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

Curious, Do Most People Go Gluten Free For The Household, Or Just Themselves?

MsCurious

Recommended Posts

MsCurious Enthusiast
MsCurious
Posted

Hi again,

Just wondering how you all adapt the gluten-free lifestyle within the home. Does the family go gluten-free, so it is a completely non-toxic environment at home? I am sure my husband would do that, and of course indulge in a normal diet when away from the house. How do your spouses and family feel about it? This is all new to me, so I'm not sure how difficult it is to not have cross contamination if there are toxic foods in the house. Thanks for your input..much appreciated!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

My hub decided to go gluten free to make it easier (and because he had had some GI issues), and then when he started cheating on the diet broke out in dermatitis herpetiformis, so turned out to be celiac himself. :)

eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

I took the whole kitchen gluten free.

Since I am the cook I didn't want to be messing around with gluten poison while I was cooking.

If anyone eats at my house they eat gluten free.

jeanne- Rookie
jeanne-
Posted

We made the entire house gluten free. That keeps the younger kids from being tempted. Our 19 yr old. refuses to go gluten free, but it is still not allowed in our home. He must eat it elsewhere. After I went to the expense of buying new kitchen utensils and cast iron skillets, I didn't want to have to worry about contamination.

NancyL Explorer
NancyL
Posted

My kids are 13, 6 and 3. I don't think I can take the house completely gluten free at this time (will down the road after I've figured out if this is the right path for me). I am desperately hoping that if I do have a gluten issue, that it is mild and therefore not have to worry so much about cross-contamination and such. I'm going to go with my "gut" (pun intended) to see how I do.

My husband has uncontrollable high blood pressure (isn't overweight and is medicated)with circulation issues as a result so he has to be on a special diet too. I can't cook 3 meals each night so I'm going to try to stay as "normal" as possible and gradually get them used to gluten-free recipes. For now, the kids school sandwiches are still made with wheat bread and they'll still be eating their favorite cookies, graham crackers and pizza. :P Thankfully our household is already very used to and loves fresh veggies and fruits with no sauces.

When I cooked dinner the other night, no one realized it was gluten-free/low sodium so I'll do that as often as possible. When not, then I'll eat separately.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

I'm the only Celiac right now. Lots of our meals are gluten-free just cause they would be anyway. They have regular bread & crackers. They and the toaster for them are on a small counter by itself with the crackers in the cabinet.. I usually make regular pasta for the teens. I have a separate set of pots, toaster, red spoons, & red colander for gluten-free. I use red tape on my pb, butter, etc.

I am lucky because my boys are almost 15 and just turned 18. They are also very self sufficient and try to be careful. I know where the crumbs will be and can deal with them. My hub usually eats what I do except like pb toast for breakfast. My family would eat my gluten-free Canyon Bakehouse bread if I let them but it's expensive so I get them whole wheat.

I think you should make it as easy as possible.

burdee Enthusiast
burdee
Posted

Hi again,

Just wondering how you all adapt the gluten-free lifestyle within the home. Does the family go gluten-free, so it is a completely non-toxic environment at home? I am sure my husband would do that, and of course indulge in a normal diet when away from the house. How do your spouses and family feel about it? This is all new to me, so I'm not sure how difficult it is to not have cross contamination if there are toxic foods in the house. Thanks for your input..much appreciated!

I went gluten free for myself after my celiac disease diagnosis. After I had several cross-contamination incidents, my husband declared our kitchen gluten free. So he went gluten free for me. After he went gluten free, his chronic joint pain disappeared.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Kelly777 Newbie
Kelly777
Posted

My kitchen is mixed. I sanitize everything before I prepare my gluten free food. I have the cupboards and frige sectioned off. Nobody wants to make me sick again because they thought I was going to die when I was sick so they respect my space. They bother me to no end though because they will eat my expensive gluten free food and complain about it rather than eat their gluten foods. I am getting a little tired of that and it is getting expensive.

One of the posters posted said that she thought she might just be a little bit celiac. You either are or aren't. There are no degrees with this disease. It isn't something you want to mess around with either because you can get all sorts of underlying diseases if you continue to consume gluten and are celiac. If you aren't sure I would go get checked and if you are use precautions and stick to the diet. That is the only treatment for this disease.

