Cc: How Careful Must You Be?

[celiac1]

Hello to all. I have been reading your posts for a number of months, and I wanted to ask a few questions ...

I was diagnosed in December and have been gluten-free since, although with numerous mistakes along the way due to sheer ignorance. My recovery is very slow and I still feel extremely poor. When I posted once before many of you had pointed to CC as probable culprit. I've been trying my best to be safe, I eat extremely little, and my diet is very limited as I'm vegetarian and can't tolerate dairy. So now I'm wondering if I'm missing something and just not being safe enough. Here are some of my questions:

I handle gluten-containing foods all the time. My son is an elite-level hockey player and has a diet very rich in grains and pastas. When I make him a sandwich and then wipe my hands on the kitchen towel, have I contaminated it so that when I wipe a dish I'll be using I'm in trouble? Do you have to wash your hands after touching regular bread?

What about when I spray the pan with Pam to scramble him some eggs - is it a problem when one breathes in the vapor from the spray - which contains wheat alcohol?

We use artisan-made pottery/stoneware plates etc. They're glazed, but are they porous enough that they could be carrying old gluten?

What about washing your plates and cooking utensils in the same water as the utensils that have been used for gluten containing foods? For that matter, what about dishwasher detergent and dish soap?

Are stainless steel pots/pans okay to use even if they had been used for gluten containing foods before? Or does one need an entire set of new utensils? What about the slow cooker liner, which is glass/ceramic?

And one last one ... those little wheat-filled bags that you can get to warm in the microwave and then use as a heating source for sore muscles ... safe??

Thanks for considering all of these questions. I'm hoping that others who are still on the learning curve can learn from them as well.

[aikiducky]

  celiac1 said:

I handle gluten-containing foods all the time. My son is an elite-level hockey player and has a diet very rich in grains and pastas. When I make him a sandwich and then wipe my hands on the kitchen towel, have I contaminated it so that when I wipe a dish I'll be using I'm in trouble? Do you have to wash your hands after touching regular bread?

It would be safer to wash your hands after handling gluten, otherwise you'll have quite a good chance of glutening yourself by touching your mouth without even thinking about it. Definitely don't just wipe the gluten crumbs off on a towel and then use the towel to wipe a dish you plan to use!

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What about when I spray the pan with Pam to scramble him some eggs - is it a problem when one breathes in the vapor from the spray - which contains wheat alcohol?

I'm not sure about this one, but just in case, isn't there anything else you might use instead? I use olive oil for everything, myself...

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We use artisan-made pottery/stoneware plates etc. They're glazed, but are they porous enough that they could be carrying old gluten?

My feeling is that if they're washed well plates usually would be ok. How porous are they exactly?

I don't have a dishwasher so I don't know about those.

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Are stainless steel pots/pans okay to use even if they had been used for gluten containing foods before? Or does one need an entire set of new utensils? What about the slow cooker liner, which is glass/ceramic?

Stainless steel should be fine if it's scrubbed really well. Though I wouldn't like to regularly use the same pan for both gluteny and gluten free foods, because who knows, one day you just might forget to scrub it well enough. I prefer to have a couple pans all for myself.

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And one last one ... those little wheat-filled bags that you can get to warm in the microwave and then use as a heating source for sore muscles ... safe??

Personally I find anything with wheat a bit yucky nowadays so I wouldn't want to use one.... there's a small chance that if the bag lets some of the dust out and you inhale some it ends up in your digestive system... I don't know how big a chance that would be but personally I prefer to minimize my risk whenever I have the power to do so.

The big one I think would be to wash your hands, wash them often, and make sure your kitchen towel is clean of crumbs. Hope this helps...

Pauliina

[Felidae]

I agree with everything Pauliina said.

[happygirl]

Most Pam do NOT have gluten. The only one that I knwo of that does is the one that specifically says flour on the front.

[lorka150]

  celiac1 said:

My recovery is very slow and I still feel extremely poor. When I posted once before many of you had pointed to CC as probable culprit. I've been trying my best to be safe, I eat extremely little, and my diet is very limited as I'm vegetarian and can't tolerate dairy.

This could very well be the reason. Maybe you aren't getting vital nutrients, vitamins, calories, good fats, and so on if you are eating so little. Sometimes we assume that everything stems from celiac, but maybe it's just your diet. It really could be as simple as that - have you seen a dietician? If not, do you know what you can do?

