Gluten Eating House Guests

[tourmark]

I am having family come to our house in a few months, all of which eat gluten.They are very concerned/supportive of gluten-free diet. I am wondering if anyone has had experience with having guests come, and whether or not you should provide some gluten food for them. Obviuosly we'll have to watch cross contamination, but I want people to feel comfortable at our house and not have to eat gluten free for 5 days.

thanks for your thoughts.

[Guhlia]

Your health is more important than their level of comfort. So long as you don't offer them a host of substitution foods, they likely won't even notice that they're eating gluten free. Keep snacks around like Utz potato chips, Bakery on Main granola, etc... You will likely even be able to serve them Tinkyada pasta and not have them notice that it's different. That's what I would do.

[CarlaB]

I agree ... except for Tinkyada Pasta, you won't have to use gluten substitutes, just make naturally gluten-free foods. If they really want gluten, they can go out.

I make a totally gluten-free Thanksgiving dinner ... no one complains ... I don't think anyone even notices.

[Lisa]

Every time I have house guests or company for dinner, I totally cook gluten free. It's my home. I get no complaints, just compliments. I am a taster when I cook.

There are so many gluten free mainstream products that makes it very easy. With all the fresh produce this summer you have sooo many options.

Quiche with fresh tomatoes with mozzer. cheese and balsamic dressing.

Grilled chicken with corn on the cob and a big tossed salad

Breakfast casserole fresh cantaloupe

Sandwiches with deli meats and cheeses (well, maybe some real bread) Chips and dips

Lots of options.

[Guest j_mommy]

Everytime I have people over I cook gluten-free. I have had no complaints(now that I actually can cook) and my friends would tell me if it was bad(Which they did the first GROSS meal I cooked!LOL)

As previous posters said.....your health is #1. It is easier that they know ahead of time that you have celiac and are supportive. Depending on what you cook, they won't even know the difference.

I made spegetti the other night and my sister ran into the kitchen and yelled at me b/c I can't eat pasta!LOL I explained to her that it was gluten-free(Mrs. Leepers) and they LOVED it. My mom had to go buy some for their house b/c my sisters will only eat that now!!LOL

[NicoleAJ]

I had guests stay for a week, and at home we only cooked gluten free and it was great, but they ended up going out to eat quite a bit and bringing back all sorts of left-overs. Once there was some gluten in the house, they went out and bought candies, cake, and other things with gluten in them, leaving the crumbs all over the place (including the counter, the fridge, my desk, etc). There were definitely some cross contamination issues that caused some problems for me. A strict gluten free policy is the best policy when it comes to house guests.

[Guest j_mommy]

I follow strict gluten-free for that reason. I don't allow them to bring gluten in.....I wouldn't bring my dogs to someone's house or peanuts for that matter if they were allergic!

[tarnalberry]

We have guests over for dinner often, and everything I serve is gluten free. I offered bread in a basket once or twice, but was too nervous about crumbs as the basket was passed back and forth over the serving dishes.

My in-laws have stayed a number of times, for anywhere between 3 days and nearly two weeks. As my father-in-law is on the ornish diet, I am not willing to ask him to forgo all whole wheat and oats. So they have use of the bread board (we have one large cutting board shoved off in a corner that's allowed to have bread for my husband) and a large serving tray for him to eat cereal. Shared meals are all gluten (and dairy)-free.

[Karen B.]

I see 2 issues:

#1 -- How good of a hostess can you be if you're sick? And how will your guests feel if they are the cause of you being ill?

#2 -- There are so many foods that are naturally gluten-free and good substitutions like Tinkyada, GFP French Bread, Chebe, etc. I can't see how you're shorting your guests at all.

If you bake fresh, homemade bread, you'll actually be providing a treat most people don't get now. Home made gluten-free waffles are very easy and again, that's something most people don't get fresh and pipping hot. Serve with vanilla yogurt and fresh fruit for the healthy types and whipped cream for the ones that aren't worried about it.

You can serve dishes with gluten-free pasta, rice, potatos, tacos, tostadas, salads and eating out. Have you tried making what I nicknamed stir-fry pasta? Basically cooking fresh vegatables and chicken, shrimp or what-have-you in EV olive oil and tossed with pasta. It's a great alternative to the standard red pasta sauce and you can vary the flavors by changing around the ingredients. Chicken, red peppers, onions, black beans, corn and pasta will have a completely different taste than shrimp, broccoli, carrots and green peas with pasta. Who misses bread when served a chili cheese baked potato? A Tex-Mex cassarole of cheese enchiladas topped with canned chili and cheese calls for rice and refried beans -- no bread needed.

I'd make sure I had all the meals planned out and shopped for before your guests show up along with some familiar snacks like chips/dips, fresh fruit, etc. and some new snacks like Chebe parmesan bread sticks, gluten-free pretzels, maybe Namaste spice cake done as carrot cake muffins. Ask your guests for some of their favorite foods to get an idea ahead of time of dishes you might convert. And don't forget to ask if they have any allergies or extremely disliked foods. You never know, your guests might find their reflux disappears when they aren't eating Wonder Bread all the time.