The Rest Of The Household...

[NorthernElf]

Another post got me thinking about this - that & I talked to a guy whose wife is gluten-free. He was saying how it was hard for her, how hard it is to avoid gluten, and as an after thought he said how hard it was for him because he couldn't eat gluten around her.

Huh.

I'm mom in a family of 5 and the only gluten-free one. I have an island set up in my kitchen away from the rest of the counters and that is where the bread stuff is, and their toaster. All the other counters are mine (I'm the cook) - and my toaster is over there as well. I have my bakeware, they have theirs and so on. Most meals are gluten-free but not all - I no longer bake with regular flour (still gets me if it is in the air) but I do cook gluten pasta for them.

Anyway - how many of you folks out there make the rest of the house gluten-free ? How many of you discourage others from eating gluten in front of you ? And - how long have you been gluten-free ?

For the most part, it doesn't bother me when folks eat gluten in front of me, I have never expected my family to go gluten-free for me. I guess it's mostly because of the cost but also because I have adapted, I guess. I don't like being sick and it's worth it to be careful - I still have my moments, still have the odd shopping trip where I look at products on the shelf & get choked they have gluten in them & I was the one whose brother took her to a pizza (only) place and got mad. However, at staff meetings and most outings I can cope. It's been about 7 years for me and I think I've progressed to this point (the woman I mentioned has been celiac for 2 years - maybe she is still adjusting?).

Just curious - not pointing fingers at anyone. It seems to me there are different levels of accpetance. There are foods I miss, sure, but the celiac diet is mostly healthy though it certainly takes adaptation !

[MagpieWrites]

Our house is gluten free even though I'm the only one with celiac. I suppose in my home, it's just easier and makes better sense. My husband and I love to cook together, eat our dinners together, heck - one of our weekend treats is a nice lay-in on Saturday followed by a leisurely late brunch cooked together. Pancakes and bacon, pumpkin french toast, or even just a simple fruit salad are often go-to's - why make a his and hers plate that can't be shared off of? Cooking otherwise would mean separate dinners, two sets of dishes, eating at different times, twice the grocery cost. He still gets bread, pasta, pizza, cookies, etc - he says as long as it tastes good, who cares if there is gluten?

The only thing I really bring into the house is a odd bunch of beer for him - and frankly, I never drank that BEFORE the celiac, so no hassle there. I'm just as happy toasting with my strawberry margarita!

I don't know, everyone has to make it work for themselves... but I have to admit I kinda feel sad for the folks who run dual households. Twice the effort, twice the worry, twice the expense, and the act of eating together is so central to being human that I don't think it would be very great on my marriage if I had to always worry about his and hers. We don't have kids yet - but when we do... I don't think we'll do anything different. If they have the same health issues as I do - we're set. If they end up like their daddy and don't? They can have it outside of the house... but I don't think they will be deprived just because mommies double chocolate brownies are made with sorghum and cornstarch instead of wheat flour.

It's weird - after the initial clearout of items containing gluten, staying gluten free at home has been easy. And even helped my marriage, I think. A lot of issues can be solved while stirring a pot and bumping butts at the sink.

In answer to the other questions you asked? I'm not the one who made the call about the house going gluten-free, that was my husband's choice. I'm a week shy of a year gluten free. And the only time I care about people eating something with gluten in front of me is, frankly, when my dad acts like an ass (when we go to visit my folks - he ALWAYS orders a pizza and tries to wave it as close to my face while moaning over it and taunting like a three-year old over how good it is and how I can't have any. I love my dad... but he can be a first class ASS sometimes. Which is why I get an evil laugh when after he eats his benighted greaseball - he gets sick as a dog. Dad is likely WHERE I got my celiac from!) or when folks make a huge fuss about it. Otherwise, I go to restaurants and the bar with no worries. It's my issues, why fuss at folks enjoying a brew?

[kareng]

I do like you do and have a separate area for gluten stuff & toaster. We do have to share the stove top. I just keep an eye on what's fixed that's not gluten-free. Hub & one son made non gluten-free pasta. I then know where to scrub a bit extra (they clean & I reclean when they aren't looking so as not to discourage cleaning).

Most dinners are naturally gluten-free that we eat together - Beef stew, chili, BBQ chicken, potatoes, carrot sticks, etc.

