Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Realization About My Celiac

Lindsay630

By Lindsay630
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

Lindsay630 Rookie
Lindsay630
Posted

So after being gluten free for 3 and a half months, I have come to the point of realization that my husband needs to go gluten free. I feel better than I use to but still feel sick a lot! I just cannot handle having gluten in the house. I feel guilty making him stop but I'm miserable. Are any of your spouses gluten free because of your celiac. Any suggestions so he doesn't feel deprived?

Thanks

Lindsay

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kenlove Rising Star
kenlove
Posted

My wife does not eat gluten free but she does not make anything with flour in the house ( she goes to her friends if she wants to make something with flour) and we have many separate utensils and pans. As a former chef, I dont want anyone using a lot of my kitchen tools anyway.

She has started to used gluten-free flours for somethings and if she does something that gets me sick she feels pretty bad but that does not happen that much now as its been almost 6 years. We've almost always made our own meals anyway. It takes time to work it out and keep bread and such out of the house but its worth it.

So after being gluten free for 3 and a half months, I have come to the point of realization that my husband needs to go gluten free. I feel better than I use to but still feel sick a lot! I just cannot handle having gluten in the house. I feel guilty making him stop but I'm miserable. Are any of your spouses gluten free because of your celiac. Any suggestions so he doesn't feel deprived?

Thanks

Lindsay

SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted

I asked my husband for a 2 month trial of a gluten-free house. I found I could isolate my accidental cross contamination better that way. It also greatly reduced my anxiety levels. Then after about 3 months, I started letting him buy his own bread. I taught him about cross contamination, but he still did things accidentally that made me anxious. I don't think he ever got me sick, but watching him touch the refrigerator after his bread made me insane. We slowly added cereal back along with a few other items he would cook for himself. My anxiety and nagging went through the roof. We've been a gluten free house for the past 6 months again while I'm pregnant, and it feels SO good not to have to remind him to wash his hands and don't use that sponge and wash out that cereal bowl better. I'm dreading adding gluten back into our lives after baby is born.

He travels for work and eats out a lot, so he gets his gluten there. He does not whine about the house being gluten free, but I know he feels deprived. Finding Udi's bread has made a world of difference for him because he has sandwiches back again. We have very little prepared food in the house and he finds it hard to figure out what to eat since I usually only cook 1 meal a day. I think just having something prepared to eat is what he misses the most. Not the gluten. Oh, how I wish he could see that 3 items and 5 minutes of microwave time makes a great lunch, but he is blind to anything that isn't ready to eat right out of the package.

The gluten free house greatly improves my sanity and I believe at least a few months trial was a necessary part of the learning curve for both of us. I think you should give it a try and stock up on Udi's.

tea-and-crumpets Explorer
tea-and-crumpets
Posted

My husband agreed to go gluten-free at home with me. It is so much easier for me not to worry about cross contamination, especially after getting new pots and pans, etc. He's free to eat gluten out in the world and I'm not worried as long as he brushes his teeth before he gets home :) In fact, that's how we greet one another now. "Did you brush?"

At first, we were almost completely gluten-free, except for the dark beer that he likes to drink a couple of times a month. Lo and behold, though, he forgot to brush, smooched me, and I got glutened :( Now beer is off-limits, too, which I feel really bad about! He's such a good guy, though. Told me he'd been meaning to explore the world of cocktail mixing anyway, so why not start now?

Cypressmyst Explorer
Cypressmyst
Posted

My husband went gluten-free at the same time as me. Initially it was to be supportive and because he had the same back rash I did.

Lo and behold 3 months in his heartburn of 20 years went away. And the back rash is still working its way out (His was really really bad).

If he hadn't gone gluten-free with me he would have as soon as I started learning how horrible it is for everyone.

Now his story just confirms my suspicion that everyone could benefit from gluten-free. His only symptoms were back rash and heartburn. Not a single intestinal complaint.

If your husband loves you he will go gluten-free, at least in the house. Anything less is poisoning you daily. How would he feel if you rubbed raw chicken all over everything in the house and then expected him to go about his business.

Gluten CC is the same way.

