Dating A Celiac

[CrazyGerman]

I've read up on what I can on this topic so far, but haven't found all the answers I'm looking for...

I'm currently dating a young lady with celiac's and I want to ensure I don't inadvertently contaminate her. (and selfishly maintain my ability to kiss her anytime). I'm gathering that drinking beer before kissing is bad (which is a shift for me, a homebrewer, but not a hard thing to avoid). Since I do like a drink with dinner, are there any prohibitions/concerns with wines and distilled spirits? I seem to think wines are OK, but so far all my favorite vinters have given me looks of utter confusion when I query them. Can anyone confirm my thoughts?

As for spirits, does the distilling process eliminate the gluten (or leave it behind in the mash, or should I stick to spirits that are made from non-gluten containing foods?

Another confusion source: are oats good or bad? I'm seeing studies that leave me confused. (I have found several beer recipes so i can keep homebrewing, some are all sorghum, some oats...)

Finally, are there any other non-obvious items that could submarine me and pop up?

[ShayFL]

Wine is good. Tequilla is also ok and so is Rum. There may be others. But I dont drink and only use for marinades. So you can google if no one else knows.

You should make sure any kind of "facial cream" "aftershave" that you put on your face is gluten-free. As well as your toothpaste. Crest. Dove brand is good for creams. And Burts Bees is also good. But check Burt's website. They have a "gluten free" page. Cuz kissing can get vigorous.

[Lisa]

Learning about Celiac can be quite confusing in the beginning. Here's the crash course:

All beers and malt beverages are off limits. Most wines are gluten free as their source is grapes. Distilled alcohol is now considered safe, but few with high sensitivities can react. Any flavored liquor should be approached with caution.

Shared toasters, cutting boards, and utensils can cross contaminate. Scratched pots and pans can also hide gluten.

Oat may be tolerated by some Celiac, but the possibility of cross contamination in harvesting and processing is high. Dedicated Gluten Free Oats may be ok. There are some mainstream gluten free beers available, but I doubt that you would find them satisfactory since you are a brewmeister, but may be suitable for your date.

Yup, brushing your teeth well after a beer before smooching would be a kind thing to do.

Good luck and it's nice to find a thoughtful companion.

[munkee41182]

I know that there are some cider ales are ok, I'm just unsure of the brands though. My future father in law is trying to make a good gluten-free beer for me (he's also a home brewer as well). If you start brewing your own gluten-free beer, you'll probably need to get separate equipment for it.

I miss my future father in law's pale ale....that stuff was mighty tasty!

If you google "gluten free foods" you'll end up coming up with a list of safe foods, unsafe foods, and safe alcohol. That was the first place I started when I was diagnosed. I also bought my fiance and I "the complete idiots guide to gluten free living." Although I hear that "gluten free living for dummies" is better, it's something to help both of us understand celiac and gluten free living. As far as alcohol, I stick to Smirnoff red label, unless I'm in the mood for drinking it on the rocks, then I drink Chopin. They say that the distillation gets rid of the glutens, but I and other family members with celiac have had reactions to "cheap" vodkas. I'm pretty sure homemade wine is ok, but I'm not 100% sure of the process or all the ingredients. All I know the final product is pretty darned good!

Good luck!!!

[sickchick]

Grand Marnier is safe too (I went to the website...it's made with Cognac, which is made from Grapes)

[CrazyGerman]

You all are great!!!

I found the booze answers at Open Original Shared Link Pretty much says i'm good to go with most distilled drinks (on the rocks, mixing is obviously a different story), but some of the "girly" concoctions like Godiva and the Smirnoff malt beverages will be very bad.

I'll just have to ask her about oats (didn't want her to know I was getting too concerned with keeping her healthy since she said not to worry about it )

I hadn't really considered the cuttingboards, toasters, and all. Fortunately, I already live a low carb lifestyle which means there is very little bread in my diet to worry about, and my stews can easily substitute rice for barley. So I don't think i'll have too much trouble being accomodating, but just want to make as sure as possible.

Thanks again and hopefully if anyone else has some pointers, pile them on

[munkee41182]

Fortunately, I already live a low carb lifestyle which means there is very little bread in my diet to worry about, and my stews can easily substitute rice for barley.

