Cross Contamination

[mamaloca2]

I am new to all of this. I self-diagnosed about a month ago and I have been getting progressively better but not completely. I have occasional bouts of diarrhea which I didn't have before, and my cracked lips will almost completely heal and then get worse again for a couple days. I am pretty sure I am getting gluttened by not sure how. I try to use separate peanut butter jars, ect...but don't have separate pots and pans. Do I really need to go to that length? You would think the heat would destroy any leftover gluten protein...but I don't know. I guess what I'm asking is, could my diarrhea and persistent dry lips be a sign I am not completely gluten free, or could something else be the cause? I have heard people talk about casin sensitivity also. How do you know if you have a problem with that?

[Nantzie]

Yes, you need seperate pots and pans. If you have stainless steel ones, you should be able to clean them very, very, VERY well and use them. You also need a new cutting board, new wooden spoons if you use them, sometimes new plastic utensils and plates if they're really scratched up, a new strainer, etc.

Heat does not kill gluten. It is not a living thing, so can't be killed. Gluten is a protein, not a bacteria or virus. Imagine you were allergic to strawberries for example. You could cook them for hours and they wouldn't change - they'd still be strawberries.

Gluten is also very sticky (remember making paste out of flour and water as a kid?) and will stick into every little scratch and crevice it can.

The way someone explained it to me when I first started was to think of it like raw chicken. We all know about raw chicken and cross contamination. Anything the chicken touches and anything you touch with chickeny fingers has to be washed. Just think of gluten the same way.

Other things you need to check are your personal care products. Shampoos, haircare products, lotions, makeup, lip balm, nail polish.

Also, if your husband or boyfriend eats gluten or drinks beer, you will get glutened by kissing. If he brushes his teeth really well it's fine, and if it's been a few hours it's fine. My husband sometimes has gluten for lunch, but by the time he gets home from work it's been long enough that I don't make him go brush his teeth.

Hope that helps. Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it.

I'm glad you're feeling better.

Nancy

[jambo massive]

Yes, you need seperate pots and pans. If you have stainless steel ones, you should be able to clean them very, very, VERY well and use them. You also need a new cutting board, new wooden spoons if you use them, sometimes new plastic utensils and plates if they're really scratched up, a new strainer, etc.

Heat does not kill gluten. It is not a living thing, so can't be killed. Gluten is a protein, not a bacteria or virus. Imagine you were allergic to strawberries for example. You could cook them for hours and they wouldn't change - they'd still be strawberries.

Gluten is also very sticky (remember making paste out of flour and water as a kid?) and will stick into every little scratch and crevice it can.

The way someone explained it to me when I first started was to think of it like raw chicken. We all know about raw chicken and cross contamination. Anything the chicken touches and anything you touch with chickeny fingers has to be washed. Just think of gluten the same way.

Other things you need to check are your personal care products. Shampoos, haircare products, lotions, makeup, lip balm, nail polish.

Also, if your husband or boyfriend eats gluten or drinks beer, you will get glutened by kissing. If he brushes his teeth really well it's fine, and if it's been a few hours it's fine. My husband sometimes has gluten for lunch, but by the time he gets home from work it's been long enough that I don't make him go brush his teeth.

Hope that helps. Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it.

I'm glad you're feeling better.

Nancy

oh my god just read your advice i never knew cross contam was that bad, is that just for people that get really bad symptems or everybody??

[nikki-uk]

oh my god just read your advice i never knew cross contam was that bad, is that just for people that get really bad symptems or everybody??

Afraid it is for all coeliacs !

Oh - and a separate toaster IS A MUST!!

[Nantzie]

Yep. Everybody as far as I've ever seen. I don't even have official celiac (borderline blood test, negative biopsy) and I have to be very careful about all that stuff.

There are people who choose not to guard against second-hand gluten (cross contamination), but they usually have never tried it. I would compare it to getting a really bad flu (life during undiagnosis), then there's that day where you start feeling better and aren't throwing up and in the bathroom all the time (stopping eating obvious gluten) and can go to work. But then theres that week or so where you're still not feeling right, tired, sneezy, coughy, can't sleep well.

Just stopping at not eating the obvious gluten is like living your life in the time after the flu where you're still sick. But calling it healthy. Yes, it's way better than the worst of the flu, but you're still sick.

If you've got a diagnosis in hand and you KNOW for sure your villi are trashed, it's especially important to guard against second-hand gluten because your intestines won't heal if you're getting gluten. Even in minute amounts.

If you're self-diagnosed like so many people here are, and you're not sure if the damage was just not caught by the tests (very common), or you may have one of the other forms of gluten problems that doesn't create villi damage, in my opinion, you STILL should guard against all cross contamination.