Marz Enthusiast
Marz
Posted

I'd say definitely have him go gluten-free for a few weeks, even if he's just gluten-free at home (and in the car!), and washes his hands (and brushes teeth :) ) when he gets home if he's eaten outside the house. You'll at least be able to see if it makes a difference, and be able to confirm what's gluten-ing you

I guess it depends on your situation. My hubby is not gluten free - I even cook certain gluten-filled foods that I can't replace easily with gluten-free stuff. However...

1) I'm a bit obsessive about cleaning my hands and keeping the foods separate - I prepare my own food first and put it away before touching anything with gluten. If I have to swap between dishes I wash and dry my hands thoroughly. I throw the hand towel in the wash every day or so. Bread and rolls are kept in a specific spot on the counter away from normal preparation area, and I have a specific cutting board that I put the gluten stuff on. I have a tiny kitchen and I can still keep it separate :) I have separate pans and utensils for his gluten stuff.

2) Most of the time, I make gluten-free food for both of us - he can't even tell the difference.

3) I usually cook everything in the house, my hubby just doesn't know how to cook :) But that works for me since I can be obsessive about the food, and ensure everything is gluten-free going into my food.

4) We don't have kids, I think this helps a lot - not having kids running around with food and crumbs. When my hubby and I eat something, we'll eat it at the table or at our own computer, and finish it. Generally he doesn't walk around the house spilling crumbs everywhere.

5) Oh, and I keep a separate plate and knife/fork for myself that is never used for his food, and I wash it first (No dishwasher, booo). That way I don't have to obsessively clean the plates all the time...

I haven't been glutened by my husband touching the fridge after his food. But then see point 1 - I'm obsessive about washing hands before eating too :)

The biggest difference for me was cutting down hectically on eating out, and not eating food from work. Now that I'm eating my own food I finally feel "well" again - and it's mostly unprocessed food that I cook from scratch, with a few trusted spices and mixes. Yes it's bland, but I know I'm safe :)

Kay DH Apprentice
Kay DH
Posted

Our house is gluten-free, except for hubby's beer and flour tortillas. I found a good recipe for amaranth tortillas, so the wheat ones may go away. There are also a lot of good gluten-free beers. In the absence of other food allergies/intolerances, there really isn't much difference between gluten-free and gluten-full food (at least with time the gluten-free breads and other items are getting better). If you can replace his gluten items with equivalent gluten-free, then it would be easier for him. Hubby sees how sick I get when I get glutened, and he will eat almost anything, so those help. :)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

Our home is gluten-free. My partner & son have a box of cereal and some soup in a separate cupboard and a loaf of bread in the bottom drawer of the refrig. Nothing else. I got rid of everything else that has gluten but no one minds. I do the cooking and they are just grateful they don't have to do it. lol Once in awhile they might bring home a burger but are very careful to clean the counter after eating. So far so good and it's been 8 months.

i-geek Rookie
i-geek
Posted

We don't cook gluten in our kitchen. My husband can brew his beer (he has his own pans and utensils for that), drink beer, and bring in gluten-y carryout food provided he is very careful and washes his hands before touching handles and whatnot. We found that I healed a lot faster once we stopped trying to keep gluten foods around and prepare them in the kitchen.

Takala Enthusiast
Takala
Posted

Mine is gluten free at home, but will eat anything he wants for lunch out at work. Sometimes at restaurants if we eat out, he gets the regular food.

This way keeps it out of the house but doesn't deprive him, it's a win - win situation for us. He just changed breakfast cereals over to gluten free, and dinner is the same as before.

rainer83 Newbie
rainer83
Posted

Going gluten free for someone who doesn't need to be actually isn't a good idea.

Open Original Shared Link

If your husband wants to, then it's up to him. Personally, I couldn't ask for it. When I was a vegetarian, I didn't expect my significant other at the time to be a vegetarian either. Some people just can't handle different diets. All our bodies need certain requirements. Gluten free clearly for celiacs, or dairy free for lactose intolerance, etc, but cutting things out may actually be dangerous for some people.

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

Going gluten free for someone who doesn't need to be actually isn't a good idea.