We were talking about baking gluten cookies or rolls. They love the ready to cook Tollhouse cookies. They have thier own cookie sheets. Also, discussed taking the mixer out on the screened deck or into the garage to keep flour from flying in air or next door (would cost a few rolls). I saw that it can take 2 days for the flour to fall out of air & it can get into air ducts & go through house.

At first, I did care what they ate in front of me but most things I'm Ok with now. 14 year old son still won't let me see him eat pretzels he buys at school & brings home. He thinks I'm not ready for that yet. Hub drinks regular beer & I drink gluten-free beer but he doesn't drink my favorite in front of me except at a restaurant (that's OK).

When the boys leave for college, it will be easier. I won't have all the crackers, whole wheat tortillas, etc around.

I think the woman who won't "let" her Hub eat gluten in front of her, may not "let" him do alot of things.

[weluvgators]

Well, my introduction to the gluten free world is slightly different than yours. I have a daughter that had obvious, systemic, and permanent damage from seemingly incidental gluten exposure in infancy. I was managing a household with her (at 14 months when the rest of us went gluten free at home) and her sister (only 2 1/2 at the time). A mixed household didn't work very well in those conditions! In addition, I really felt led to provide her with a safe home. I didn't think that not eating gluten was a big deal at all. I never had moments of grieving over pizza or cake or cookies . . . or anything really. We have implemented many strategies for managing our food costs over the years, and I don't feel that our "gluten free" diet is more expensive (we eventually quit buying packages, quit eating out and buy substantially more bulk supplies!). Our medical bills are certainly far less when we maintain our truly gluten free status. Not dealing with a sick baby 24/7 was just such a blessing that not eating gluten seemed SO EASY. When people talk about missing bread and pizza - it is such a foreign concept to me. I do not miss it, and I never have in the past four years we have been gluten free. Now I do miss some things like the convenience of packages and restaurants, freedom to not think about what I put in my mouth and other details like that! And I really do not enjoy having to talk to others about our personal, medical information. But to socialize with others, it often becomes a necessary talking point.

We struggled to get our baby truly well, and as she approached three, we continued to struggle with "random" food issues that often seemed to pop out of nowhere, troubling depression and sleep disturbances. In desperation I tested with Enterolab and was simply shocked by the results. *Then* I understood that I better figure out that cross contamination thing WAY better than I had. Digging into those issues has been so enlightening. Along the way we came to realize that her sister was having extensive issues with incidental gluten exposures (never had suspected gluten issues when we took our household gluten free), as was I. The details of our discovery are many and often seem to be too much information for those that express any interest. But, our discoveries have been so fascinating, liberating and healing!

So, our daughter didn't *expect* us to go gluten free for her . . . but that is the only way that she can be well. I am so grateful for having taken that step for her because it has been such a valuable step for others in our family to experience previously unknown (or expected!) health and wellness.

Why people struggle to let go of wheat/gluten continues to bewilder me (especially in an effort to help other family members) - it is just food. There are so many, many other amazing foods available to us. And now I understand just how well I can feel (and look!) without any gluten exposure, and I am quite reluctant to give that up! And if somebody *needs* to eat gluten there are a billion places to go do so that do not impact me.

So, along the way we adopted a no gluten in the house policy (our kids are all super sensitive, as am I, and they are 2, 5 and 6 for reference). In reality, dad wants to be more gluten free, but I have struggled to make it all happen for him - he has had very little issue with adopting our extreme gluten free lifestyle and has always encouraged me to continue this way - he was a major cheerleader during our initial stages because he had a more objective view of the extensive issues our baby was having. We still managed to have a severe gluten reaction last year when a friend (a gluten eater) brought her laptop computer in the house, the kids played on it and then sat down and ate breakfast without washing their hands.

It took me a long time to find people that could understand some of the super sensitive issues that my daughter was facing (my search began before I ever realized *I* even had *any* issue, much less a super sensitive one!!). It was such a struggle. All I knew was that being "gluten free" wasn't enough for her, and I didn't really know where to turn. I still often feel that way, but the last year has been a true blessing for us in identifying resources to help us better understand and approach the gluten super sensitive phenomenon that we experience. Having four different super sensitives in my family has given me an appreciation for how differently gluten sensitive people can be affected by gluten. None of us (in my family!! - much less in the general population) react in exactly the same way, and some of us have far more tolerable symptoms of exposure than others! And for a long time, I was suffering with "minor" (it doesn't feel so "minor" when I KNOW how to make it go away now and that I do NOT have to learn to live with it!!), lingering stuff that I never, ever suspected was related to gluten - it was simply incomprehensible to me!

