Has Anyone Here *never* Been Accidentally Glutened?

[Hummingbird4]

My GI doctor told me to pay attention to what I eat: to buy foods that specifically say gluten free, and to avoid anything with gluten in the ingredient listing. But not to worry too much if a knife touches a piece of bread and then touches my food. He said a bigger concern is cross-contamination in the manufacturing process.

https://www.celiac.com/articles/38/1/How-mu...liac/Page1.html

This article states that it takes 1/48th of a slice of bread to cause damage in a Celiac. A stray crumb is far less than 1/48th of a slice of bread. Is it possible to accidentally get a stray crumb every now and then and NOT have a gluten reaction? Can a person practice due diligence with regard to avoiding all gluten in their food, and not worry too much about cross-contact?

I read a lot of stories here and elsewhere about people getting glutened by tiny amounts of cross-contact. Is that true for everybody? Surely there must be people out there who haven't been accidentally glutened. I hope.

[Darn210]

I think my daughter fits your description. Since going gluten free (17 months now), she's only had one reaction. It happened at school. It was something that had been allright (per the dietician) and then midyear the distributer changed suppliers on their "corn chips". The new corn chips listed wheat as an ingredient. This is the only time that we know she had wheat and we know she reacted. We live in a blended household (there is a cabinet of gluten food). I can't believe in the 17 months that we've been at it that she's not had a crumb or two (we do try!!!!). Her follow-up blood test looked great, so if she's getting a crumb here or there, it is not sending her antibodies into a tizzy. We have never had a reaction to shared facility type packaged foods or shared lines for that matter (we get Lay's chips some times). I consider ourselves fortunate as I know some have a much harder time. I've wondered if it was because she was diagnosed so quickly. I do have two friends that both let their Celiac daughters take communion every once in a while because they do not react to that small of amount - although I wouldn't do this, this tells me my daughter isn't the only one.

[Rya]

My GI doctor told me to pay attention to what I eat: to buy foods that specifically say gluten free, and to avoid anything with gluten in the ingredient listing. But not to worry too much if a knife touches a piece of bread and then touches my food. He said a bigger concern is cross-contamination in the manufacturing process.

https://www.celiac.com/articles/38/1/How-mu...liac/Page1.html

This article states that it takes 1/48th of a slice of bread to cause damage in a Celiac. A stray crumb is far less than 1/48th of a slice of bread. Is it possible to accidentally get a stray crumb every now and then and NOT have a gluten reaction? Can a person practice due diligence with regard to avoiding all gluten in their food, and not worry too much about cross-contact?

I read a lot of stories here and elsewhere about people getting glutened by tiny amounts of cross-contact. Is that true for everybody? Surely there must be people out there who haven't been accidentally glutened. I hope.

I've been doing this for a year and have not gone longer than 3 months without accidental glutening, be it restaurants, family, self, roommates...sharp learning curve for me

Just my opinion...I firmly believe less than 1/48th of a slice of bread or 1/8 of a tsp (as I was told) can cause a reaction. (I'm full of stories today, here's another) I had to do a rotation in a bakery for a day during my internship and, this is a bit gross, but later that night I was chewing on my fingernails and tasted cookie dough (even though I double-gloved), just a spec. 15 minutes later (my stomach was empty) I blew up like a balloon. I think the empty stomach was the key there. But, if your lotion has gluten in it, and you apply it on an empty stomach, and for whatever reason put your finger in your mouth (say you have a hangnail or whatever, these things happen), that tiny amount will go farther than if you consumed it with a meal.

On a less personal note, I think it's possible to have such a vague reaction (maybe a transient headache) to tiny amounts of gluten that one doesn't know they are being contaminated when in fact they are. Also, research on Celiac is growing so fast, but tests and mechanisms and long-term effects are still poorly understood, as is the case in most diseases.

It is a very personal choice as to whether or not you want to run the risk. There really is no right or wrong, just what works for you. I think I've been a big risk-taker about my diet, but on the bright side I'm more knowledgeable now.

Last note, personally, I wouldn't use a knife or butter that touched bread.

[Darn210]

Last note, personally, I wouldn't use a knife or butter that touched bread.

I wanted to add that I wouldn't use that for my daughter either. We are diligent in our gluten/gluten-free segregation. I don't ever think "well, that little slip won't hurt her". I just assume that over this amount of time, she would have been cc'd somewhere down the line. She's not always in my sight and there is a 9 year old gluten eating brother involved although I will say, he does have good awareness. The other day the phone was ringing and I yelled to him from the other room to answer it and he yelled back "I can't, I have gluten hands!"

[Gemini]

I think my daughter fits your description. Since going gluten free (17 months now), she's only had one reaction. It happened at school. It was something that had been allright (per the dietician) and then midyear the distributer changed suppliers on their "corn chips". The new corn chips listed wheat as an ingredient. This is the only time that we know she had wheat and we know she reacted. We live in a blended household (there is a cabinet of gluten food). I can't believe in the 17 months that we've been at it that she's not had a crumb or two (we do try!!!!). Her follow-up blood test looked great, so if she's getting a crumb here or there, it is not sending her antibodies into a tizzy. We have never had a reaction to shared facility type packaged foods or shared lines for that matter (we get Lay's chips some times). I consider ourselves fortunate as I know some have a much harder time. I've wondered if it was because she was diagnosed so quickly. I do have two friends that both let their Celiac daughters take communion every once in a while because they do not react to that small of amount - although I wouldn't do this, this tells me my daughter isn't the only one.