NancyL Explorer
NancyL
Posted

One of the posters posted said that she thought she might just be a little bit celiac. You either are or aren't. There are no degrees with this disease. It isn't something you want to mess around with either because you can get all sorts of underlying diseases if you continue to consume gluten and are celiac. If you aren't sure I would go get checked and if you are use precautions and stick to the diet. That is the only treatment for this disease.

I think that was me. :) I didn't articulate clearly what I meant. I hope I can say it better this time. I just know that some people are more sensitive than others (kissing a child or spouse who's eaten gluten, etc). I am following a strict gluten-free diet for myself but for now, since I'm in my infancy of gluten-free, I'm hoping that I won't be as sensitive to having gluten in my environment i.e. cross contamination (such as partitioning off my kitchen and my utensils and such) but if I don't get better without taking those precautions, I WILL do that too. I still HAND my son a cookie, but don't eat one myself. Does that make sense? I'm carefully avoiding consuming gluten but am not "yet" completely separating the two aspects of my life. I know often that people need to, I just don't know yet if I'm one of those people but will take that step if I need to.

eta: I sanitize all surfaces and cooking utensils prior to use whether I'm cooking something gluten free or not. I do still cook some gluten for my family but if I do, I eat separately and make certain it's gluten-free.

Cypressmyst Explorer
Cypressmyst
Posted

My husband went gluten-free with me to see if our back rashes cleared up. They did and so much more. Then my best friend and her husband went gluten-free and all sorts of issues they were having disappeared and that is the place we hang out the most outside of our house.

In truth gluten is poison for everyone. No one can digest it and it causes all sorts of problems. I know seven people who have recently gone gluten-free and all seven have seen major life improvements upon doing so.

Gluten/Grains are such bad news. You name the ailment and there is very likely a direct link. Boggles my mind. :blink:

mcc0523 Newbie
mcc0523
Posted

I would like my whole kitchen to be gluten-free, but as I live with my parents, and they still eat gluten, I wash dishes now at least two or three times as I wash everything after I use it, and then before I use it again, as I don't trust my parents to yet not cc me, and they use the same dishes. I am feeling better and my gastric symptoms have pretty much disappeared, although I still want to get a whole set of new dishes to be declared gluten-free, and separated out from the rest of the kitchen.

I have been talking to my dad and several of his symptoms he's had his whole life that I'm sure are related to him eating gluten... just bringing it up here and there. I've heard a few mumbled "maybe you're right" and a quick change of subject. He is addicted to crackers and bread most of all, and I don't think he is mentally ready to go gluten-free. I keep talking about how great I feel, and I mention I think he'd also feel better if he would just try it, and how I didn't think that it would help when I went on it, but as my other option before going gluten-free was surgery, I hoped that going gluten-free would relieve the neurological symptoms that could also be attributed to my chiari malformation (it's a borderline one, but those also cause terrible symptoms) I've been plagued with for the better part of 5 years. I might still have to have surgery, but I have no doubt just with how much better I feel already that gluten is a bad thing for my body, and if I have to have it then, well I'll be much healthier and more able to withstand having the back of my head cut open by the time I make that decision (I'm giving a good year to see how much reverses).

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

We started out as a mixed household, with an 8 and 12 year old, and it was SO hard to keep contamination down. Then one got diagnosed as a celiac, too, and the other had symptoms resolve on the diet, so we ended up ALL gluten-free.

I think if we HAD to have a mixed household, I would have had a separate shelf/cupboard for the gluten. And keep it on the bottom. It was SO easy for crumbs to fall from the gluten items on to the gluten-free ones. And if they were on the same shelf? Oy - SO hard.

We'd always have this happen: They'd get out a loaf of bread, open it up, and take out a piece of bread. So now the hand that touched the bread is contaminated. But that contaminated hand would then close the bag back up, pick it up, and open the cupboard to put it back on the shelf. So the outside the the bag and the cupboard door and the shelf itself are now potentially contaminated.

We had lots of glutening moments from things like that before we all went gluten free. It was hard enough for adults to remember to wash hands and such. For kids...it was so stressful for them to try and remember that sort of thing that it was emotionally easier to just chuck the stuff.