[lynnelise]

It was never officially discussed but I cook all meals gluten free. Same with cookies, cakes, and brownies. They are just as good so my husband and daughter don't complain. My husband has beer, which is fine because I hate beer anyway. Also there are some pot pies, bagel bites, ect. in the freezer for my husbands quick meals or lunches with gluten and that's okay. He does get a loaf of real bread now and then for lunch and he has his own toaster. No good gluten-free bread is available in my area. If we could buy Udi's here I'd say my husband would switch to it.

[ciavyn]

I fall in with the "not-gluten-free-gluten-free household!" I am gluten free, and my husband has his gluteny cubbies in the cube-shaped shelving we share, but everything I cook and bake is gluten free. I'll be damned if I am going to cook something I can't eat! But that being said, I also work hard to make sure whatever I make tastes really, really good. So gluten free really isn't a problem.

[dilettantesteph]

I think that it depends on how sensitive you are to trace gluten. My son and I are celiac and my daughter and husband aren't. We tried for a year to have a mixed household, and set up separate areas and all that, but my son and I just couldn't get healthy until we started to have a gluten free household. We are both very sensitive, and I guess we were getting trace gluten contamination somehow.

[WheatChef]

I tried the whole shared kitchen thing and thought I was getting better until my roommate left town on vacation and I realized just how much an effect even something as seemingly small as sharing a dishwasher can have. Unless you've actually tried a 100% gluten-free kitchen for some time you can't see how a shared kitchen will actually affect you.

[GlutenFreeManna]

I mentioned in another post that my husband does not eat gluten meals at home. I cook one meal for both of us to enjoy and my kitchen is gluten free. This is by his choice and not mine. He has insisted from the beginning that if I can't eat something, he should not be able to eat it either. I had to encourage him that I don't mind if he orders off the regular menu when we go out. The only thing I don't share with him is my coconut milk ice cream. I get him some regular dairy ice cream and keep my coconut milk ice cream for myself. I also buy him cheese to add to some of his meals (like tacos, chili, etc) as I don't have a problem skipping the cheese. Other than that we eat the same things most the time. We don't have kids, so it's much more practical to make one meal. I guess if I were cooking for a houseful I could see where it could make sense to make one big inexpensive gluten meal and make something special for myself but I'm so glad I don't have to do that.

[Gemini]

Another post got me thinking about this - that & I talked to a guy whose wife is gluten-free. He was saying how it was hard for her, how hard it is to avoid gluten, and as an after thought he said how hard it was for him because he couldn't eat gluten around her.

Huh.

I'm mom in a family of 5 and the only gluten-free one. I have an island set up in my kitchen away from the rest of the counters and that is where the bread stuff is, and their toaster. All the other counters are mine (I'm the cook) - and my toaster is over there as well. I have my bakeware, they have theirs and so on. Most meals are gluten-free but not all - I no longer bake with regular flour (still gets me if it is in the air) but I do cook gluten pasta for them.

Anyway - how many of you folks out there make the rest of the house gluten-free ? How many of you discourage others from eating gluten in front of you ? And - how long have you been gluten-free ?

For the most part, it doesn't bother me when folks eat gluten in front of me, I have never expected my family to go gluten-free for me. I guess it's mostly because of the cost but also because I have adapted, I guess. I don't like being sick and it's worth it to be careful - I still have my moments, still have the odd shopping trip where I look at products on the shelf & get choked they have gluten in them & I was the one whose brother took her to a pizza (only) place and got mad. However, at staff meetings and most outings I can cope. It's been about 7 years for me and I think I've progressed to this point (the woman I mentioned has been celiac for 2 years - maybe she is still adjusting?).

Just curious - not pointing fingers at anyone. It seems to me there are different levels of accpetance. There are foods I miss, sure, but the celiac diet is mostly healthy though it certainly takes adaptation !