Open Original Shared Link

If your husband wants to, then it's up to him. Personally, I couldn't ask for it. When I was a vegetarian, I didn't expect my significant other at the time to be a vegetarian either. Some people just can't handle different diets. All our bodies need certain requirements. Gluten free clearly for celiacs, or dairy free for lactose intolerance, etc, but cutting things out may actually be dangerous for some people.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with the author of that article. While it's true that going gluten free may not help all people lose weight, if they limit the number of gltuen free replacement items in their diet they will probably be eating healthier than the Standard American Diet. I actually think a large portion ofthe population could stand to benefit from going gluten free even if they don't have celiac or gltuen intolerance. My husband went gltuen free with me at first. He noticed many aches and pains he thoguht were just a part of getting older went away. he also dropped 30 lbs and has kept it off even though he has gone back to eating gluten outside of the house. I didn't "make" my hubby accomodate me, he wanted to because he cares abotu my health. He has seen me at my worst and he has seen how much better I am off of gluten. Asking him to be gluten free at home is not at all the same as asking him to be vegetarian around you. It's more comparable to asking him not to comtaminate your food and kitchen surfaces with rat poisin. Some people can keep gluten in their homes and not have cc issues, but some can not. If you are supersensitive and you notice you are still getting sick with gltuen in the house I don't think it's too much to ask your spouse to try takign the home gluten free.

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Gluten free eating would only be a little hazardous for those who didn't have a clue about nutrition and how to eat a healthy, balanced diet. In other words, those people would probably not be eating a healthy diet anyway, although the government tries to make sure they do with additives to certain foods, so that they get enough Vitamin D, for example, by adding it to milk. I think you will find that most people who adopt a gluten free diet are acutely aware of nutritional issues. Those who adopt it merely as a fad or to lose weight ARE more likely to have nutritional problems in that sense, because they generally don't pay as much attention to the content of what they eat.

sb2178 Enthusiast
sb2178
Posted

Ditto Neroli. Substituting white rice and high carb/sugar gluten-free substitute products for oatmeal and whole wheat bread, not good choices. Switching to kasha, quinoa and sweet potatoes, excellent choices.

It is far, far easier to not have risky items in the kitchen. Just gives you a safe zone where you DON'T have to think about it. Which is a wonderful luxury.

Lindsay630 Rookie
Lindsay630
Posted
  • Author

Going gluten free for someone who doesn't need to be actually isn't a good idea.

Open Original Shared Link

If your husband wants to, then it's up to him. Personally, I couldn't ask for it. When I was a vegetarian, I didn't expect my significant other at the time to be a vegetarian either. Some people just can't handle different diets. All our bodies need certain requirements. Gluten free clearly for celiacs, or dairy free for lactose intolerance, etc, but cutting things out may actually be dangerous for some people.

I actually take offense to this comment. Avoiding Gluten for me is NOT the same as CHOOSING to follow a vegetarian diet (which I do btw). The cross contamination that occurs due to gluten makes me extremely ill! Constructive comments are always welcome but comments should be factual, in my opinion.

Thank you to all the others for your support! We have not had any gluten in the house since Thursday and I am already feeling better!

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

Thank you to all the others for your support! We have not had any gluten in the house since Thursday and I am already feeling better!

Good for you. My celiac son and I found that we couldn't get healthy until we got gluten out of the house too. My husband and daughter are happy to not eat gluten in the house since it makes such a difference to our health.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,398
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Megannnnn
    Newest Member
    Megannnnn
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Coeliac UK Research Conference 2025

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Thanks for sharing this!
    • Scott Adams
      Shingles - Could It Be Related to Gluten/ Celiac

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had the same thing happen to me at around your age, and to this day it's the most painful experience I've ever had. For me it was the right side of my head, above my ear, running from my nerves in my neck. For years before my outbreak I felt a tingling sensation shooting along the exact nerves that ended up exactly where the shingles blisters appeared. I highly recommend the two shot shingles vaccine as soon as your turn 50--I did this because I started to get the same tingling sensations in the same area, and after the vaccines I've never felt that again.  As you likely know, shingles is caused by chicken pox, which was once though of as one of those harmless childhood viruses that everyone should catch in the wild--little did they know that it can stay in your nervous system for your entire life, and cause major issues as you age.
    • trents
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By trents · Posted

