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Airborne Gluten?

1974girl

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1974girl Enthusiast
1974girl
Posted

I know this is the dumbest question on earth probably but I don't know the answer. My DH made our daughters some cinnamon toast for breakfast. He was doing this while I slept so that was nice! One daughter is celiac but the other has to be on gluten because they are doing another blood test next month. (she was showing signs) So he lined the baking sheet with foil and put Udi's on one side and reg. on the other. They did not touch at all. Is that bad? I kinda freaked..not at him...quietly.... becuase when it cooks, does the smell have gluten in it? Can we share an oven if they don't ever touch? Celiac child is not sensitive at all so she had no reaction.

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psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

A shared oven is not a problem in and of itself. It sounds like your husband took suitable precautions to avoid contaminating the gluten-free item.

deb445 Rookie
deb445
Posted

I think this question is an interesting one because I found myself having a "gluten attack" after standing in line at Tim Horton's to get a gift card - I didn't even drink a coffee! I wondered if I could get be exposed from just SMELLING all those yummy treats. I also wondered if I was paranoid and manifesting the symptoms. Then, last weekend a mini-donut kitchen was set up at our local grocery store....by the time I was at the cashier with my cart of groceries, I was light headed, and feeling nauseous. It passed after I got outside, and had a bottle of water. All I did was SMELL the bakeries. I think I'm either SUPER sensitive, or something else. :huh:

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

I think this question is an interesting one because I found myself having a "gluten attack" after standing in line at Tim Horton's to get a gift card - I didn't even drink a coffee! I wondered if I could get be exposed from just SMELLING all those yummy treats. I also wondered if I was paranoid and manifesting the symptoms. Then, last weekend a mini-donut kitchen was set up at our local grocery store....by the time I was at the cashier with my cart of groceries, I was light headed, and feeling nauseous. It passed after I got outside, and had a bottle of water. All I did was SMELL the bakeries. I think I'm either SUPER sensitive, or something else. :huh:

No, you are not super sensitive. This is pretty common with Celiacs and something I have had happen. It's not a gluten hit but more of a psychosomatic reaction to the smell of wheat based food. I get nauseous when I go down the bread isle in a mainstream grocery store because of the smell of all that wheaty processed food. Blech. That's why I shop at Whole Foods....no offending smells there. I am a very sensitive Celiac but I don't think that has anything to do with it. Many people experience this. I really hate it when Dunkin' Donuts is making the donuts....what a gross smell.

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

Could there have been flour in the air?

jeanzdyn Apprentice
jeanzdyn
Posted

I agree with Gemini about it being a psychosomatic reaction. We become so attuned to staying away from gluten items that we get a little freaked out by knowing that there are gluten-ous items nearby. Also, the smell/scent could cause a reaction. It is like being a vegetarian --the smell of meat cooking can make them feel 'unwell'.

There is a level of discomfort in being near something that we have worked diligently to avoid and that can translate to a psychosomatic reaction.

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

I must be weird. I know that there is not gluten in the smell of something, which leads me to standing by the bakery at the grocery store just to smell everything or opening the door to the donuts and just reveling in the scent. I also gave up coffee about 5 years ago and will just stand with my eyes closed as if I'm in heaven when I'm in that aisle. I'm pretty sure everyone around me thinks I'm a freak.

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deb445 Rookie
deb445
Posted

I'm going to go out on a limb here...just a random thought about cooking with wheat...

Psychosomatic, or.... science that hasn't been discovered yet? Anyone else here subscribe to the principles of homeopathy? I am of the belief that half of something is always going to be half, right? Even when gluten is reduced down to the smallest particles, if you take half of that smallest particle - you're still going to have THAT particle, which in turn can be reduced in half again. Our bodies are smart. Our cells have memories.

Everything is energy?

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

I'm going to go out on a limb here...just a random thought about cooking with wheat...

Psychosomatic, or.... science that hasn't been discovered yet? Anyone else here subscribe to the principles of homeopathy? I am of the belief that half of something is always going to be half, right? Even when gluten is reduced down to the smallest particles, if you take half of that smallest particle - you're still going to have THAT particle, which in turn can be reduced in half again. Our bodies are smart. Our cells have memories.

Everything is energy?

That is a very interesting thought on the subject and you could be on to something about cell memory. Perhaps it's the memory of what gluten does to you that creates this slight reaction. I always felt it was your bodies way of protecting you from harm. I also get nauseous from standing too close to pizza when it is being baked but it goes away when I get outside into fresh air.

It still is psychosomatic and not a true gluten hit but it is interesting all the same.

Unless you inhale flour, then it is not a true hit. You don't have to worry about intestinal damage unless you ingest it.

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

I must be weird. I know that there is not gluten in the smell of something, which leads me to standing by the bakery at the grocery store just to smell everything or opening the door to the donuts and just reveling in the scent. I also gave up coffee about 5 years ago and will just stand with my eyes closed as if I'm in heaven when I'm in that aisle. I'm pretty sure everyone around me thinks I'm a freak.

Not a freak....no. Just a lucky person that is not bothered by smells. It's admirable that you can smell donuts and not succumb to eating them or not feel nauseous by doing so. Coffee...different story. No gluten in the vast majority of coffee but the smell is wonderful. I still drink coffee and I love the smell of freshly brewed joe!

  • 7 months later...
The Hop Newbie
The Hop
Posted

That is a very interesting thought on the subject and you could be on to something about cell memory. Perhaps it's the memory of what gluten does to you that creates this slight reaction. I always felt it was your bodies way of protecting you from harm. I also get nauseous from standing too close to pizza when it is being baked but it goes away when I get outside into fresh air.

It still is psychosomatic and not a true gluten hit but it is interesting all the same.

Unless you inhale flour, then it is not a true hit. You don't have to worry about intestinal damage unless you ingest it.

I Think there is a major misconception going on here... A smell is produced when airborne particles trigger the nerves in your nose. No particles, no smell! If you're smelling some form of flour, there is a possibility of receiving gluten. When flour is aerosolized, it's predominately the protein that gets distributed in the air, so i would not be too quick to call these reactions psychosomatic. Here's an abstract, of a look at the content of airborne flour. (a little technical)

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