I am a vegetarian, and am sensitive to casein and eggs. I know it seems like your choices are limited, but there really are so many foods. If you need help with ideas, or seeing if your diet is okay, you can pm me- I've been in school for dietetics and I can help you out.

[hathor]

You've had good advice about CC. (You've checked your personal care items, too -- like lip gloss, skin lotion, etc. And don't lick envelopes? And don't kiss anyone who just ate gluten?) I'll just address the vegetarianism issue. There is no reason that your diet has to be limited. I think you need to expand your repetoire of recipes.

There is a Yahoo group Open Original Shared Link with loads of recipes. Here is a web site with recipes Open Original Shared Link Or get hold of the book Food Allergy Survival Guide, all of whose recipes are vegan, gluten-free & don't have other common allergens either.

You can substitute gluten-free pasta for regular, and you have a variety of choices. There are a number of grains you can have -- rice, wild rice, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, to name the most common. You can have potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, corn (do not forget polenta), legumes (beans, peas, lentils, etc.) If you can take soy, there is tofu & tempeh.

My food choices are more restricted (vegetarian, and I'm intolerant to gluten, casein, egg, soy & yeast -- that I know of ) and I have a seemingly unending supply of recipes.

Perhaps you can feed your son gluten-free grains & pastas? That would eliminate what is probably the CC you are getting. The only gluten products in my house are things that don't require my involvement. Perhaps he could make his own sandwiches, too, if he balks at gluten-free bread.

There is a possibility that you are reacting to something else too. Keep track of what you are eating & your symptoms. Some regular product may have traces of gluten; companies don't have to disclose that -- it is only intentional ingredients they have to list. All those "may contain traces" & "made on shared equipment" warnings you see are voluntary. Or you may have a problem with, say, soy, other legumes, corn, nightshades, any number of things.

Finally, it can just take time to heal. Apparently you've had some slipups, which would have set you back. I've been fairly successful gluten-free for nearly as long as you have and I still have symptoms. I know someone who took a full year before she was feeling completely better.

[SunnyDyRain]

  celiac1 said:

What about when I spray the pan with Pam to scramble him some eggs - is it a problem when one breathes in the vapor from the spray - which contains wheat alcohol?

If at all possible try to get a pampered chef oil sprayer! It uses plain oil that you choose and sprays it like pam, only without additives and propellant! Much better for you!

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And one last one ... those little wheat-filled bags that you can get to warm in the microwave and then use as a heating source for sore muscles ... safe??

from my experinces, most of the bags are filled with rice or buckwheat, both of which are safe for us (unless you have a rice allergy of course!)

[celiac1]

Thanks so much for all of your replies. So I guess you do have to be this careful, huh? Kind of makes me feel like a bit of a freak-of-nature though.

I really don't want to alarm my son by insisting he eat gluten-free as well - it would be hard with his training schedule and dietary requirements. He eats the rice pasta when I make it, but it doesn't seem to satisfy him for as long. And of course there's the expense. And I've got to be honest, I haven't found a gluten free bread that I even like. (And why are most so high in fat content?)

As for the little bag to warm up for sore muscles, I believe mine is wheat. If you can get them with rice or buckwheat, then I'll look for one just to be safe.

And I truly appreciate the links you've included for vegetarian recipes etc. I think I have a problem with soy though, so I'm hoping to find lots of options without.

I've read on many of these threads that we seem to get more intolerant of any amount of gluten the longer we've been gluten free, and I would definitely agree.

Any recommendations for dish soap?

[SunnyDyRain]

  celiac1 said:

I really don't want to alarm my son by insisting he eat gluten-free as well - it would be hard with his training schedule and dietary requirements. He eats the rice pasta when I make it, but it doesn't seem to satisfy him for as long. And of course there's the expense. And I've got to be honest, I haven't found a gluten free bread that I even like. (And why are most so high in fat content?)

if you are in the northeast area, i'd suggest grainlessbaker (grainlessbaker.com) thier sandwich bread is wonderful!

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As for the little bag to warm up for sore muscles, I believe mine is wheat. If you can get them with rice or buckwheat, then I'll look for one just to be safe.

If you have a sewing machine they are so easy to make, it's just a pillow with rice! Nothing special about the rice...just plain uncooked grains! If you want to get fancy and you have some sewing skills, you can make ones that wrap around the neck or area that hurts often. Really fancy you can mix some fragrance oils into the rice to make it smell nice.

If your not crafty... ebay has some.

Good Luck!