Cross Contamination?

[#1mommy]

I had a question about cross contamination. I was told that if you eat fresh veggies you could have problems becaust the farm equipment that was used to harvest the food could have been used on wheet. I this is true I am screwed. I think it sounds like sort of a stretch. I'm new to all this so I don't know. Any thoughts on this?

[Ursa Major]

I personally wouldn't worry about it. Because if you do, you'll end up being so paranoid that you won't be able to eat anything without getting all stressed out. Which will be worse for your health than eating the foods that have a very, very small chance of contamination.

Besides, I really don't believe that they can use the same equipment for harvesting wheat and veggies. The method of harvesting is quite different.

[tarnalberry]

'Cause we all know you can't wash vegetables...

Sorry, but I think someone's pulling the machine picked wool over your eyes.

And, I don't know how much you've been through farmland, but a lot of *fruits and vegetables* (not talking about grains) are primarily hand picked. Drive through Gilroy in the summer and you'll see gobs of people out in the fields picking fruits and vegetables. Can you imagine machine plucked lettuce?

[Viola 1]

'Cause we all know you can't wash vegetables...

Sorry, but I think someone's pulling the machine picked wool over your eyes.

And, I don't know how much you've been through farmland, but a lot of *fruits and vegetables* (not talking about grains) are primarily hand picked. Drive through Gilroy in the summer and you'll see gobs of people out in the fields picking fruits and vegetables. Can you imagine machine plucked lettuce?

It would be called lettuce cole slaw

Nope, not problem with the machinery...it's a totally different system.

[lovegrov]

Definitely NOT a problem. Even if the same machine were to pick them (which is highly doubtful), you just wash it, which you're supposed to do anyway.

richard

[jhun]

is it necessary to separate my plates and cutleries away from the one's that my family use? same thing in washing them, do i have to wash them seperately with my own scrubbing pad and soap? does cross contamination happen in these ways? been gluten free for more than a month with no significant improvements.

[Guest cassidy]

is it necessary to separate my plates and cutleries away from the one's that my family use? same thing in washing them, do i have to wash them seperately with my own scrubbing pad and soap? does cross contamination happen in these ways? been gluten free for more than a month with no significant improvements.

Some people have separate kitchen utensils and others don't. Personally, I have separate pots, pans and collander. We share silverware and plates which go in the dishwasher. We share a sponge to handwash everything and my husband does that so he wouldn't think twice about washing something covered in gluten and then washing my dishes. I don't get myself sick at home and I'm very sensitive, so I feel comfortable wiht how I do things.

I think some other people may have separate sponges so it is really what you are comfortable with. If you are not improving, what type of diet are you eating? Many people find they have other intolerances after going gluten-free. I highly recommend going back to basics and eating fruits, veggies, meats, and rice. There are many people that have problems with dairy. I found I can't tolerate potatoes, tomatoes, and chocolate. People were giving me this advice in the beginning and I resisted it. I had to cut things out of my diet and keep a food diary to figure things out. I would have saved myself some pain if I had listened sooner. Also, I wouldn't recommend eating out in the beginning. It can be tough to communicate with restaurants and I call that advanced gluten-free eating.

Lastly, I glutened myself a lot in the beginning because I just didn't know what I was doing. I now know that it takes me 3 weeks to feel 100% after being glutened. So, if you have only been on the diet for a month and you have glutened yourself a couple of times, you may still be feeling the effects from that.

[jhun]

Some people have separate kitchen utensils and others don't. Personally, I have separate pots, pans and collander. We share silverware and plates which go in the dishwasher. We share a sponge to handwash everything and my husband does that so he wouldn't think twice about washing something covered in gluten and then washing my dishes. I don't get myself sick at home and I'm very sensitive, so I feel comfortable wiht how I do things.

I think some other people may have separate sponges so it is really what you are comfortable with. If you are not improving, what type of diet are you eating? Many people find they have other intolerances after going gluten-free. I highly recommend going back to basics and eating fruits, veggies, meats, and rice. There are many people that have problems with dairy. I found I can't tolerate potatoes, tomatoes, and chocolate. People were giving me this advice in the beginning and I resisted it. I had to cut things out of my diet and keep a food diary to figure things out. I would have saved myself some pain if I had listened sooner. Also, I wouldn't recommend eating out in the beginning. It can be tough to communicate with restaurants and I call that advanced gluten-free eating.

Lastly, I glutened myself a lot in the beginning because I just didn't know what I was doing. I now know that it takes me 3 weeks to feel 100% after being glutened. So, if you have only been on the diet for a month and you have glutened yourself a couple of times, you may still be feeling the effects from that.

thanks cassidy. i'm into wholefoods and i dont eat outside now. i have noticed one time that i reacted to soy when i eat it in large quantities like in soyabean cakes (tofu) but can tolerate it small amounts. i started my food diary just last week and hopefully it will help. im also lactose intolerant so dairy is also out of my diet.

what i was wondering is that my gas problems are still there although not like before but im still belching and farting a lot. i also have this new symptom which is a pain in my pelvic tail bone. im really confused if this is related to celiac disease.

[jstoy]

I'm sorry but I didn't think your response here was so nice. Not everyone knows how farming works. My daughter is Celiac and I take this very serious.

'Cause we all know you can't wash vegetables...

Sorry, but I think someone's pulling the machine picked wool over your eyes.

And, I don't know how much you've been through farmland, but a lot of *fruits and vegetables* (not talking about grains) are primarily hand picked. Drive through Gilroy in the summer and you'll see gobs of people out in the fields picking fruits and vegetables. Can you imagine machine plucked lettuce?

[kbtoyssni]

I don't think you need to worry about veggie contamination.

As for the separate utensils, I wouldn't worry about knives and forks too much. I would worry about sharing sponges, though - I'd get separate ones. And maybe hand towels, too, if there's lots of gluten-eaters around.

I'm sure you've read about this stuff already, but separate wooden spoons, toasters, and collenders I think are a necessity. I would also check any pet food and personal care products. This includes the gluten-eaters products. If your gluten eaters put gluten lotion on their hands, they can easily contaminate the whole house. There was someone on here whose non-gluten-free mother took care of the gluten-free kids for a weekend. She did great with the food, but everything was contaminated from her lotion. Do you have separate condiments that could get "double-dipped" and CCed? A good compromise is to get squeeze bottles of everything instead of open jars.