      Keep us posted.
    • Clear2me
      Gluten free nuts

      By Clear2me · Posted

      Thanks for the info. I recently moved to CA from Wyoming and in that western region the Costco and Sam's /Walmart Brands have many nuts and more products that are labeled gluten free. I was told it's because those products are packaged and processed  in different  plants. Some plants can be labeled  gluten free because the plant does not also package gluten products and they know that for example the trucks, containers equipment are not used to handle wheat, barely or Rye. The Walmart butter in the western region says gluten free but not here. Most of The Kirkland and Members Mark brands in CA say they are from Vietnam. That's not the case in Wyoming and Colorado. I've spoken to customer service at the stores here in California. They were not helpful. I check labels every time I go to the store. The stores where I am are a Sh*tshow. The Magalopoly grocery chain Vons/Safeway/Albertsons, etc. are the same. Fishers and Planters brands no longer say gluten free. It could be regional. There are nuts with sugar coatings and fruit and nut mixes at the big chains that are labeled gluten free but I don't want the fruit or sugar.  It's so difficult I am considering moving again. I thought it would be easier to find safe food in a more populated area. It's actually worse.  I was undiagnosed for most of my life but not because I didn't try to figure it out. So I have had all the complications possible. I don't have any spare organs left.  No a little gluten will hurt you. The autoimmune process continues to destroy your organs though you may not feel it. If you are getting a little all the time and as much as we try we probably all are and so the damage is happening. Now the FDA has pretty much abandoned celiacs. There are no requirements for labeling for common allergens on medications. All the generic drugs made outside the US are not regulated for common allergens and the FDA is taking the last gluten free porcine Thyroid med, NP Thyroid, off the market in 2026. I was being glutened by a generic levothyroxin. The insurance wouldn't pay for the gluten free brand any longer because the FDA took them all off their approved formulary. So now I am paying $147 out of pocket for NP Thyroid but shortly I will have no safe choice. Other people with allergies should be aware that these foreign generic pharmaceutical producers are using ground shellfish shell as pill coatings and anti-desicants. The FDA knows this but  now just waits for consumers to complain or die. The take over of Wholefoods by Amazon destroyed a very reliable source of good high quality food for people with allergies and for people who wanted good reliably organic food. Bezos thought  he could make a fortune off people who were paying alot for organic and allergen free food by substituting cheap brands from Thailand. He didn't understand who the customers were who were willing to pay more for that food and why. I went from spending hundreds to nothing because Bezo removed every single trusted brand that I was buying. Now they are closing Whole foods stores across the country. In CA, Mill Valley store (closed July 2025) and the National Blvd. store in West Los Angeles (closed October 2025). The Cupertino store will close.  In recent years I have learned to be careful and trust no one. I have been deleberately glutened in a restaurant that was my favorite (a new employee). The Chef owner was not in the kitchen that night. I've had  a metal scouring pad cut up over my food.The chain offered gluten free dishes but it only takes one crazy who thinks you're a problem as a food fadist. Good thing I always look. Good thing they didn't do that to food going to a child with a busy mom.  I give big tips and apologize for having to ask in restaurants but mental illness seem to be rampant. I've learn the hard way.          I don't buy any processed food that doesn't say gluten free.  I am a life long Catholic. I worked for the Church while at college. I don't go to Church anymore because the men at the top decided Jesus is gluten. The special hosts are gluten less not gluten free. No I can't drink wine after people with gluten in their mouth and a variety of deadly germs. I have been abandoned and excluded by my Church/Family.  Having nearly died several times, safe food is paramount. If your immune system collapses as mine did, you get sepsis. It can kill you very quickly. I spent 5 days unconscious and had to have my appendix and gall bladder removed because they were necrotic. I was 25. They didn't figure out I had celiac till I was 53. No one will take the time to tell you what can happen when your immune system gets overwhelmed from its constant fighting the gluten and just stops. It is miserable that our food is processed so carelessly. Our food in many aspects is not safe. And the merging of all the grocery chains has made it far worse. Its a disaster. Krogers also recently purchased Vitacost where I was getting the products I could no longer get at Whole Foods. Kroger is eliminating those products from Vitacost just a Bezos did from WF. I am looking for reliable and certified sources for nuts. I have lived the worst consequences of the disease and being exposed unknowingly and maliciously. Once I was diagnosed I learned way more than anyone should have to about the food industry.  I don't do gray areas. And now I dont eat out except very rarely.  I have not eaten fast food for 30 years before the celiac diagnosis. Gluten aside..... It's not food and it's not safe.  No one has got our backs. Sharing safe food sources is one thing we can do to try to be safe.        
    • Mmoc
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By Mmoc · Posted

      Thank you kindly for your response. I have since gotten the other type of bloods done and am awaiting results. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.