Barley is a no no Rice and brown rice are ok though.

[Lisa]

Remember that gluten can hide in the darnest places...chicken/beef/veggie broth, soy sauce, worchestershire sauce, lotions and shampoo. Gluten can hide in "natural flavoring" on ingredients listings.

Here is a list of great companies who will clearly list all forms of gluten to include barley, malt and rye:

Open Original Shared Link

Happy cooking!

[munkee41182]

Sorry CrazyGerman....I read your post wrong :-( my gluten brain is playing crazy tricks on me

[Susanna]

What a great partner you are to be doing this research!

You're right that most beer has barley in it (or wheat), and is therefore off limits to celiacs. But, there are some gluten free beers on the market: Anheiser-Busch's Redbride is pretty good, and no more expensive than a regular 6-bottle pack of decent beer. You can get it at most grocery stores (at least I find it at Albertsons, Kroger, etc. in Flagstaff). Bard's Tale's Dragon Gold gluten-free beer is WAY good, but pretty pricey--I find it at Whole Foods. These are both sorghum based. I have NOT liked any rice-based beer I've tried so far (I forget the brands). As a home brewer, you might want to learn how to brew gluten-free beer yoursef: it'll be sorghum based. If you're into making beer, it'll probably be a fun process for you.

Wine is gluten-free. So are distilled spirits.

You're right to be concerned about glutening her by kissing her--that's happened to many celiacs. At my house, the whole household has migrated to pretty much a gluten-free diet (the nonceliacs can get their gluten fix elsewhere), and it's not as hard a transition as people think. It took us about 6 months to learn what was and wasn't OK in our kitchen, and since then, it's been pretty easy.

good luck,

Susanna

[Juliebove]

Red Bridge beer is gluten free. There may be others. Not really sure since I don't drink.

[CrazyGerman]

Wow the world is a tiny place! I posted my questions yesterday, then I confessed to my mom last night I was dating someone and she gave me the whole 20 Q's, celiacs came up and then she tells me my cousin has celiacs and owns a gluten free foods and baked goods establishment in Annapolis...I nearly crapped myself.

Sorry I'm off topic now, but it was too weird to not mention.

Redbridge is actually quite a good beer. I've had a good few of them (being in STL, anheuser busch's roll out market for everything ) and can't whine at all.

Thanks again everybody!

[Jestgar]

celiacs came up and then she tells me my cousin has celiacs and owns a gluten free foods and baked goods establishment in Annapolis...I nearly crapped myself.

:lol: Who knew

[elonwy]

Check out Green's beer. Its new, Belgian, gluten-free and really, really good.

Also, don't worry about trying to hard. She says "don't worry about it" but she'll love the stuff you do to keep her healthy. Saying this as a girl who often says "don't worry about it".

[JNBunnie1]

Check out Green's beer. Its new, Belgian, gluten-free and really, really good.

Also, don't worry about trying to hard. She says "don't worry about it" but she'll love the stuff you do to keep her healthy. Saying this as a girl who often says "don't worry about it".

Ditto!

[Calicoe]

Wow the world is a tiny place! I posted my questions yesterday, then I confessed to my mom last night I was dating someone and she gave me the whole 20 Q's, celiacs came up and then she tells me my cousin has celiacs and owns a gluten free foods and baked goods establishment in Annapolis...I nearly crapped myself.

Sorry I'm off topic now, but it was too weird to not mention.

Redbridge is actually quite a good beer. I've had a good few of them (being in STL, anheuser busch's roll out market for everything ) and can't whine at all.

Thanks again everybody!

It's so great that you are thinking about it, and trying to plan in advance not to contaminate her. Very sweet!

On the beer note, I want to thank everyone here for additional suggestions. I am a lover of Belgian beer, and will go out and look for Green's beer. Can you find it at Whole Foods?

I am relatively new to the Celiac stuff myself, and was in a real tizzy because I couldn't eat pizza and have "good" beer (I'm a bit of a snob). And then, I found Glutino's pizza, and New Grist Beer at Whole Foods, and I was over the moon!

Open Original Shared Link

New Grist is genuinely good beer, and you will forget you are drinking gluten free. BTW, you said your cousin owns a gluten-free shop in Annapolis. I am in DC. Is it possible to PM with the details to their shop? It would be great for me to find a gluten-free shop, especially if they carry good gluten-free beer!