MsCurious Enthusiast
MsCurious
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for all the replies, and good advice, everybody! I was curious how difficult it would be to do both, but I think I know what we will do. Put all the gluten toxins on a lower shelf as suggested, and once those things are gone, go completely gluten free. My husband is supportive.. he said we'll do "what ever it takes" to make it easy for me. I do most of the cooking, and with all the wonderful recipes out there, I think we'll be fine. We do eat a lot of natural foods anyway (not processed) and that's half the battle, I think. The only stumbling blocks I really see are breads, crackers, pasta, pizza, and I'm sure there are alternatives out there that I just have to find. I've seen different gluten-free Flours for baking, etc. Hopefully, I'll get the hang of baking with those. Thanks everybody for your thoughts! They help a bunch! :)

zebaldwin Explorer
zebaldwin
Posted

It's cool to read how through just being their for their spouse, etc...other symptoms in "non-celiac" people went away...that is very interesting and very promising for someone like me! (negative blood work, still trying to get some tests before going gluten free) Almost seems like gluten could affect most people in some way...hmm

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

My husband has kept a few of his items - Cheerios, granola bars, regular oatmeal, bread on occasion - but everything else in the house is gluten free. I'm never going to cook a bunch of special meals when one can satisfy everyone, so he eats gluten free with me when we're home and eating together. If we go out, he generally gets whatever he wants, but he'll join in gluten free with me at a place like PF Changs where we share a couple of dishes.

With a 9 month old, I'm continuing the same trend. Everything that we share is gluten free. Since, right now, ANYTHING that Daphne eats gets shared with me (either on my hands, or my shirt, or whatever), she eats gluten free. Some year, perhaps when she's 7 or 8, IF she doesn't have a problem with gluten AND can be responsible about policing her food the way my husband is, she can have the same provisions as he does. In this house, though, it's a privilege, not a right, to get evil (gluten) food. :)

MsCurious Enthusiast
MsCurious
Posted
  • Author

My husband has kept a few of his items - Cheerios, granola bars, regular oatmeal, bread on occasion - but everything else in the house is gluten free. I'm never going to cook a bunch of special meals when one can satisfy everyone, so he eats gluten free with me when we're home and eating together. If we go out, he generally gets whatever he wants, but he'll join in gluten free with me at a place like PF Changs where we share a couple of dishes.

With a 9 month old, I'm continuing the same trend. Everything that we share is gluten free. Since, right now, ANYTHING that Daphne eats gets shared with me (either on my hands, or my shirt, or whatever), she eats gluten free. Some year, perhaps when she's 7 or 8, IF she doesn't have a problem with gluten AND can be responsible about policing her food the way my husband is, she can have the same provisions as he does. In this house, though, it's a privilege, not a right, to get evil (gluten) food. :)

ADORABLE BABY! :)

SaraKat Contributor
SaraKat
Posted

It is just me and my husband, but he is not gluten free. He eats a lot of bread and cereals. We only cook gluten-free pasta though and all of our cookware is only for gluten-free items.

Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,939
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Michelle C.
    Newest Member
    Michelle C.
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

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



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Theresa2407
      Is this celiac?

