Your Significant Other

[missceliac2010]

I am happy to report that my significant other has been super supportive since my diagnosis! He split the kitchen pantry into his and her's sides. He is going to "go gluten-free" with me on some foods, like pasta and coffee creamers. I am buying my own toaster this weekend. So far, he has been more active in researching and preparing for our new lives! I am so lucky to have such a great man!

Good luck everyone, and thanks for asking, this is an interesting thread!

[Tina B]

You know, that may work great for you, although 'not believing in this cross contamination business' has gotten a whole lot of people on this website quite sick. It's pretty easy to know you've been glutened when you get a rash that only comes from gluten, and 'this utensil business' has certainly gotten my gluten-caused dermatitis herpetiformis to flare up more than once.

I'm sure the people who know that they are that sensitive act accordingly. If it doesn't work for you then you don't do it. Everyone learns their limits.

[Tina B]

I see all your response are from the gluten free half of the equation. My husband is the gluten free (the one with Celiac)half of our equation so to speak. Since I do the cooking we are both gluten free. I have learned how to re-create some of his favorite meals and desserts so he doesn't feel to deprived. We have found that we absolutely HATE gluten free store bought bread! I found a recipe that is very close to the "real thing" though. The one problem I have come across with it is it dries out to fast. Otherwises its really good. And thats saying a lot when it comes to bread. We have had family over for holidays and the whole meal is gluten free, much to their surprise, they all like what they are eating. I guess my husband is pretty luck, he got a wife you loves to bake and cook, or this could be a real pain in the backside for use both! I find there are things I miss once myself, but don't dare have them in our home. What matters more to me that a moments pleasure is my husbands health. So if I am away from home on rare occassion (by myself) I might eat something I miss having, but most of the time I eat gluten free away from home out of habit. There's not much I miss as I have found substitutes for most items, thank goodness. I'm glad to hear that your husband is willing to go gluten free for you. You are very lucky, not many spouses are willing to take that step. It will get easier as you find recipes and foods to substitute your old favorites with. I found Gluten free brown rice Lasagna Noodles, what a treat! Best of luck to you!

The Tinkyada lasagna noodles? They are great. I cooked them in my fish poacher so they could lay flat and none broke.

[Rothane]

Due to time constraints, I do most of the cooking in our house (DH has a very busy job and often works late; I own my own web business and have very flexible hours). He was diagnosed celiac in October and we've been gluten-free in our house ever since. Honestly, it just wasn't that difficult; I believe most of the barriers to it are mental. I'm a very enthusiastic cook, less enthusiastic a baker, and have really enjoyed exploring new foods, new dishes, etc.

I'd definitely recommend getting to know your slow cooker. Most slow cooker recipes don't require anything gluten-y; occasionally you will see something thickened with wheat flour, but those generally aren't written by someone who knows the slow cooker well, since wheat flour tends to get clumpy with long cooking. Tapioca and corn starch are the most successful thickeners for the field. Pasta tends to be cooked separately and late in the process, and that's a super easy sub right there.

We're super fortunate to have a family owned Italian deli nearby where half the family is celiac, so we get excellent bread and pastries -- they even make gluten-free cream puffs, which is great because DH is a huge fan of pastry -- and where we can go to get a deli sandwich or pizza for lunch with no worries. It's been great for me because I had been doing baking, which I can do reasonably well but don't enjoy that much, and now I can concentrate on cooking.

I really tried to take the tactic of trying new dishes and expanding my repertoire, rather than trying to find substitutions to reinvent the wheel. I don't use gluten free cookbooks that much; I find many excellent recipes in mainstream mags such as Food & Wine and Cooks Illustrated which just happen to be gluten free (or easily adapted to gluten free).

DH went through a grieving process and he still gets very annoyed about not being able to eat out as easily, but I believe that throwing myself into home cooking experimentation has helped him transition better. We only really have three gluten sources in our house now -- I keep bagels in the freezer for myself, I like wheat cereal and I still eat wheat crackers occasionally -- but nothing else and certainly nothing would be shared. (When we go out for pizza at Nicks, I even order the gluten-free pizza myself; they're individual sized but I can never finish it. That way, he can eat my leftovers!)

[Tina B]

Due to time constraints, I do most of the cooking in our house (DH has a very busy job and often works late; I own my own web business and have very flexible hours). He was diagnosed celiac in October and we've been gluten-free in our house ever since. Honestly, it just wasn't that difficult; I believe most of the barriers to it are mental. I'm a very enthusiastic cook, less enthusiastic a baker, and have really enjoyed exploring new foods, new dishes, etc.