I would say you are doing a great job of keeping your daughter healthy so I wouldn't sweat it. In the 3 1/2 years I have been gluten-free, I have only been glutened twice and that was in the beginning of my learning curve. I eat out about once a month and never get glutened in restaurants. There are a few that I go to and they have been great with getting it right. It's all perspective. If a package is marked gluten-free but from a shared facility, I wouldn't worry at all. If they go to the trouble of marketing something gluten-free, then they will be cleaning the machinery in between runs to avoid CC. I would not eat anything from a shared line if it wasn't labeled gluten-free, though.

If her bloodwork looks good and she has no symptoms, that means you are getting it right and I wouldn't change anything unless problems develop. If you start second guessing every little thing, you'll go nuts. I have done extremely well with my system and have the blood work and health to prove it. Those are the best indicators of getting the diet right. I also do not use all gluten-free skin products and have had zero problems. That might be impossible on a child though as they tend to put things in their mouths but for adults, it can work well.

Just educate yourself on food ingredients and keep CC to a minimum, as much as you can, and the whole process will be easier. Good job!

Regarding the bread touching a knife....just clean the knife off and everything will be fine! The butter should be given to the gluten eaters of the household.

[mysecretcurse]

But not to worry too much if a knife touches a piece of bread and then touches my food.

Bad advice, IMO. I've been glutened from breathing in an invisible amount of flour that was in the air. I've been glutened from tiny bits of filler in pills. I've been glutened from microscopic amounts many many times. I have yet to go longer than a month without being accidentally glutened by something, but it's getting easier as I'm learning more and more. It also got easier once I realized that NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING is ever to be assumed safe without first looking into it.

[imnotdyingnow]

Hi, I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I am up here at 2am because I was accidentally glutened last night. I had purchased corn tortillas from Walmart that didnt say gluten free but the ingredients looked ok. I had read an old post from 2006 about corn tortillas and others being senstive to them be it the cross contamination or the corn.

I was diagnosed a month ago as having celiac disease and since then i have completely changed my diet. Prior to that i had become very sick. I definatly got better since going gluten free but so far i have not made it a week without being accidentally glutened. Its so frustrating.

Once was from eating out at Salad Creations and maybe because they got part of a cruton in the salad??? who knows.

We are a family of 6 however only myself and my 4 yr old son are gluten free. I dedicated a shelf in the pantry for our foods and flours. However, cross contamination in the butter and toaster are occuring. Plus i make my other son and daughter regular cereal and sandwiches without gloves or washing in between. I also havent checked my lotions or other toiletries.

Can someone tell me also if it is possible to not be glutened accidentally so often. I guess i could handle a few times a year but not once a week. I feel like there should be a gluten free planet because how am i supposed to survive when everthing everwhere has gluten.

Right now my head is pounding and my stomach is irritated. And i might not be talking too clear for my first post but i needed to reach out for help

If it wasnt so expensive i would i would force my whole family on this special diet.

Thank you

[Rya]

I had purchased corn tortillas from Walmart that didnt say gluten free but the ingredients looked ok. I had read an old post from 2006 about corn tortillas and others being senstive to them be it the cross contamination or the corn.

I definatly got better since going gluten free but so far i have not made it a week without being accidentally glutened.

If it wasnt so expensive i would i would force my whole family on this special diet.

Thank you

Sounds like you might be very sensitive.

Feeding a gluten-free family of six would be very expensive! Lots of people on here have blended kitchens/households to varying extents.

You could try wearing some vinyl or latex gloves from walgreen's while you prep your kids' food. Maybe you could buy a special toaster for you and your son. In general, keeping gluten-free foods on higher places/shelves than gluten foods is a good strategy. Have you thought about incorporating disposable plates and/or utensils in a way that would work for your family? You can search this forum for the exact info, but I've read that some people have a cart in the kitchen for gluten foods and dishes, some people restrict gluten foods/dishes/toasters to the garage.

It's a big giant compromise when it comes to gluten-free and families, but others have done it, I think you can too!

[Puddy]

I was diagnosed in February and have not been glutened yet that I know of. I had blood tests at 1 month and 3 months and my antibodies had dropped significantly so I know I am following the diet correctly. I am the only one in a family of 5 that is gluten-free. I do all the cooking so our dinners are gluten-free, but the rest of the family does eat regular cereal, bread, etc. because gluten-free products are so expensive. Since I know there is strong chance for CC in my home, I am very careful about washing my hands before eating, preparing my food on my own kitchen counter, keeping my gluten-free products away from the gluten food, having my own drawer in the fridge, etc. The lunchroom where I work is a minefield of gluten bombs, but I practice what I do in my own home and so far, so good. Do I think I've eaten a stray crumb here or there.....possibly. But if I knew a utensil had touched gluten or someone stuck their knife in my peanut butter, I would not use it. So in answer to your question, I do not believe I've been accidentally glutened but if I have, there has been no severe reaction.

[tarnalberry]

pretty much only when I took risks - ate at a restaurant (trying to eat gluten free), or missed something on an ingredient label. but I think the "don't worry about crumbs" advice is silly. why ignore contamination (he's describing "factory cross contamination", where the "factory" is your kitchen) when you can avoid it?