      By Theresa2407 · Posted

      Usually when I digest gluten or wheat I have a 4 hour window before reacting.  If it is immediate it may be an intollerence to another food.  Dairy, Frutose, and bacteria (SIBO) will react with many of the celiac disease symtoms.Has your Doctor ran a  Fructose test which is measuring your Fruit Sugar?  A Hydrogen Beath Test which checks your intestinal bacteria and Dairy?After my biopsy and blood work, these (3) tests were also ran, along with allergy tests, which allery test was sent out of State.  It was a mouth swab. How fast you heal depends on the diet you are following… The following are my personal recommendations to healing. I talk to many newly diagnosed people who start the gluten-free diet with pasta, breads, snacks, and pizza. After a month or so, they do not know why they don’t feel any better and still are sick with their original symptoms: They worry the diet is not working for them. For some there may be other factors involved, but most just aren’t letting their body heal properly. I blame the internet, and misinformation it contains. People want a quick fix, not realizing this is a life long disease. They need a good support group, with people who have been through this and knows what works!  This is what I have found will work for you.                                                                                            First 6 weeks should be:                                                                                                                                 lean meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, salmon, sardines, buffalo, deer)                                                   fresh vegetables (steamed or roasted with a little Olive Oil) with 2 cups per day being raw (5 servings; a serving is 1/2 cup)                                                                                                                                      fresh fruit (3 servings; include strawberries, blackberries and blueberries daily)  Makes good shakes with Almond milk.                                                                                                                                        A hand full of almonds daily (pecans and walnuts can be substituted)                                                        brown rice, lentils, Citrucel daily (or the equivalent) Good source of fiber. I use Calm because my body doesn’t absorb Magnesium and I only need to take once in evening.                                                    No dairy of any kind (milk, cheese, yogurt, No breads, No past,  No oats, No pizza, No gluten-free beer, No snacks like cake, biscuits, pies, donuts.                                                                                                Many dietitians will tell you to follow a gluten free diet but you have to heal first. Don’t misunderstand me, dietitians are our friends and help us.                                                                                              10% of people with gluten-free will be intolerant to dairy                                                                                  10% can not tolerate oats                                                                                                                     After the six weeks, you can start to add these foods back into your diet. 1 new food every 4 days; this way you know if you react to this food.                                                                                                  Oats shouldn’t be tried for 1 year after being diagnosed; then start with 1/3 of a cup. Only gluten-free Oats are acceptable.                                                                                                                                              You should have results within 3 days of following a correct healing diet. Bloating should be leaving, migraines should be gone. Might take bowels a little longer to respond. If you start with 5 times a day on the Citrucel and cut back as your bowels return to normal; then use 1 Tbsp. daily. This works if you have constipation or diarrhea.                                                                                                        Meanwhile make sure you have had a Dexa test (bone density) and a blood test to check your vitamin and mineral levels: Zinc, D,K,B,C and iron levels.                                                                                  Don't take supplements while healing as your body is not accepting them and they will flush through your body.                                                                                                                                              Have you had a breath test for Dairy, Fructose, and bacteria overgrowth? Should have done when first diagnosed.                                                                                                                                        How fast you heal depends on the diet you are following… The following are my personal recommendations to healing. I talk to many newly diagnosed people who start the gluten-free diet with pasta, breads, snacks, and pizza. After a month or so, they do not know why they don’t feel any better and still are sick with their original symptoms: They worry the diet is not working for them. For some there may be other factors involved, but most just aren’t letting their body heal properly. I blame the internet, and misinformation it contains. People want a quick fix, not realizing this is a life long disease. They need a good support group, with people who have been through this and knows what works! This is what I have found will work for you. First 6 weeks should be: lean meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, salmon, sardines, buffalo, deer) fresh vegetables (steamed or roasted with a little Olive Oil) with 2 cups per day being raw (5 servings; a serving is 1/2 cup) fresh fruit (3 servings; include strawberries, blackberries and blueberries daily) a hand full of almonds daily (pecans and walnuts can be substituted) brown rice lentils Citrucel daily (or the equivalent) Good source of fiber. No dairy of any kind (milk, cheese, yogurt) No breads No pasta No oats No pizza No gluten-free beer No snacks like cake, biscuits, pies, donuts. Many dietitians will tell you to follow a gluten free diet but you have to heal first. Don’t misunderstand me, dietitians are our friends and help us. 10% of people with gluten-free will be intolerant to dairy 10% can not tolerate oats After the six weeks, you can start to add these foods back into your diet. 1 new food every 4 days; this way you know if you react to this food. Oats shouldn’t be tried for 1 year after being diagnosed; then start with 1/3 of a cup. Only gluten-free Oats are acceptable. You should have results within 3 days of following a correct healing diet. Bloating should be leaving, migraines should be gone. Might take bowels a little longer to respond. If you start with 5 times a day on the Citrucel and cut back as your bowels return to normal; then use 1 Tbsp. daily. This works if you have constipation or diarrhea. Meanwhile make sure you have had a Dexa test (bone density) and a blood test to check your vitamin and mineral levels: Zinc, D,K,B,C and iron levels. Don't take supplements while healing as your body is not accepting them and they will flush through your body. Have you had a breath test for Dairy, Fructose, and bacteria overgrowth? Should have done when first diagnosed. Remember to have a tTg IgA blood test repeated at 6 months then every year after, with another scope done in 3 years. Only way to know if you are healed. I don’t have all the answers; we are learning everyday new ways of doing things, but this is a start! Remember to have a tTg IgA EMA blood test repeated at 6 months then every year after 
    • Wheatwacked
      Is this celiac?

