Coping With Gluten In The Home

[NativeNYer]

Six weeks ago. I was dx with celiac and have been searching through your posts to learn what I can. At times I am OK with being gluten-free (when I manage to do it "right" I feel better), at other times I am angry, sad, irritable, hungry, blah, blah. What I am now wrestling with, and seek advice on, is my increasing anxiety about inadvertent ingestion of gluten/contact with gluten. Silly as it may sound, I am finding sharing a home with my non-gluten-free 4 year-old and husband really stressful. Whenever the wee one comes joyfully running toward me after having his hands in Playdoh, I want to run screaming. I don't, but I feel my anxiety shoot right through the roof. While, I have never been an anxious type I find myself wondering about the weirdest things! For instance, are the kitchen faucet handles a threat if my husband has a made a sandwich and then washed his hands? Is being kissed on the cheek by my wheat/gluten loving son a threat? How paranoid is too paranoid?

I welcome your insight.

[OptimisticMom42]

Hello NativeNYer,

I live with my BF who tries hard to understand, three or four teenagers (always somebody coming to stay or going off on a visit), four dogs and an elderly cat. I've stopped buying foods that contain gluten. Most of our meals are homemade bread, meat and two veggies (which reminds me of a funny story, I googled meat and two veggies, looking for recipes and found an interesting tidbit about slang in the UK ). Anyhow, we all feel better now that we are getting our veggies! And we found that two of the teens, DS#1 and DS#2's girlfriend, are also celiacs. Even my pets and any mice who come to visit are now gluten free because the mice had been storing dogfood in rubber boots in a closet. When I cleaned the closet I got really sick so.... no more gluten for the mice. IMHO you can not be too careful.

On another note could some of your anxiety be from gluten withdrawal? I get pms like feelings when recovering from a glutening.

Hope this helps, RA

[missy'smom]

Since your kiddo is so young I'd just quit buying/providing gluten treats and switch to gluten-free ones. Jello, pudding cups, popsicles, fruit leather, dried fruit, freeze dried fruit, popcorn, there are so many choices and gluten-free goodies as you can afford them or have time to make them. There are so many good mixes. I found that using a mix to make a batch of something lasted kiddo and I quite a while if we didn't go overboard eating it. A batch of unfrosted choc. cupcakes in the freezer were a staple. My kiddo wasn't gluten-free at the beginning but we shared snacks. He wasn't deprived as he still got plenty of gluten stuff outside the home. From the beginning we pretty much gave up bread and switched to rice and potatoes. Sometimes we do separate pastas but sometimes gluten-free for all. DH still makes sandwiches for himself but on a separate counter and he has all his own stuff and a method-he handles all the meats and cheeses before he gets out the bread-puts them on a plate and then puts the rest away, then assembles his sandwich.

For the playdoh, there are alternatives. I don't have a little one anymore but before I was gluten-free I made playdoh(with wheat flour) for a pre-school and I'm sure it can be done gluten-free. It really didn't take that long, made a big batch-I made a fresh batch every month as it got well used. Some of the parents here may be able to recommend store bought kinds.

[tarnalberry]

You have every reason to be concerned, but taking the house "vastly gluten free" is easier than you might think.

Figure out what gluten-containing options are "allowable". (This may well entail a discussion/agreement with your husband, but not your 4-yr old. ) Playdough? Out - it's everywhere on hands! But cereal? Maybe if everyone will eat with a spoon (not hands). Bread for sandwiches? Maybe, if there's a dedicated counter space to sandwiches, and you and your husband can agree on a 'cleanup protocol'. Flour? Eh... I'd probably avoid it.

As others have said, once we get past our habits of eating wheat (yeah, it's in a lot of things, because we have a habit of not eating non-wheat things!), it's really not so hard to take a whole family gluten free. It may take some time and planning, but is all the healthier if it involves cooking your own meals and not using packaged products.

[larry mac]

Here's what works for me.

Our house is not a gluten-free one. But, I do all the grocery shopping and cooking, so I have much more control than some. I make my wife gluten bread items, and we have gluten cerial, crackers, etc. I keep a few pots & pans seperate for gluten use. We have different toasters.

I do not allow any loose gluten flour in the house though. No Bisquick, cookie mix, etc. Wheat processed finished products only. I have my own cerial bowls that I hand wash. I feel better mentally about it that way. I just don't trust the dishwasher completely.

best regards, lm

[NativeNYer]

Dear OptimisticMom42, missy'smom, tarnalberry and larry mac,

I have very much appreciated your swift, thoughtful and helpful replies to my post. I will be implementing many of your suggestions. My, my the learning curve on living with celiac and becoming gluten-free is a high one! (Higher than I'd expected!) Thanks for lending support.

[ranger]

Hi and welcome. Our house is mainly gluten free. Only exceptions are my husbands sandwich bread, His box of crackers, and individual snack cakes for his lunch - all kept separate from other food. He has one area of the counter he makes a sandwich on, on a plate. Most shared meals are gluten free ( exept spaghetti and pizza for economy). If I had a child, he would also eat gluten free at home. There is a recipe for gluten free play dough, but I can't remember where I saw it. Look around the internet. There are tons of recipes. I know it's hard at first but hang in there. It does get easier.

[foodiegurl]

Here is a recipe:

Open Original Shared Link

[elle's mom]

I can relate to your situation, but as the parent of a paranoid gluten-free 4yo celiac (not being gluten-free myself). She is paranoid about gluten and so am I. When she was first diagnosed we had a separate gluten-free cupboard for her.....special area of the counter for her gluten-free food etc. NOW, after almost 2 years, we've realized that it is actually easier to have mostly gluten-free, and a separate area only for the other family members' gluten bread, crackers, pasta etc. I have found that Tinkynada (SP?) pasta is so close to normal tasting that for spaghetti night it's easier just to use that for everyone-a little more pricey but the first time we used it and didn't have to worry about dipping the spoon into the sauce-it was way worth it! The only things the rest of us gluten eaters have is bread, bagels, crackers, and cereal. We make gluten-free pancakes, muffins, brownies, pasta, cookies etc. All of our condiments are labeled gluten-free-no knife dipping from gluten bread-we are super serious about this and have to drill it into babysitters heads. Separate toaster.........we need to do a separate colander and cutting board, I didn't realize that washing wasn't good enough. Really, are there lots of you that don't trust the dishwasher on hot?