I do not demand that my husband go gluten-free either and it works beautifully for us. We do not have kids so maybe that adds to the easiness factor. I think for some it may be a combination of adjustment and fear.....there is a lot of that out there! Many people think they will become sick if they are even around gluten and sometimes there isn't anything that can be done to dispel this fear. I also do not mind in the least if people are gorging on gluten around me or in front of me. Considering how deathly ill I was, I just have no desire to eat gluten ever again.

I applaud you having a family of 5 and keeping it all together. You are correct...it can be done successfully. Once the family is trained, it's pretty easy!

[ravenwoodglass]

My house is gluten free and was so even when my young adults lived at home. It was easier that way and I am supersensitive and my DD had seen the effects a little bit of gluten had on me and had no problem with not eating it at home. Then she was diagnosed 6 months after I was so we had no issues then with it at all.

There is a lot that can be made gluten free easily and we have no problems with finding enough naturally gluten free food to make meals out of. When my gluten eating family wants gluten food and they are here they go out to eat it. Meaning a restaurant not that I make them eat in the driveway. Not something I demand but something they do.

I have never had an issue even from day one with folks eating gluten in front of me, nor do I miss gluten foods, pitas and phyllo being the exception. The results of gluten consumption for me are too dire for me to miss it at all.

[Korwyn]

Another post got me thinking about this - that & I talked to a guy whose wife is gluten-free. He was saying how it was hard for her, how hard it is to avoid gluten, and as an after thought he said how hard it was for him because he couldn't eat gluten around her.

Huh.

I'm mom in a family of 5 and the only gluten-free one. I have an island set up in my kitchen away from the rest of the counters and that is where the bread stuff is, and their toaster. All the other counters are mine (I'm the cook) - and my toaster is over there as well. I have my bakeware, they have theirs and so on. Most meals are gluten-free but not all - I no longer bake with regular flour (still gets me if it is in the air) but I do cook gluten pasta for them.

Anyway - how many of you folks out there make the rest of the house gluten-free ? How many of you discourage others from eating gluten in front of you ? And - how long have you been gluten-free ?

For the most part, it doesn't bother me when folks eat gluten in front of me, I have never expected my family to go gluten-free for me. I guess it's mostly because of the cost but also because I have adapted, I guess. I don't like being sick and it's worth it to be careful - I still have my moments, still have the odd shopping trip where I look at products on the shelf & get choked they have gluten in them & I was the one whose brother took her to a pizza (only) place and got mad. However, at staff meetings and most outings I can cope. It's been about 7 years for me and I think I've progressed to this point (the woman I mentioned has been celiac for 2 years - maybe she is still adjusting?).

Just curious - not pointing fingers at anyone. It seems to me there are different levels of accpetance. There are foods I miss, sure, but the celiac diet is mostly healthy though it certainly takes adaptation !

I have Celiac but my wife doesn't, though she showed a small amount of sensitivity on an IgG test panel. However our house is gluten free, and I do not allow anyone to bring anything other than beer into our house. The one time I allowed it in the last year was our daughter bringing our granddaughter's formula which has wheat in it. And despite how careful she and my wife were I got glutened.

[Mack the Knife]

My household is almost entirely gluten free. My partner has fructose malabsorption and can't eat wheat anyway so it was an easy decision. I do most of the cooking and all the baking so everything is gluten-free. She has a container of oats to make porridge but apart from that it's all gluten-free.

She doesn't have to be anywhere near as careful as I do at restaurants, so she sometimes eats a bit of gluten when we go out. But often she prefers to order gluten free so we can share food.

I don't think I'd be comfortable living in a house with lots of gluten food around. And I definitely wouldn't live anywhere where someone was baking with wheat flour.

[Roda]

All our shared meals are gluten free with the exception of when we have pasta. We just cook both. Anything I bake I make gluten free. If they want something else they either buy it at the bakery or make a box mix. Most of the time they don't bother. The kids and hubby do eat gluten cereals and bread for breakfast. Hubby eats what ever he wants for lunch (usually I'm sleeping). If I am up and home for lunch I will make gluten free lunches for all depending on what we want. With the kids out of school now for the summer and when dad is at work, I will be feeding them mostly gluten free lunches (when not at day camp on my workdays) so I don't have to worry. All but one counter is mine and hubby keeps it clean. I do have to watch the kids (5 and 9) a little closer but they are learning. After eating something with gluten I make them wash their hands, about half the time now I don't have to remind them. A gluten free house would be easier, but it is not feasable for my house at this point in time.