God, I sooo agree with you about the mental part. Not that this is a mental disorder but ATTITUDE is huge. You can concentrate on all of the great things you can have or your can become neurotic over it. I agree it isn't such a big deal and totally agree with you about just finding recipes that never intended to have flour to begin with rather than substituting. I know people who look at this as "I can't eat anything." and those, myself included who look at this as a new opportunity to explore new foods and being thrilled that it requires NO MEDS. I guess it is the difference between the "glass is half full" type and "the glass is half empty" type.

[halfrunner]

In my house, DH is gluten free, I am not. Ironically, I worry more about cross contamination than he does. Heck, my MIL had a fit when I sent him to TX with pasta, hot cereal mix, and other food stuffs that I thought he may not be able to find in a regular grocery store. Then he went and ate a bunch of stuff that glutened him anyway (he said he didn't want to make a fuss)!

If I cook for both of us (our schedules overlap on weekends but rarely during the week) then I cook gluten-free. If I'm cooking for me, I usually don't.

DH being gluten-free has been a bit of a headache, as I cannot have corn or soy products, so sometimes cooking for both of us is a challenge. Our "both of us" meals usually are brown rice, quinoa, or potato based. Any pasta dish requires two kinds of pasta, his & hers.

We have his & hers cookware, measuring cups, utensils, baking pans, and shelves in the pantry, freezers, and fridge.

We've had no problems so far. I am totally happy to make sure he has everything he needs, and am always looking to perfect recipes that he loved before he went gluten-free. I try to taste most of the new things I make for him or that he buys, as long as they don't contain corn or soy.

[psawyer]

Our "both of us" meals usually are brown rice, quinoa, or potato based. Any pasta dish requires two kinds of pasta, his & hers.

Have you tried the Tinkyada brown rice pasta? We like it, and the only ingredients are brown rice, rice bran and water.

[Rothane]

Have you tried the Tinkyada brown rice pasta? We like it, and the only ingredients are brown rice, rice bran and water.

Tinky pasta is good -- but it overcooks easily, so watch it carefully.

[halfrunner]

DH much prefers corn pasta. Hence our his & hers pasta. The only time I can sneak brown rice pasta past him is when I make lo mein.

[glutenfr3309]

so this isn't about my SO, but my dad. i am the only one in my family who eats gluten-free. today i was talking to my parents and i brought up how thanksgiving is going to be interesting since it'll be the first for me since going gluten-free. my mom goes on about oh you'll just have to eat veggies and turkey. my dad interrupts and says turkey can have gluten too with all the additives!! it amazed me that he knew!

[ohpasta]

I agree with you. I don't have a gluten free kitchen nor do I expect my family to eat gluten free. However, if I am making a meal for the whole family such as stew, meatloaf, soup etc. I use gluten free breadcrumbs, thickeners etc. If it is pasta I just cook mine seperate and we use the same sauce which would be made gluten free. I don't believe in this business about not letting utensils touch and having seperate pots etc. ...

I am new to this gluten free thing. My boyfriend believes he may have celiac, and is going to get tested soon. But his dads roommate has it and they have been living together for a while and use the same plates, forks, knives, pots and pans and do not even have a dishwasher (Just hand wash their dishes) and have never had a problem so I agree that it isnt necessary to completely cut your kitchen off from gluten. Just watch what your doing, and be careful. Its not fair to the people around you to force them to also be gluten-free

[mushroom]

What works for some does not work for others. There are degrees of sensitivity to gluten and I might react to something you wouldn't, so one size does not fit all. Start with the most obvious sources of contamination, and if cc is still occurring work down to the smallest possibility and eliminate, eliminate, until you are not getting sick any more. It is possible to have gluten eaters in the house, but it requires cooperation and makes it much harder for the nongluten eater to keep safe. A breadcrumb on a knife dipped in the peanut butter for example would be all it would take for most.

[glutenfr3309]

...and he might not be if he continues on this way!

ha ha it didn't last, among various other reasons!!

he was wishy-washy in support with me being gluten free. sometimes he acted like he cared then other times he was mean about it.

in contrast- i went out on a second date with someone recently and we went to a pizza place that served gluten-free pizza. he ordered his pizza gluten-free so that i wouldn't feel left out and could try his!

