Forgot About The Tupperware

[Gamecreature]

So I bring in some leftovers from home to eat for lunch today and I made the mistake of heating my food inside the container instead of putting it in a clean dish. It completely slipped my mind that these containers that we've been using for years would be a great source of contamination. Now I'm feeling miserable and irritated and there's nothing I can take to feel better. Not to mention that I feel like an idiot...

[jennyj]

Sorry you are not feeling well. Hope you are looking better soon.

[dlp252]

So I bring in some leftovers from home to eat for lunch today and I made the mistake of heating my food inside the container instead of putting it in a clean dish. It completely slipped my mind that these containers that we've been using for years would be a great source of contamination. Now I'm feeling miserable and irritated and there's nothing I can take to feel better. Not to mention that I feel like an idiot...

I think it's probably happened to most of us in one form or another! Feel better soon!

[Judyin Philly]

I REUSE MINE ALL THE TIME. MOSTLY PUT THROUGH THE DISHWASHER.

HOW COULD I HAVE OVER LOOKED THIS.

I GUESS THIS IS REALLY TRUE.. RIGHT??????

COMMMENTS PLEASE??

JUDY

[Gamecreature]

I REUSE MINE ALL THE TIME. MOSTLY PUT THROUGH THE DISHWASHER.

HOW COULD I HAVE OVER LOOKED THIS.

I GUESS THIS IS REALLY TRUE.. RIGHT??????

COMMMENTS PLEASE??

JUDY

I've only been gluten-free for three weeks, which means we still have a cupboard full of plastic from the gluten days. After being so careful to avoid contamination elsewhere in the kitchen, it completely escaped my attention that these things have been in the microwave time and time again and getting food particles stuck in them every time. Getting a new set of those disposable containers and reserving them for gluten-free cooking should allow you to keep reusing them.

[happygirl]

game creature:

2 main points

1. yes, it can most certainly be the tupperware. i have "safe" ones in my house.

2. since you are only 3weeks gluten free, you almost certainly have not healed fully yet. so, even though the ingredients may be gluten free, your body might still be having trouble with certain foods, sometimes, because it is not functioning properly. it took me awhile to realize it when I was first diagnosed. doesn't mean it was gluten or that you have other issues, but, just that you aren't back to 100% yet. It can take months (and for some, years) for our bodies to fully heal.

i sure hope you feel better though!

[Gamecreature]

Thanks Laura, I think you are correct. I'm definitely not 100% and while I feel much better each little "incident" like this certainly throws me off balance. You're right, I have a long way to go - I just never expected the reversals like this to occur. It's a lot to deal with!

[babygirl1234]

whenever we eat something that has left overs we put them in serp bowl because i cant have the gravy my mom makes for the roast so we put the meat in one and the gravy and potatoes in same one

[teebs in WV]

Plastic containers, pots and pans, etc., are not things that I worry about in my home. I am a very thorough when hand-washing dishes, and I also use my dishwasher most of the time. I don't think that microscopic gluten particles are hanging around and will cause a reaction. If that were the case, one would need to replace your entire kitchen counter, consider all restaurants off-limits, etc.

I am not saying that you don't need to be careful, as there are a couple of kitchen items that I have not used since going gluten-free: our old colander and a couple of slotted spoons. The holes and slots are hard to get 100% clean and since these were used for pasta, I won't touch them now!

[Gamecreature]

I appreciate you setting me straight on this. I have more than one bowl with the inevitable permanent tomato sauce stain and I jumped to conclusions. I had such a strong reaction yesterday (stomach pain, brain fog, etc.) that I thought I must have been glutened, but as Laura points out, it's too soon for me to be considered "in the clear" from pre-diet gluten effects in my system. I'm used to a gradual, one-way path to recovery, not this wild roller coaster of "I feel great...no, wait a minute, no I don't!"

[jerseyangel]

I believe gluten can hide in the tiny scratches in the plastic. To be safe, I got rid of mine and started over--with mostly Gladware--it's inexpensive and comes in lots of different sizes.

[dlp252]

I believe gluten can hide in the tiny scratches in the plastic. To be safe, I got rid of mine and started over--with mostly Gladware--it's inexpensive and comes in lots of different sizes.

Yes, most of my old storage containers also had the tomotoe stains, but they also had little "blister" pock marks and scratches...I think that would be tough to clean out.

[Judyin Philly]

WOW I KEEP LEARNING

Have been SOOOOO sick all week

didn't want to eat AND COULDN'T

When this happens all i want to eat is my 'frozen' soup i make when doing roasted chickens.....WELL.....AFTER LAST NITE..and eating more of my soup from OLD containers..i'm sure this must be part of what's going on.

for days, had the bleching, stomach cramps, the 'd' and this am..at 7:00 it was just AWFUL won't go into details but will be doing washing all day..

i'm just so depressed today. all the stuff i avoid eating trying to get better and then if i eat something ( what who knows anymore??) or get cc. I'm on a roll and can't seem to get a hold of the 'd' and then

eat my 'healthy' soup.

I'M SURE THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE CAUSES OF WHY I'M NOT GETTING BETTER..KEEP CC MYSELF WITH THE DANG CONTAINERS..AT LEAST AN ANSWER WHICH IS GOOD.