Like I mentioned, I was self-diagnosed and had negative tests. But I had almost all of the lovely classic celiac symptoms, as well as neurological symptoms to the point I could barely walk and daily headaches. I was pretty much house-bound.

At first, I figured since my tests came back negative, I wouldn't have to worry about second-hand gluten, but I have found that the opposite is the case. I'm just as sensitive to it as someone with an official diagnosis.

That's why I always encourage people, even if they're not sure or don't believe it could be a problem, to at least TRY it. It's really something that you have to experience on your own.

To be honest, when I was first learning, I figured there were some people who were very sensitive, but that most people were just being paranoid. Little did I know... If I hadn't tried it for myself, I don't think I ever would have believed it.

Nancy

[connole1056]

I disagree completely about using separate pans! I use a separate strainer/colander, but not pots and pans. Washing them well after using them with foods with gluten is all that is needed. It is weird to see the responses saying to get different pans beause NO ONE in the support groups where I live recommend that.

I do use different toasters for gluten-free and non-gluten-free foods though because it is very difficult to get every crumb out of a toaster. However, I do know some people who use a toaster oven instead of a toaster because clening the rack of the oven well is simple. I also use two bread makers for gluten-free and non-gluten-free foods. Basically, I think anything with small, hard to clean crevices may harbor gluten after being washed. Other than that it is fine to use the same pans. Obviously you shouldn't be taking the same utensils from pan to pan while cooking gluten-free and non-gluten-free food at the same time.

I do want to mention that if you think you actually do have celiac disease you should get a biopsy to know for sure. You could feel better going gluten-free, but what if you have a different condition that is not diagnosed and you do not know it because you are assuming it is celiac disease? You could be missing detection and treatment of something else.I advise you to get a biopsy to be safe. Then you will know the true story and whether or not you need to investigate further. There are many people on these boards who are self-diagnosed and do feel better after going gluten-free but I worry they may have another condition they do not know about. I know they feel they have made the correct diagnosis, but I would not trust anything but a biopsy. Plus this diet is SO restrictive and expensive I think it is ridiculous to follow it if you do not have to.

Also, you mentioned you have been following the diet for only one month. Some people do take a long time to be completely symptom free. Some lucky people see results almost immediately, but you may not be one of those people. So I advise you to get a proper diagnosis and then go from there. And GOOD LUCK!!

[blueeyedmanda]

I disagree completely about using separate pans! I use a separate strainer/colander, but not pots and pans. Washing them well after using them with foods with gluten is all that is needed. It is weird to see the responses saying to get different pans beause NO ONE in the support groups where I live recommend that.

I do use different toasters for gluten-free and non-gluten-free foods though because it is very difficult to get every crumb out of a toaster. However, I do know some people who use a toaster oven instead of a toaster because clening the rack of the oven well is simple. I also use two bread makers for gluten-free and non-gluten-free foods. Basically, I think anything with small, hard to clean crevices may harbor gluten after being washed. Other than that it is fine to use the same pans. Obviously you shouldn't be taking the same utensils from pan to pan while cooking gluten-free and non-gluten-free food at the same time.

I do want to mention that if you think you actually do have celiac disease you should get a biopsy to know for sure. You could feel better going gluten-free, but what if you have a different condition that is not diagnosed and you do not know it because you are assuming it is celiac disease? You could be missing detection and treatment of something else.I advise you to get a biopsy to be safe. Then you will know the true story and whether or not you need to investigate further. There are many people on these boards who are self-diagnosed and do feel better after going gluten-free but I worry they may have another condition they do not know about. I know they feel they have made the correct diagnosis, but I would not trust anything but a biopsy. Plus this diet is SO restrictive and expensive I think it is ridiculous to follow it if you do not have to.

Also, you mentioned you have been following the diet for only one month. Some people do take a long time to be completely symptom free. Some lucky people see results almost immediately, but you may not be one of those people. So I advise you to get a proper diagnosis and then go from there. And GOOD LUCK!!

That's odd, my support group spoke very highly about seperate pots, pans, and other kitchen items.

[nikki-uk]

I disagree completely about using separate pans! I use a separate strainer/colander, but not pots and pans. Washing them well after using them with foods with gluten is all that is needed.

Yep, I do think it depends on your type of equipment.

My pots and pans are stainless steel - I hand wash them and then put them in the dishwasher & my 2 coeliacs have never had any problems.

Whereas plastic containers used in the microwave tend to get scratched and (IMO) could 'hold onto' gluten so my coeliacs use pyrex for that.