"glutened"? "contaminated"? What Do You Call It?

[melikamaui]

A friend recently told me that the word I use when my sons or I accidentally get gluten was really scary. We say that we have been "contaminated" and it never occurred to me that could be construed as frightening until she said it. She pointed out that it was very technical or medical, almost like poison or a nuclear leak, and it freaked her out. I had never thought of it like that. It just is what it is. We get contaminated with gluten. But now, seeing it through her eyes, it makes me wonder...is there a better word out there? Something less clinical and easier for people to handle?

I don't want to dumb down what happens when we accidentally ingest gluten. I'd just like to use a word that is less terrifying to our friends who try so hard to make things safe and wonderful for us.

So what word do you use? "Glutened" has never sounded right to me, but maybe I'll start using it. It does seem less threatening than "contaminated".

edited to fix a typo

[lilu]

Ar our house, we say that food got contaminated. When talking about our internal experience ingesting contaminated food, we say glutened.

[Coinkey]

I use a wide variety of words depending on the audience and my mood at the time. Here's a nice little list for you:

I'm currently reacting really badly to something I ate

I ate something that I clearly shouldn't have

Glutened

Cross-Contaminated

CC'd

The gluten got me

Poisoned with gluten

Never again!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

and my most recent "I must be allergic to children I'm getting rashes ALL the time"

[Skylark]

Like Coinkey I have a bunch of phrases.

I ate some gluten and I don't feel good.

I've been gluten poisoned.

I'm having a gluten reaction.

My food was cross-contaminated with gluten.

Uh oh, I think there was wheat in that ____.

I must have eaten something that doesn't agree with me.

...and if I'm in a foul mood becasue someone lied to me about ingredients, an impressive string of swear words.

[melikamaui]

Thanks for the help! I am going to work in the more gentle language.

[cassP]

i say i got glutened... i heard it on here- and it stuck. my friends think it's pretty hilarious.. i like words that are kinda made up

[Reba32]

why dumb it down for them? You are being contaminated, if that word frightens them, then perhaps it will encourage them to be careful when parparing food for you. To say you've "been glutened" is probably meaningless to anyone but another Celiac.

[melikamaui]

  On 7/27/2011 at 12:21 PM, Reba32 said:

why dumb it down for them? You are being contaminated, if that word frightens them, then perhaps it will encourage them to be careful when parparing food for you. To say you've "been glutened" is probably meaningless to anyone but another Celiac.

That's what I think too. The only reason I would want to dumb it down is because I really care about these friends and I don't want to freak them out. The friend that said this to me had very noticeably stopped inviting us over to her home. She admitted that she was terrified of poisoning us and that was due in large part to the language I choose. The word "contaminated" really scared her. I don't want people to feel like they're going to kill us by having us in their homes. That is the only reason I want to change the word.

[love2travel]

To my knowledge I have only been glutened glutenated or contaminated once in these past six months but I do not know (and I do not intend to deliberately find out). I do not think "contaminated" is too harsh - it may be the jolt some folks need! It is like poison to our bodies, after all. Probably a bit better than walking around wearing a poison or biohazard symbol t-shirt!

[melikamaui]

  On 7/27/2011 at 4:12 PM, love2travel said:

To my knowledge I have only been glutened glutenated or contaminated once in these past six months but I do not know (and I do not intend to deliberately find out). I do not think "contaminated" is too harsh - it may be the jolt some folks need! It is like poison to our bodies, after all. Probably a bit better than walking around wearing a poison or biohazard symbol t-shirt!

Funny!

My youngest is super sensitive so there has been a lot of trial and error with him. He has been contaminated quite a few times in the last year I am sad to say. Twice really horribly, and the rest were "light" contaminations but made him sick none the less. We have found that he cannot eat anything made on shared equipment with wheat and that took a long time to figure out. "But it says gluten free!" he would cry. Now that we know how sensitive he really is he gets contaminated a lot less. And sometimes I do feel like putting a T-shirt with a big poison symbol on him!

[love2travel]

  On 7/27/2011 at 9:07 PM, melikamaui said:

Funny!

My youngest is super sensitive so there has been a lot of trial and error with him. He has been contaminated quite a few times in the last year I am sad to say. Twice really horribly, and the rest were "light" contaminations but made him sick none the less. We have found that he cannot eat anything made on shared equipment with wheat and that took a long time to figure out. "But it says gluten free!" he would cry. Now that we know how sensitive he really is he gets contaminated a lot less. And sometimes I do feel like putting a T-shirt with a big poison symbol on him!

Oh, poor guy. It is sad when the words "gluten free" sometimes can be so misleading. I recently saw a product state "Gluten Free" on the front but "wheat" was listed under the ingredients. I know it must be under 20 ppm but I don't care. If I can help it no wheat is going to cross these lips of mine.

Maybe we should make some bright orange poison shirts! We would all know each other on sight.

[anabananakins]

  On 7/27/2011 at 3:37 AM, cassP said:

i say i got glutened... i heard it on here- and it stuck. my friends think it's pretty hilarious.. i like words that are kinda made up

Hee, me too Cass and my friends find it hilarious too.

I would say "I was glutened" but if I'm worried about a food I'd say "no, I won't have any because it's probably contaminated". I want people to realise that take even the chance of a dusting of "poison" seriously. They wouldn't eat something if there was the slightest chance it was contaminated with rat poison, so I think using the term contaminated helps get across how seriously I take gluten contamination.

[Marz]

I think of it as "gluten poisoning" because it's not unlike real food poisoning :/ I would also use the word "contamination", don't see anything wrong with that

"Glutening" is probably the kindest way to phrase it, if people are really that sensitive about the details. They wouldn't want to hear about the result of a glutening then I take it - also too scary?

[melikamaui]

  On 7/28/2011 at 11:31 AM, Marz said:

I think of it as "gluten poisoning" because it's not unlike real food poisoning :/ I would also use the word "contamination", don't see anything wrong with that

"Glutening" is probably the kindest way to phrase it, if people are really that sensitive about the details. They wouldn't want to hear about the result of a glutening then I take it - also too scary?

I really like "gluten poisoning". That gets the point across with enough seriousness but still has a softer edge to it than "contaminated". Thanks!

[cassP]

u know- i actually use "glutened" when i talk about what might happen to me... but i DO use the word "contaminated" when i talk about the food itself... like when my mom accidentally put the leftover rice pasta in the same container with the spelt pasta- then i say- "ya, i cant eat it, cause the food could be contaminated"

[domesticactivist]

It's good your friend is taking it seriously. If you think she's afraid to invite you over, why don't you talk with her about it? Reassure her that you appreciate her concern for your health, and that you are comfortable visiting as long as you take the steps you need to take to be safe. For us the basics are washing hands and eating only the food we bring (usually with our own dishes, too). Maybe she just needs to know that *you* are comfortable, and that you feel safe with her, especially given her awareness.

[melikamaui]

  On 8/3/2011 at 11:50 PM, domesticactivist said:

It's good your friend is taking it seriously. If you think she's afraid to invite you over, why don't you talk with her about it? Reassure her that you appreciate her concern for your health, and that you are comfortable visiting as long as you take the steps you need to take to be safe. For us the basics are washing hands and eating only the food we bring (usually with our own dishes, too). Maybe she just needs to know that *you* are comfortable, and that you feel safe with her, especially given her awareness.

I did talk to her about it and it went really well. I think she was scared to death because when my son was first diagnosed I was scared to death. I was freaked out (because he had been SO sick) and I was terrified that every little thing was going to make him sick again. Couple that with the use of a "scary" word and she got spooked. I totally understand why it happened and I'm incredibly grateful that she cares so much about us.