[elonwy]

As for Green's I have sofar only found it at two places. Bevmo here on the west coast, and served at Risotteria in NY. Here is their web site: Open Original Shared Link You may have to hunt to find it, but oh... so nummy.

[CrazyGerman]

I went to Friar Tuck's last night (midwestern chain of texas sized booze stores) and found 6 wheat/barley/rye/oat free beers. I picked up the new grist and Bards Tale Dragon Gold. I left the greens beer there since it didn't say gluten free and I wasnt sure it was made on gluten free equipment. Now I know! I already know red bridge, and then there was an african opaque beer made from sorghum, and a rice beer...I figured I have enough to sample through already, but next time I'll write down the names for everyone to share tips on

Calicoe:

As for my cousin's store, I'm heading to Annapolis to see that branch of the fam in two weeks, so I'll have it for sure by then, hopefully sooner!

[rumbles]

It's really special that you care for her enough to learn this and try to keep her from getting glutened.

You are amazing, and that's exactly what she needs!

A lot depends on how sensitive she is. There's no one-shoe-fits-all with this condition. Some people don't

react at all, some only react when they are directly glutened, some when they get a fair amount of

cross-contamination, and then there are those of us that are extremely sensitive to any minute amount

of gluten that comes across our paths. My husband needs a fair amount of cross-contamination before

he has symptoms. Unfortunately, I speak as one of the (hopefully) few that react to the slightest

amount of cross contamination.

I can't drink wine. Most wine in itself is gluten free, but often it is cured or aged in barrels. These barrels

are cured in a wheat solution before they ever come anywhere near the wine process. I for one, will break

out in blisters (DH) within an hour or so of drinking wine.

For me, I don't have a problem with oats, as long as I don't eat them more than once a week or so (any

more often, and I'm back to blisters).

Cooking utensils, pots, pans, cutting boards, etc. ~ they need to be gluten free from birth . . . washing just

doesn't get the gluten out.

Laundry detergent . . . amazing where this stuff will hide.

Charcoal . . . has to be hard wood. For the longest time, my husband and I couldn't understand why we

were getting bloated, and other gluten symptoms (including those lovely blisters!) after eating gluten free

BBQ. Turns out that most commercial charcoal is cured with wheat. We switched to hard wood, and thankfully

have moved back into BBQ heaven.

Toothpaste ~ there are a few major brands that are gluten free, - check the manufacturer's web site, as

many will list whether or not there is gluten in their product.

Tomato paste . . . this is one that keeps getting me . . . some have hidden gluten in them . . . check directly

with the manufacturer (when they say it's gluten free, ask them if it's made on a dedicated line, or it they

just clean it according to industry standards . . . if your girlfriend is ultra-sensitive, the "industry standards"

of washing the equipment two or three times between products may not be enough).

Vitamins, Over-The-Counter Products and prescription medications . . . yep, gluten is often hidden here also.

We all react differently to gluten. Some of us get GI symptoms, some get blisters, some get tired,

some experience mood changes, some depression, arthritis symptoms, eye sight changes,

pins and needles, labored breathing, weight loss, weight gain, blood clots, circulatory disorders (including

Raynaud's Phenomenon - bluing and cold fingers, toes, nose, ears, etc.), and sooo many more, some

annoying, some serious. Our reactions often change over time, - how we've always reacted may not be how

we react tomorrow. Many of us try to hide our reactions, - we pass it off as nothing, because we don't

want the world to have to deal with our problem. I tell you this in case at some point you see a

change, or even a distancing, - realize that it very well could be from an internal not-feeling-well that

the outside world doesn't know about, accept or understand. (It's hard enough for us to accept, and

sometimes, truthfully, we don't.) If you see this, understand that she might need time to heal, before she

feels better. Let her know that you are there, and that it's okay for the two of you to spend quiet some time until she feels better. Your girlfriend lives in a special world. She's a special person that manuvers in a world of trying to stay healthy while trying to look, act and do what everybody else does. She knows suffering, and she may have learned how to hide it pretty well. You, are one very special person, that is taking the time to learn, to understand, to question, and to try. How I wish there were so many many more people like you. I wish

you both the best together!