I NEED SOME SUNSHINE!!!!!!

judy

[jerseyangel]

I know Judy --tomorrow will be a better (and sunny) day! It gets overwhelming sometimes--all of the things we have to consider to just feel "normal".

Next time you're out shopping, pick yourself up a nice variety of Gladware--they even have big ones--perfect for soup

[NoGluGirl]

I REUSE MINE ALL THE TIME. MOSTLY PUT THROUGH THE DISHWASHER.

HOW COULD I HAVE OVER LOOKED THIS.

I GUESS THIS IS REALLY TRUE.. RIGHT??????

COMMMENTS PLEASE??

JUDY

Dear Judy,

I have put mine through the dishwasher and have not gotten ill. I figure if they are cleaned thoroughly enough, it should be fine. It never hurts to be careful, though. Using ziplocs are more reasonable. Perhaps designating one set only just for your food is a good idea. So far, I have done alright, though. Even so, I make sure they are thoroughly clean before using them. Sometimes the dishwasher leaves things in them. When that happens, I put it in something else.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[booboo]

WOW I KEEP LEARNING

Have been SOOOOO sick all week

didn't want to eat AND COULDN'T

When this happens all i want to eat is my 'frozen' soup i make when doing roasted chickens.....WELL.....AFTER LAST NITE..and eating more of my soup from OLD containers..i'm sure this must be part of what's going on.

for days, had the bleching, stomach cramps, the 'd' and this am..at 7:00 it was just AWFUL won't go into details but will be doing washing all day..

i'm just so depressed today. all the stuff i avoid eating trying to get better and then if i eat something ( what who knows anymore??) or get cc. I'm on a roll and can't seem to get a hold of the 'd' and then

eat my 'healthy' soup.

I'M SURE THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE CAUSES OF WHY I'M NOT GETTING BETTER..KEEP CC MYSELF WITH THE DANG CONTAINERS..AT LEAST AN ANSWER WHICH IS GOOD.

I NEED SOME SUNSHINE!!!!!!

judy

Try plain white rice. It usually clears me right up.

[covsooze]

I bought new plastic containers just for me and had labels printed with 'gluten free' on them which are dishwasher safe. Now no one has any excuses for contaminating my stuff! I felt I had to get new plastic containers, otherwise the not knowing whether they were glutening me would be a problem.

[daffadilly]

these posts are interesting on two counts one reason not mentioned yet. I do not use tupperware to freeze anything in. I do not want to be eating food that has melted plastic on it. I also refuse to heat anything up in the microwave in a styrofoam container. I freeze all my dinners and left overs in glass pyrex containers that have plastic lids on them. I can take one straight from the freezer & take off the lid, place a glass plate on top of the container, and into the microwave. And I never get those tomato stains on my glass bowls!!!

I have done this my whole life before I knew anything about gluten-free.

I find it amazing that anyone would think that there is no gluten plus god only knows what else on the plastic that has been heated in a microwave and looks all crusty, stained, scratched etc. Has anyone ever looked at one of those things under a stereo microscope??? I would toss those things in the trash and make a run to the nearest kitchen supply place to get some pyrex bowls. Well, unless someone would like to collect them all and do some blind tests to see if people have more reactions out of the old contaminated ones or new one that are thinner and melt easier , made out of who knows what from some third world country...

I also pop my popcorn in a pan (stainless steel) instead of wrapped in paper and chemicals which are then melted along with the butter in microwave popcorn. If we knew about all the chemicals that are used on food, in food, & in & on packaging, that we willingly pay more money to poison ourselves with we would all be horrified.

sometimes I wonder what ever happened to just plain old common sense...

[Judyin Philly]

I find it amazing that anyone would think that there is no gluten plus god only knows what else on the plastic that has been heated in a microwave and looks all crusty, stained, scratched etc. Has anyone ever looked at one of those things under a stereo microscope??? sometimes I wonder what ever happened to just plain old common sense...

Gosh not only does this disease make us sick, it also makes us stupid with no common sense.

nite all

judy

[Gamecreature]

I also pop my popcorn in a pan (stainless steel) instead of wrapped in paper and chemicals which are then melted along with the butter in microwave popcorn. If we knew about all the chemicals that are used on food, in food, & in & on packaging, that we willingly pay more money to poison ourselves with we would all be horrified.

We use a hot air popper - no oil, just popcorn.

[teebs in WV]

To clarify my post, I do not use plastic containers that have been 'melted' or any that have other nasty stains. Not just because of fear of gluten contamination, but what about any other types of food particles that may be hanging around? I would think that those things would make you sick also (i.e. bacteria).

I guess my point was, and I am sure I will get negative comments for saying this, there comes a point when you have to live without worrying about everything. Please don't get me wrong - I am extremely careful. I would think that if you worried about things such as this, you would never be able to eat dinner out or at anyone else's home (unless they are extremely careful and well-versed on gluten-free).

On the other hand, I understand what you are all saying - why not just go ahead and replace your plastic containers to at least eliminate one possible source of gluten contamination. I do get that.

Tracy