Accidentally Glutenized?

[SisterSisto]

I was diagnosed with Celiac July 2008 after suffering with various gastrointestinal ailments since age 15 (I'm currently 55). I have been following the gluten free diet and have improved dramatically. I quit my job in February of this year because of illness to be a stay at home wife. I now do the majority of cooking for myself and my husband and have not had any problems cooking the "gluten" way for my husband until maybe now. I made a peach crisp for my husband two days ago that included 1/2 cup of flour to which I measured it and added it to the recipe. After cooking, I wash the counters and my hands very well as the idea of poisioning myself doesn't set well. That night I was horribly sick with nausea and all of the symptoms that I have known in the past and today I am suffering with some of the "brain fog" and malaise. So, my question is - as a celiac, should I totally avoid flour? Should I wear a mask and gloves when I'm around it? I wash my hands thoroughly after I've made my husband's sandwich for lunches and haven't had any problems. Any insight would be appreciated.

Thank you.

SisterSisto

[curlyfries]

I would totally avoid it. The problem with flour is that it floats in the air. It's very likely you inhaled it. Also, the flour dust settles on everything in the kitchen....including you. Touch something, then touch your own food, and there you go.

[aikiducky]

Flour is really really difficult to work with without getting at least some in the air, from where it will land where it may. If you inhale flour dust, you'll also swallow some of it.

The good news is that you can bake most recipes gluten free without big problems, a lot of recipes will work just like that just replace the wheat flour with a gluten free flour. Or look in the recipes section for new ones.

I think baking with pre made cookie dough or something like that is probably pretty safe in a pinch. But personally I don't keep any wheat flour in my kitchen.

Pauliina

[Takala]

There are so many good gluten free flour mixes, commercial and homemade, that baking with them instead of regular flour is a logical thing to do. And you can buy cookbooks that cater to gluten free baking, or get recipes off the blogs and here.

Get a bag of Pamela's baking mix and throw out all that other stuff. Use clean new baking pans and you will be able to eat your own creations as well as make them, and you won't cross contaminate yourself.

[kbtoyssni]

Even for those with shared kitchens, flour is probably the one thing I would recommend never allowing. That stuff gets everywhere and floats up in the air and settles as a fine powder that you can't really see and can't cleanup well.