Home For The Holidays - Do I Need Separate Pots And Pans?

[ButterflyChaser]

I am going home (Italy) for a few weeks, and I am staying at my parents'. I am not a diagnosed celiac: my blood tests were negative, so I did not do a biopsy. But I am feeling better on the gluten-free diet because it is slowly getting under control some of the symptoms associated with my thyroid disorder - and that's great.

My family is very supportive and I am finding out they have been reading around all this stuff that's happening to me, and my mum is organizing a "primal" Christmas menu so that I can eat too. She is taking this very seriously: I was reprimanded for thinking about buying a wheat containing shampoo and maintains that even wild rice should be off my list for now (in fact I am not eating that, either).

She said that she can buy me new utensils to keep in there and I don't need to bring mine. My question is: do I really need to get new pans and pots?

We don't really cook with flour on non-stick pans; she has already gotten me disposable oven pans; we don't have a toaster so that's not an issue; gluteny items at home are customarily cooked in stainless steel pans.

Which is another way of saying: to what extent should I worry about CC if I do not seem to have celiac disease, but simply feel better on a gluten-free diet for my other diseases?

Thanks!

[Adalaide]

Only as much as you feel you need to really. I would have no issues sharing stainless steel pots if I weren't a paranoid, anal retentive, OCD freak. There really is no reason not to use the same of anything that can be thoroughly scrubbed. Just keep a cutting board or two, maybe a nonstick pan because who doesn't need at least one for something and whatever else you feel can be CC'd. Very cool to have such an accommodating family. I'm sure we all wish we could have such an understanding family who would be willing to do whatever it takes to ensure our health instead of spending the holidays reading how so many battle over food as if the rest of the world thinks we're all starving to death without their goodies.

On a totally unrelated topic, and I don't suggest to anyone that eating gluten for the purpose of testing is a good idea, this is merely informational. My blood tests were negative. Negative blood tests are meaningless. It doesn't mean you don't have celiac, it simply means you haven't actually been fully tested, I wouldn't dismiss the idea if I were you. I also wouldn't be lax in my food prep or caution about CC due to how closely related your other diseases are to celiac. Either way, if you feel better gluten free, CC could be horridly dangerous and make you terribly ill. Be very careful no matter the reason labeled. Have a happy and healthy trip!!

[shadowicewolf]

I just give it a good scrub before i use them.

[ButterflyChaser]

Wow, thanks! I'll mention this to my mum: I am sure that we have lots of spare pans from my grandmothers' inheritance.

It is true, Adelaide, I have an amazing family. I wub them very much. Think that when I found out I had thyroid disorders one of my brothers called me to say "you shouldn't eat yuca anymore" (my SIL is from Ecuador, so we make yuca sometimes). It took me a while to figure out that yuca=cassava=tapioca

I also think that there's a cultural difference playing in: in my experience, in Italy there is a taboo against commenting on someone else's diet. I mean, a very very very close friend or family member may make an affectionate joke about some, ahem, peculiar eating habits (like finding elaborate arguments why tomatoes are unhealthy, and then eat salami - which I have termed "nutritional hypocrisy"). But it is not allowed to go further than that, and commenting on someone's choice to eat/not eat something for us is just rude/can't be done.

Also, my other brother has a lethal allergy to shellfish, and with three allergic kids and an OCD mum life gets easier for the sick one! I made my mum and my allergic brother make the blood tests for celiac as well (all negative), because all three of us kids have some very dynamic bowels, and exhibit an abnormal bloating/discomfort and (my brothers especially) weight gain when eating gluteny foods.