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Marsh 3b is the Gold Standard of diagnosis for Celiac Disease.  Until recently, regardless of antibody tests, positive or negative, you had to have Marsh 3 damage to be awarded the diagnosis of Celiac. As I understand you,  you were having constant symptoms..  Your symptoms improved on GFD, with occassional flare ups. Did your doctor say you do and you are questioning the diagnosis? Regarding your increasing severity when you get glutened it is "normal".  Gluten acts on the Opiod receptors to numb your body.  Some report withdrawal symptoms on GFD.  I was an alcoholic for 30 years, about 1/2 pint of voda a day. Each time I identified a trigger and dealt with it, a new trigger would pop up.  Even a 30 day rehab stint, with a low fat diet (severe pancreatis) during which I rarely had cravings.  Stopped at a Wendys on the way home and the next day I was drinking again.  20 years later, sick as a dog, bedridden on Thanksgiving, after months of reasearch, I realized that gluten free was my Hail Mary.  Back in 1976 my son was diagnosed at weaning by biopsy with Celiac Disease and his doctor suggested my wife and I should also be gluten free because it is genetic.  At 25 years old I felt no gastro problems and promised if I ever did I would try gluten free.  Well, I forgot that promise until I was 63 and my wife 10 years dead.  Three days of gluten and alcohol free, I could no longer tolerate alcohol. Eleven years gluten and alcohol free, with no regrets. Improvement was quick, but always two steps forward and one back.  Over time I found nineteen symptoms that I had been living with for my entire life, that doctors had said, "We don't know why, but that is normal for some people". Celiac Disease causes multiple vitamin and mineral deficiency.  It is an autoimmune disease, meaning your immune system B and T cells create antibodies against ttg(2) in the small intestine in Celiac Disease, and sometimes ttg(3) in skin in Dermatitis Herpetiformus.  'Why' is poorly understood.  In fact, it wasn't even known that wheat, barley and rye gluten was the cause.  Celiac Disease was also called Infantilism, because it was deadly, and believed to only be a childhood disease. So, as part of your recovery you must deal with those deficiencies.  Especially vitamin D because it contols your immune system.  Virtually all newly diagnosed Celiacs have vitamin D deficiency.  There are about 30 vitamin and minerals that are absorbed in the small intestine.  With Marsh 3 damage you may be eating the amount everyone else does, but you are not absorbing them into your system, so you will display symptoms of their deficiency.   As time passes and you replenish your deficiencies you may notice other symptoms improve, some you did not even know were symptoms. Our western diet has many deficiencies built into it.   That is the reason foods with gluten are fortified.  Gluten free processed food are not required to fortify.  Vitamin D, Iodine, choline.  The B vitamins, especially Thiamine (B1) run deficient quickly.  We only store enough thiamine for 2 weeks so the symptoms of Gastrointestinal BeriBeri can come and go quickly.  Magnesium, zinc, etc. each having its own symptoms affecting multiple systems.  High homocystene, an indicator of vascular inflamation can be cause by deficient Choline, folate, B6 and or B12.  Brain fog symptoms by deficient choline, iodine, thiamine B1. Dietary intake of choline and phosphatidylcholine and risk of type 2 diabetes in men: The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study  
    • Rogol72
      Help I’m cross contaminating myself,

      By Rogol72 · Posted

      I cut out the rice because it was affecting my stomach at the time ... not necessarily dermatitis herpetiformis. It was Tilda Basmati Rice, sometimes wholegrain rice. I was willing to do whatever it took to heal. Too much fiber also disagrees with me as I have UC.
    • trents
      Is this celiac?

      By trents · Posted

      But you didn't answer my question. When you consume gluten, is there an identifiable reaction within a short period of time, say a few hours?
    • Scott Adams
      Is this celiac?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      You can still have celiac disease with negative blood test results, although it's not very common:  Clinical and genetic profile of patients with seronegative coeliac disease: the natural history and response to gluten-free diet: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5606118/  Seronegative Celiac Disease - A Challenging Case: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9441776/  Enteropathies with villous atrophy but negative coeliac serology in adults: current issues: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34764141/   
×
×
  • 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.