[K8ling]

Everyone in our house to gluten-free (at least IN the house). My husband eats what he wants at work but there is NO gluten allowed in this house. Part of that is because we have a toddler who CC's me like CRAZY (it gets on his hands, he feeds me a gluten-free snack, I get sick, etc). It is expensive but it's worth it to not be sick all the time. This might be easier for us since my husband deploys a lot and it is just the baby and myself. When I DID let something non gluten-free slip through, it got me TWICE (BBQ sauce- I wanted to die this weekend lol). SOOOOO. We are a gluten-free safe zone.

[Hummingbird4]

My house has been gluten-free since I went gluten-free in August 2008. The only gluteny items allowed are beer, or snack type items that my husband keeps in his office or my daughter keeps in her room. No gluten (except beer) in the kitchen or main living areas. My husband and kids agreed to this ahead of time. I told them it would be a lot easier for me to not get CC, plus I am the grocery shopper and the cook... so.... . Anyway, at least *they* can eat whatever they want when they're not at home.

I do not get upset when others eat gluten-filled foods around me. I feel envious, yes, but I don't feel upset with them at all. I've been pleasantly surprised that so many people in my life have been very accommodating of my dietary needs and have gone to extra work to have foods available for me to eat in social situations. It's really nice.

Still, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss some things and wish I didn't have this disease. But it is what it is.

[mushroom]

Hubby and I are both gluten free - gluten free household. He went gluten free because he decided it would be easier. He did do some gluten cheating here and there and I was getting some cc (bringing home sourdough french bread and double dipping). Then he developed DH, so that settled that issue .

[T.H.]

I had a quick question: have you had the kids tested, either for celiac disease or the gene?

You might already know this, but for relatives who are one degree separated from a celiac positive person(parents, siblings, kids), about 1 in 22 will be positive for it. When I pestered my family to be tested, even though none of my kids had gut symptoms, one of my children and my brother both came back positive.

On top of the possibility of having the disease, I have read (but still looking for good confirmation) that if any of your kids have inherited the gene from you, the only sure way to prevent them from eventually developing the disease themselves is for them to eat a gluten free diet, too.

After finding that out, my hubby and I decided we'd all go gluten free as a family. He has his gluten on the rare times he eats out. We were actually very thankful we did it, because after we cut glutn, we discovered that our one child who had tested negative for celiac disease is either gluten intolerant or had a false negative, because when he's accidentally been given gluten, he's reacted.

Another post got me thinking about this - that & I talked to a guy whose wife is gluten-free. He was saying how it was hard for her, how hard it is to avoid gluten, and as an after thought he said how hard it was for him because he couldn't eat gluten around her.

Huh.

I'm mom in a family of 5 and the only gluten-free one. I have an island set up in my kitchen away from the rest of the counters and that is where the bread stuff is, and their toaster. All the other counters are mine (I'm the cook) - and my toaster is over there as well. I have my bakeware, they have theirs and so on. Most meals are gluten-free but not all - I no longer bake with regular flour (still gets me if it is in the air) but I do cook gluten pasta for them.

Anyway - how many of you folks out there make the rest of the house gluten-free ? How many of you discourage others from eating gluten in front of you ? And - how long have you been gluten-free ?

For the most part, it doesn't bother me when folks eat gluten in front of me, I have never expected my family to go gluten-free for me. I guess it's mostly because of the cost but also because I have adapted, I guess. I don't like being sick and it's worth it to be careful - I still have my moments, still have the odd shopping trip where I look at products on the shelf & get choked they have gluten in them & I was the one whose brother took her to a pizza (only) place and got mad. However, at staff meetings and most outings I can cope. It's been about 7 years for me and I think I've progressed to this point (the woman I mentioned has been celiac for 2 years - maybe she is still adjusting?).

Just curious - not pointing fingers at anyone. It seems to me there are different levels of accpetance. There are foods I miss, sure, but the celiac diet is mostly healthy though it certainly takes adaptation !

[NorthernElf]

Interesting how we all cope....

