Contamination From Smelling Gluten Cooking?

[ruthla]

I was napping earlier, and my 13yo decided to make pancakes. Unfortunately, she used wheat flour instead of rice flour to make the batter. I've since shown her where I keep the rice flour so this shouldn't happen again.

My 11yo was acting up pretty badly afterwards- yelling "leave me alone!!!" repeatedly when her big sister asked her to clear her stuff off the kitchen table (so the 13yo could change the tablecloth and get rid of all the gluten in the kitchen.)

my 11yo has been gluten-free for about 24 hours right now. Could smelling the cooking pancakes (and I can STILL smell them in here ) be messing her up? Or is she just "acting up" from whatever it is that makes her cranky and irritable? I don't think she's been gluten-free long enough to see any results yet- but could this be slowing things down?

It's not like she was in a particularly good mood to begin with. Maybe there isnt' any connection?

[tarnalberry]

aromatics - the smells you sense - aren't large molecules like the protein molecule. that being said, if there was flour around that she could have picked up and ingested, should could have gotten glutened. after 24 hours, it could be that she's cranky for other reasons, because she couldn't have the pancakes, because she contaminated herself, because she's 11...

[Ursa Major]

She could have gotten glutened from flour still floating around in the air (yes, that is possible, which is why there is no gluten flour allowed in my house).

Plus, I don't think we told you that some people get horrible withdrawal symptoms when eliminating gluten, which can last up to two weeks.

My daughter certainly did. Which is why, after a week of being gluten-free she cheated, because she told me that the gluten-free diet made her feel worse, not better. And she saw no point of staying on it!

After I explained to her that gluten is highly addictive, and she was like any addict now, who claims that without their drug they feel terrible, and they need it badly to feel better again!

She stuck it out after that, and was fine after a week. I don't think she has cheated since.

So, if your daughter is going through withdrawal, don't let her use that argument. She needs to stick it out. Sometimes you have to feel much worse before you start feeling better.

[ruthla]

I went through my pantry today and threw out a bunch of gluten containing stuff: opened packages of wheat germ and matzah meal, cornmeal that may have been contaminated before I went gluten-free, etc. There will be no more cooking gluten-containing foods in my kitchen, and I'm going to insist that any gluten-containing foods (precooked) be eaten on paper plates.

I have several unopened boxes of pasta that I plan to give away, and I'm still not sure what to do about the big package of wheat flour. I'm not sure how to dispose of it without breathing it in- it's in a nice plastic tub with a snap on lid, and I want to wash and reuse the container when the wheat flour is gone.

[Ursa Major]

I'm still not sure what to do about the big package of wheat flour. I'm not sure how to dispose of it without breathing it in- it's in a nice plastic tub with a snap on lid, and I want to wash and reuse the container when the wheat flour is gone.

I suggest you go to the hardware store (or a pharmacy) and get a package of face masks. Put one on when you put the wheat flour into a double plastic bag (preferably outside, not in your house). Then you tie up the bag securely and throw it in the trash.

On the other hand, if you have a friend or relative who wants it, transfer the flour into their own container, using a face mask.

[gfpaperdoll]

Ruthla, just do yourself a favor & give that canister to someone that could use it. Do not make yourself sick emptying it & then I would not reuse the container anyway... just my take on it. I would save up for a new container... I am happy that you are making this effort to keep your children healthy.

[kbtoyssni]

If you really think you can clean the canister well enough to use it again, I would lend it to a relative or friend who can use up the wheat flour and do the initial cleaning for you. Or maybe let it sit until sometime when you get glutened and then do it since you're already sick (ok, I don't really recommend the latter )

[loco-ladi]

I gave all my pasta and flour to a neighbor, containers came back cleaned by her..... then I rewashed them multiple time and have since replaced them.

[ruthla]

Yeah, I think I'll just give the whole canister to my mom- I'm not sure how much baking she does anyway, but I think the canister is really hers anyway.

Grrr. Yesterday my Mom brought home a piece of cheesecake for my son, and I told him to bring it right back to them- it's not from a kosher restaurant, and I'm sure it has gluten in it. I simply don't want that in my kitchen!

So today, to be nice, she went to the kosher bakery and bought us an entire cheesecake. Even if they didn't use any gluten ingredients in it (which I have no way of verifying) I'm sure it's cross contaminated just from being in a bakery.

She meant well, but it's so aggrivating to get this RIGHT after I made the decision to get rid of all gluten in my kitchen. I'm still VERY CAREFULLY serving regular challah rolls on Friday nights, but using paper plates and no longer baking them myself.

I'm planning to do a gluten challenge on my daughter on Saturday anyway, so I wrapped up the bakery box in 2 layers of plastic wrap and stuck it in the freezer to take out on Saturday morning.

What should I do in the future if people bring me gifts of gluten-containing foods? Houseguests often do stuff like that!