[kareng]

ha ha it didn't last, among various other reasons!!

he was wishy-washy in support with me being gluten free. sometimes he acted like he cared then other times he was mean about it.

in contrast- i went out on a second date with someone recently and we went to a pizza place that served gluten-free pizza. he ordered his pizza gluten-free so that i wouldn't feel left out and could try his!

I like this guy already! Good luck!

[ElseB]

Our house is 99% gluten free - except for beer. I'm the celiac but it was my boyfriend's decision to make the house gluten-free. He eats gluten only outside the house, and usually only when I'm not around. I've always joked that someone should do a study about the dental health of the spouses of celiacs - cuz my boyfriend is always brushing his teeth to make sure he doesn't gluten me! He even brings a little travel toothbrush in his pocket when we go to weddings or other events so he can brush his teeth after dinner! Sometimes I think celiac has made us closer - we both love to cook and bake (he's a lot better than me!) and since we have to cook so much from scratch we spend a lot of time in the kitchen together experimenting with food! I"m sooooo lucky to have him. We even joke that since he's such a good baker, he'll probably have to make the cake for our wedding himself!

[glutenfr3309]

I like this guy already! Good luck!

eh, haven't heard back from him after the date. guess it's a no-go!

[kareng]

eh, haven't heard back from him after the date. guess it's a no-go!

Is it possible it has nothing to do with gluten?

You didn't click with him? Fell in a snow drift? A Victorias Secret model wants him?

Thanks for the update

[glutenfr3309]

Is it possible it has nothing to do with gluten?

You didn't click with him? Fell in a snow drift? A Victorias Secret model wants him?

Thanks for the update

hahaha

we clicked really well i thought but who knows!

[BeccaBol]

I see all your response are from the gluten free half of the equation. My husband is the gluten free (the one with Celiac)half of our equation so to speak. Since I do the cooking we are both gluten free. I have learned how to re-create some of his favorite meals and desserts so he doesn't feel to deprived. We have found that we absolutely HATE gluten free store bought bread! I found a recipe that is very close to the "real thing" though. The one problem I have come across with it is it dries out to fast. Otherwises its really good. And thats saying a lot when it comes to bread. We have had family over for holidays and the whole meal is gluten free, much to their surprise, they all like what they are eating. I guess my husband is pretty luck, he got a wife you loves to bake and cook, or this could be a real pain in the backside for use both! I find there are things I miss once myself, but don't dare have them in our home. What matters more to me that a moments pleasure is my husbands health. So if I am away from home on rare occassion (by myself) I might eat something I miss having, but most of the time I eat gluten free away from home out of habit. There's not much I miss as I have found substitutes for most items, thank goodness. I'm glad to hear that your husband is willing to go gluten free for you. You are very lucky, not many spouses are willing to take that step. It will get easier as you find recipes and foods to substitute your old favorites with. I found Gluten free brown rice Lasagna Noodles, what a treat! Best of luck to you!

I am in the same situation as you, My hubby is the one who was diagnosed a year ago. I looked at it as a new adventure to explore new foods and such. I still eat gluten thing when I am away from home, but for the most part I too have gone Gluten free, all of our meals that we eat together are gluten free, it just makes it easier to only cook one meal, instead of two separate ones. I am still working on finding good gluten-free substitutes for things.

Have you tried "Udi's" bread? It is very good, and to us the best kind of bread to buy that is gluten-free.

[IrishHeart]

I am so fortunate that hubby not only went gluten-free willingly, even giving up his beer, (hard cider works! ) but he even makes the bread for us. He INSISTED we change all the cutting boards, the toaster, the cookware...everything. He saw that in the beginning ( me "gluten-free" and him "not gluten-free") was still causing me issues, even though we had separate everything.

So, he did it for me, but he has also noticed he feels better, lost the few lbs. he had been trying to get rid of and feels that I have progressed in healing because I am not accidentally CCed anymore.

I am lucky he's so good about it, I know!! I've been sick for a long time and he has been incredibly supportive and loving. So, I guess we're gluten-free together not because I asked, because I didn't feel I should impose that on him, but because he felt it was best.

Hey, he's pretty awesome...I'm gonna go give him a kiss right now....LOL

[cokids]

I must admit that I have not read this whole thread, but as new diagnosees of celiac disease, we are totally new at this....actually my husband has the diagnosis and I will join him in being gluten free!

I am just reading and learning about it.

Have many questions and perhaps some of you have suggestions about where i should read. I bought the 'For Dummies book' and have started to read.

Beth