Can Someone Please Explain Cross Contamination To Me?

[Aligray]

Hey there!

I need someone to explain cross contamination to me. Im not sure if i am getting CC'd or if i have developed new intolerances.

I got sick again today and have no idea why. I ingested gluten accidentally 7 weeks ago and havent been the same since.

i know this question has been asked a zillion times im sure but i would really appreciate if someone would break it down for me.

Can i get CCbd by breathing in when around gluten?

In what ways can i be CC'd?

Thank u!

-Ali

[confusedks]

Ali,

I will tell you all of the things I can think of about CC.

1. If a knife is put into peanut butter (jam, mayo, etc.) and spread onto a glutenous bread then the knife is put back into the jar and YOU go to use it, you will get CC'd. (The crumbs from the glutenous bread will be in there and you will then spread them onto your bread and get sick.)

2. Someone uses a wooden spoon with gluten and then you use it with gluten-free food, you will get sick.

3. If someone is baking with wheat flour in your kitchen, the flour goes everywhere and if you breath it in people say you can get glutened. Also, if it goes all over your kitchen it may get on the counter then if you go to cut something you will get CC'd.

4. If a knife is used by a chef in a restaurant and then they use the same knife to cut your veggies for your meal, you will get CC'd.

I hope this helps. I'm sure more people will jump in and post.

It is very possible you are building more intolerances. Are you also dairy/casein free? This should be avoided by newly diagnosed Celiac's.

Kassandra

[Aligray]

Thank u so much!

Well, I have been wondering if i needed to go casein free or soy free. Then there is the oxylate discussion. Should i cut them out to!!! I am sooo confused!

One more question. It may seem silly. But at the moment i dont restrict where my son eats gluten foods in the house. Why should I? Is it bc i could touch the crumbs?

[Ridgewalker]

One more question. It may seem silly. But at the moment i dont restrict where my son eats gluten foods in the house. Why should I? Is it bc i could touch the crumbs?

No, it's not a silly question at all! I suppose part of the decision would have to depend on how old your son is.

My sons are 4 1/2, and almost 7. They are not allowed to eat anywhere but at the table. Now, they are both gluten-free, but if they weren't, and I was-- the rule would be even more strict than it is. They are not capable of eating without food flying everywhere. I did have to deal with this when only one of my kids was gluten-free. I had to watch them like a hawk whenever food was out, so that the younger one didn't contaminate the older one. It was very difficult, and I had to minimize this by giving the younger one mostly gluten-free food too. Worked out, because now he's 100% gluten-free.

Gluteny crackers and bread are the two worst things, I think. Crumbs fly everywhere, and honey, I mean everywhere. You don't even notice it too much until you begin to associate crumbs with danger.

If you don't restrict where the gluten foods are being eaten, then you have to realize that you're going to be dealing with possible crumbs on everything you touch, even if you don't see them, and even if you just brush them off your hands- the gluten is still on your hands. There may be people here that say this is extreme, but it's not. When my older son was the only gluten-free one in the house, I came to believe that Ritz crackers are from Satan.

So, cross contamination issues... in addition to what Kassandra said-

* Buy a new toaster that is ONLY for gluten-free bread. Keep a pretty kitchen towel draped over it when not in use- this helps keep stray crumbs out, and keeps others in your house from using it accidentally.

* Cast iron pans, unglazed stone cookware, scratched nonstick cookware, and wooden spoons all absorb gluten, and it cannot be removed. Don't use them, or buy new ones for gluten-free cooking.

* Gluten is extremely difficult to remove from collanders, can openers, and some utensils like those weird spaghetti sporks. It's best to use separate ones.

* Gluten hides in dish cloths and sponges. Use clean ones for your stuff. If you see a crumb mess, wipe it off with a wet paper towel.

* Make it a rule that if someone fixes a sandwich or a snack or whatever, they make it on a plate, NOT on the bare counter.

* gluten-free foods that are fried in the same oil as gluteny foods are contaminated! This is a big pain in the butt in restaurants.

Hand sanitizer doesn't help- you're not looking to kill gluten like a germ, you have to get it off. If you're out and about, use a wet wipe for your hands to remove contamination.

If your son is little, try to instill strong hand-washing practices. My 4 year old always has his hands all over my face, and that can be an issue.

Also-- you said you've been sick for almost 2 months? Another possibility besides CC and additional intolerances- You may already know this, but have you checked all your non-food products? Toothpaste, lipstick, chapstick, moisturizer, vitamins, and medications are all things that need to be gluten-free.

[kenlove]

It's a big problem for me in may ways especially in restaurants. I have to ask the wait staff to ask the chef to use a different frying pan. if they wont, which happens sometimes, i go someplace else. Having been a chef and working with teh chefs group here in Kona, I know that in a busy kitchen people often use the same tongs or spatula to turn things on a grill. Just a few crumbs of breading can set off a reaction in me. In the past two years, with one exception, everytime I got glutened by accident it was from a buffet line at some event at a hotel. I just dont eat at them unless I'm first in line. If you watch how poeple go through the line it's scary the way people use fingers or the same tongs to pick from two or three trays.

I cant kiss my wife if she eats a sadwich untili she brushes her teeth. It's a matter of really being careful and although sometimes places or folks at home have the best of intentions, accidents happen. My wife trys hard not to mix things up and keep everything seperate but it does not always work.

Just have to be always on our guard.

good luck

Ken

Hey there!

I need someone to explain cross contamination to me. Im not sure if i am getting CC'd or if i have developed new intolerances.

I got sick again today and have no idea why. I ingested gluten accidentally 7 weeks ago and havent been the same since.

i know this question has been asked a zillion times im sure but i would really appreciate if someone would break it down for me.

Can i get CCbd by breathing in when around gluten?

In what ways can i be CC'd?

Thank u!

-Ali

[Joss]

I am just in the learning stage too.

Recently my sister and my Easy Cook broke and we need to buy a new top. We don't have an oven or griller and we used this to grill our foods in.

Yesterday Jude came in to my room and told me to use her George Foreman grill. I told her no way because she grills meat in it and I am vegan. She answered and said that she does not cook meat in it any longer and I should use it to grill my mushrooms. Now she grills her sandwiches in it and when I told her this she said ' for goodness sake just wipe it down'. I told her that would not work and she shouted at me and stormed out, declaring that I was crazy.

Sometime I truly think I am crazy.

Joss

[codetalker]

Can i get CCbd by breathing in when around gluten?

My only experience getting gluten by breathing was once when I stripped wallpaper and got sick. I learned after the fact that wallpaper paste sometimes contains wheat. Once I knew that, I checked wall paper pastes and did see wheat listed on a couple of them.

Based on that experience, I believe it is possible to take in gluten by breathing.

I have also heard stories of celiacs getting sick by breathing. One is the story of someone who lives near wheat fields and gets sick during the wheat harvest. The other is someone who gets sick either living or working above a bakery or by walking into one. I saw a post about the wheat field a long time ago on a different board. I heard the living over the bakery story at a support group meeting. Both people claimed to have experienced the problem first-hand.

The mechanism appears to be that gluten in the air is breathed in and gets caught in the mucus in the airway. The person then swallows the mucus/gluten. The gluten then makes its way into the gut. I am not a doctor but that at least sounds reasonable.

[debmidge]

I was at work a couple of weeks ago and one of my co workers' made his sandwich for lunch and instead of washing his hands he just wiped them on the 'communal' dishtowel ....ahhhh I said to myself. A unknown source of glutening for the next people who use it.....

Delicatessen or food store deli meat slicing machines. The cold cuts can be gluten-free, but if that slicer isn't cleaned before they slice your order you could be bringing home cross contaminated meats and cheeses.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

My husband likes to bake Pillsbury Pop-N-Fresh biscuits, which always stick to the supposedly-nonstick pan. I'm starting to wonder if I should throw out the scrubber sponge after I clean his gluteny pans--I try to wash them out really well, but ?????

[kenlove]

I have similar problems breathing in wheat. Working in restaurant kitchens is not something I look forward too.

I cant go into kitchens where things have been breaded or flour used for the previous day. My wife had to mix her baking flours outside until I convienced her to use only gluten-free supplies.

My only experience getting gluten by breathing was once when I stripped wallpaper and got sick. I learned after the fact that wallpaper paste sometimes contains wheat. Once I knew that, I checked wall paper pastes and did see wheat listed on a couple of them.

Based on that experience, I believe it is possible to take in gluten by breathing.

I have also heard stories of celiacs getting sick by breathing. One is the story of someone who lives near wheat fields and gets sick during the wheat harvest. The other is someone who gets sick either living or working above a bakery or by walking into one. I saw a post about the wheat field a long time ago on a different board. I heard the living over the bakery story at a support group meeting. Both people claimed to have experienced the problem first-hand.

The mechanism appears to be that gluten in the air is breathed in and gets caught in the mucus in the airway. The person then swallows the mucus/gluten. The gluten then makes its way into the gut. I am not a doctor but that at least sounds reasonable.

[cyberprof]

Microwaves and tupperware/plastic ware got me.

I was getting sick from using the microwave at work and at home without a lid. Now I either cover with plastic wrap TIGHTLY and poke a few holes in it (steam goes out, not in) or I use a plastic lid that has a vent in it, or a glass dish with a glass lid.

For the plastic ware (for leftovers or to take lunch to work) I threw out all the old stuff and bought new cheap ziploc brand ones for the family. I have several rubbermaid that I use just for my stuff to be extra safe.

Good luck!

[JennyC]

I don't remember if anyone mentioned this, but you will also need new cutting boards and basically anything that can get scratched, like plastic.

This is a major source of CC that took me while to realize. Chips or anything that you reach into to grab food can get contaminated. For example, someone in your home is eating a gluten sandwich and reaches into the chips and grabs some. They left behind gluten! This is also a big problem at parties. At parties I try to set some food aside for my son before the party gets started. This is the same for restaurants, like when an employee touches a flour tortilla and then reaches his hand in the lettuce.

[kbtoyssni]

Another possible source is french fries or anything fried at restaurants. If they put your naturally gluten-free fries into oil that's used for breaded product, then you're contaminated. I pretty much avoid anything fried when I'm eating out.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Another possible source is french fries or anything fried at restaurants. If they put your naturally gluten-free fries into oil that's used for breaded product, then you're contaminated. I pretty much avoid anything fried when I'm eating out.

Forget the "naturally gluten-free french fries--" many restaurants use french fries that come pre-dipped in batter.

[psawyer]

Forget the "naturally gluten-free french fries--" many restaurants use french fries that come pre-dipped in batter.

Some fries are coated, and at least as many are not. Like so many things in the gluten-free life, you need to ask:

(1) are they coated/battered, or are they just plain potatoes; and

(2) is the fryer used for anything else (and if so, what).

[moonlitemama]

I just discovered a new way to get glutened. I was baking cupcakes yesterday and as I slid the pan onto the top shelf it dawned on me that I probably rubbed crumbs off the rack onto the bottom pan of cupcakes. Sure enough, when I pulled out the bottom pan there were specks on them!