I totally see our house becoming gluten-free when we are empty nesters...DH did consider having the house gluten-free but I kinda talked him out of it because the kids have sandwiches for school lunches (they are 9, 11, and 14)...and other gluteny foods. The kids actually know quite a lot about gluten - I think it's funny when I'm eating and my 9 year old asks me if it safe or offers me something he's eating and asks if I can have it.

I have had one tested - my youngest is very active and not very focused sometimes....but he had a negative test. My daughter might be tested soon - she does seem to get stomach aches fairly frequently...I have never had a true test. I had a negative blood test but I was already cutting back on gluten and by the time I had the scope, 4 months later, I had been gluten-free for that whole time...that and my eggbert doctor wasn't looking for celiac. I actually asked the hospital doctor after the endo if I had celiacs and he looked surprise, said he was only looking for reflux damage and hadn't looked for that, or taken any biopsies. Maybe one day I'll pony up for the gene test...dunno if it matter since a small amount of gluten knocks me out !

[Hummingbird4]

I had a quick question: have you had the kids tested, either for celiac disease or the gene?

You might already know this, but for relatives who are one degree separated from a celiac positive person(parents, siblings, kids), about 1 in 22 will be positive for it. When I pestered my family to be tested, even though none of my kids had gut symptoms, one of my children and my brother both came back positive.

On top of the possibility of having the disease, I have read (but still looking for good confirmation) that if any of your kids have inherited the gene from you, the only sure way to prevent them from eventually developing the disease themselves is for them to eat a gluten free diet, too.

After finding that out, my hubby and I decided we'd all go gluten free as a family. He has his gluten on the rare times he eats out. We were actually very thankful we did it, because after we cut glutn, we discovered that our one child who had tested negative for celiac disease is either gluten intolerant or had a false negative, because when he's accidentally been given gluten, he's reacted.

My kids have both been tested for antibodies and both are negative. That, as we all know, doesn't mean they'll never develop Celiac, since they certainly might have received the genes from me. If, at some point, either of them develops symptoms, then they will be tested again. I would not recommend that a person completely avoid gluten in order to prevent them from developing Celiac, unless they're already exhibiting symptoms.

[Roda]

I had a quick question: have you had the kids tested, either for celiac disease or the gene?

You might already know this, but for relatives who are one degree separated from a celiac positive person(parents, siblings, kids), about 1 in 22 will be positive for it. When I pestered my family to be tested, even though none of my kids had gut symptoms, one of my children and my brother both came back positive.

On top of the possibility of having the disease, I have read (but still looking for good confirmation) that if any of your kids have inherited the gene from you, the only sure way to prevent them from eventually developing the disease themselves is for them to eat a gluten free diet, too.

After finding that out, my hubby and I decided we'd all go gluten free as a family. He has his gluten on the rare times he eats out. We were actually very thankful we did it, because after we cut glutn, we discovered that our one child who had tested negative for celiac disease is either gluten intolerant or had a false negative, because when he's accidentally been given gluten, he's reacted.

The first time I had my kids tested the lab did not run all the tests because the doctor wrote "celiac panel" so they would only run the total IgA and the tTg. If the tTg was positive they would reflex to the EMA. Both kids were negative. I had the oldest retested a about a year later and had the doctor write out each individual test. Again all were negative.

[babygirl1234]

im the only one gluten-free in my family so yeah its hard for my aunt because she sometimes has to cook 2 diff meals one gluten-free and one for my uncle because hes not gluten-free either ive been gluten-free since i was 16 and im still finding it hard to go out for dinner but its getting eazier since more places are going gluten-free not alot but some are

[Patricia27]

THANK YOU WELUVGATORS ! ! ! I never thought of the cross-contamination of the keyboard, etc! I will be wiping down the phone & desk at work starting Tuesday (which is when I go back to work)

Also, my husband was diagnosed years ago with dermatitis herpetiformis so it's a little easier for him to understand. I am (slowly) making our home gluten-free because I am SO sensitive & my kids are more than happy to have foods that are on my "naughty list" when they are out. I have begun to rid the kitchen of anything & everything that will adversely affect me. It is a lot of trial and error, but I already feel so much better except when I am unsuspectingly "contaminated".

Diagnosed April 14, 2010 after many years of 'misdiagnosis'. Now living gluten-free & soy free ~ I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER