canned soups (Would you expect Campbell's Tomaton soup to have wheat in it? It does. Wheat is used as a thickener in many canned soups, chillies and pork n' bean products.) and non-wheat breakfast cereals ("malt flavoring") that sneak up on you at first. After awhile you develop a sixth sense of where gluten can be hidden. Read every label when you buy processed foods. Dry lentils are famously cross contaminated.

A valuable website for CC issues is Gluten Free Watchdog.

Edited February 19, 2023 by trents

[trents]

2 hours ago, alross said:

 

Thanks for the reply. I know my husband can follow precautions but my kids are rabid animals 😂. And thanks for the resource that was helpful. I guess the one thing I’m still trying to figure out is how I interpret a label that says gluten free but not certified gluten free? I noticed this article said it could still be cross contaminated. 

Gluten Free means the gluten content does not exceed the 20ppm of gluten standard set by the FDA. Certified Gluten Free means the product has been tested by a certifying group and does not exceed 10ppm of gluten.

[alross]

21 hours ago, trents said:

Gluten Free means the gluten content does not exceed the 20ppm of gluten standard set by the FDA. Certified Gluten Free means the product has been tested by a certifying group and does not exceed 10ppm of gluten.

Ok got it thanks. This may be a dumb question but are people with celiac generally discouraged from eating products not certified gluten free? So for example I have waffles from birch benders labeled gluten free (but not certified gluten free).  Birch benders makes regular waffles so I’m assuming this would be a high risk of cross contamination unless they process in a different facility.  I’m also assuming it’s highly variable from person to person? Sorry for all the questions.  I do have an appointment with a dietician but in the meantime I feel like there’s a lot of conflicting information out there.  

[trents]

2 hours ago, alross said:

Ok got it thanks. This may be a dumb question but are people with celiac generally discouraged from eating products not certified gluten free? So for example I have waffles from birch benders labeled gluten free (but not certified gluten free).  Birch benders makes regular waffles so I’m assuming this would be a high risk of cross contamination unless they process in a different facility.  I’m also assuming it’s highly variable from person to person? Sorry for all the questions.  I do have an appointment with a dietician but in the meantime I feel like there’s a lot of conflicting information out there.  

It should only matter if you are an especially sensitive celiac and if you aren't, you would be severely limiting yourself unnecessarily. But keep in mind there is always the occasional product that is labeled "gluten free" that doesn't live up to its billing. Many food companies do their own in house testing whereas "Certified Gluten Free" means the food product has been tested by an internationally recognized independent certifying body, of which there are two, I believe. One of them even goes by a 5ppm standard and the other one a 10ppm standard. So, to be on the really safe side, stick to Certified Gluten Free. Actually, if you are savvy and very careful you can eat gluten free with main stream food products alone. But that would mean making everything from scratch and focusing on fresh meats, vegetables and fruits and essentially doing without any kind of bread or pastry deserts that require gluten-free flour. Resorting to a lot of pre-made gluten free or pre-made certified gluten-free stuff can also be quite expensive.

[patty-maguire]

3 hours ago, alross said:

Ok got it thanks. This may be a dumb question but are people with celiac generally discouraged from eating products not certified gluten free? So for example I have waffles from birch benders labeled gluten free (but not certified gluten free).  Birch benders makes regular waffles so I’m assuming this would be a high risk of cross contamination unless they process in a different facility.  I’m also assuming it’s highly variable from person to person? Sorry for all the questions.  I do have an appointment with a dietician but in the meantime I feel like there’s a lot of conflicting information out there.  

The best and healthiest approach is to focus most of your diet on naturally gluten free whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole fresh cuts of meat, eggs and dairy if tolerated, nuts, seeds, gluten free grains etc. 

When you do use gluten free products certification provides comfort for sure, but it's not necessary.  Certification costs a lot of money and many producers find it's just not worth it.  There are regulations around stating gluten free on the label.  They differ by country but 20ppm is pretty standard.  If you live in Canada, Australia, or the UK, that's really all you need to know.  You can trust the labels.  If you are in the U.S. the requirement for having gluten-free on the label is 20ppm, but there is a bit of a compliance issue.  I recommend to follow Gluten Free Watchdog.  She does a lot of testing a exposes products that carry the gluten-free label but contain gluten. 

As for gluten in the same facility, that's not necessarily a problem.  Those facilities can be massive and the risk for cross contamination is often low.  If it says gluten-free on the label, you check the ingredients and it's not on GFWD's radar I would trust it.  You'll eventually figure out your own comfort level.

[trents]

@patty_maguire makes a good point. Neither "gluten free" or "certified gluten free" means there is absolutely no gluten in the product. They are relative terms. If we had sensitive enough instruments to be able to detect it we would find there is gluten in the air you breathe. Getting a feel for your own level of sensitivity is the critical issue. Believe it or not, we have forum participants who actually get a gluten reaction (or at least a sympathetic reaction) by breathing the air as they walk down the bread isle at the supermarket and smell that good ole real bread aroma.

[alross]

Thank you everyone.  You all are so helpful! 

[GfreeOH]

Hello! 

 

I am newly diagnosed and also have a mixed househould with Hubby and kids eating gluten. I have not made my home entirely gluten free because I also have an EXTREMELY picky 8 year old. I have my own toaster, margarine, and a separate air fryer. Aside from that, I always wash down countertops before I prepare any foods. I keep my gluten free utencils in a separate utencil carrier - but I have read that using the dishwasher would be fine as long as the dishes/utencils are not pourous or scratched. I cook naturally gluten free (meats/roasted veggies/potato/rice), and do not use many sauces or seasonings unless I have thoroughly searched that they are gluten free. if the family wants to add sauces or condiments they may do so. I do still cook Kraft mac n cheese, or ramen noodles for my 8 year old, but I use gloves when doing so, and always rinse everything thoroughly and put through the dishwasher after. She has poptarts, cinnamon rolls and the like for breakfast - and I am just super careful to always wash my hands and any surface area that may have been touched after serving her. 

 

[alross]

8 minutes ago, GfreeOH said:

Hello! 

 

I am newly diagnosed and also have a mixed househould with Hubby and kids eating gluten. I have not made my home entirely gluten free because I also have an EXTREMELY picky 8 year old. I have my own toaster, margarine, and a separate air fryer. Aside from that, I always wash down countertops before I prepare any foods. I keep my gluten free utencils in a separate utencil carrier - but I have read that using the dishwasher would be fine as long as the dishes/utencils are not pourous or scratched. I cook naturally gluten free (meats/roasted veggies/potato/rice), and do not use many sauces or seasonings unless I have thoroughly searched that they are gluten free. if the family wants to add sauces or condiments they may do so. I do still cook Kraft mac n cheese, or ramen noodles for my 8 year old, but I use gloves when doing so, and always rinse everything thoroughly and put through the dishwasher after. She has poptarts, cinnamon rolls and the like for breakfast - and I am just super careful to always wash my hands and any surface area that may have been touched after serving her. 

 

Does your 8 year old wash hands after eating anything with gluten?  My 6 year old is great and understands why she needs to, but my 3 year old puts up a fight.