gfp

While I don't disagree about the "health ranger" comments and the fact the guy is proably in it for himself... I think its worth considering the FDA is also in it for the companies pay backhanders via lobbyists....

That is some of the claims are far fetched (like regualting rocks or fingers) but whereever there is a profit to be made ludicrous stuff is often passed....

My tired old example is unpasturised cheese....

This has been legislated out of existance in the UK.... and public perception turned that its going to kill you yet millions of French and Italians eat raw cheeses daily....

In this context raw cheeses contain pro-biotics...

Why is cheese regulated? Becuase in the UK there are 4 companies make 95% of the cheese... they find it convenient to send it to a central factory to be processed and distributed... but of course it tastes like plastic... (or certainly not as good)...

One example... perhaps Nikki and Jason might remember was Wenslydale cheese.... (aka Wallace and Grommit)

Wenslydale was a sheeps cheese (hence no TB risk like cow milk) actually started in Wenslydale in the 13C by monks from France... It was also a damned fine cheese!

St Ives bought out the entire valley ... and had legislation passed that it must be pasturised regardless of the fact it was Sheep milk and no TB risk !! The individual farmers couldn't do this themselves... so they sold out. St. Ives started making industrial

wenslydale from pasturised COW milk.. then a few years ago St. Ives got bored... and closed their factory... now you can't get real Wenslydale....

I have a simple rule about which companies I trust...

Any legal Dijon mustard is gluten-free by definition.... it must be made in the appelation and with certain ingredients...

If a company decides to lie about its products or ignore international law then I don't trust that company.

So if it says made in France then it MUST legally be gluten-free.... anyone making a Dijon mustard and calling it gluten-free in Europe would have a very long prison sentence... if it did not follow the recipe or was made outside of the AOC Dijon....

Canada usually follows this.... wheras the US completely ignores it... but since President's choice is Canadian (as far as I know) it would seem likely they follow international law hence a Dijon mustard has to be gluten-free... if they don't then they are obviously not a company you can trust...

does anyone know of tips or ideas that may help me with the healing process? (other than the obvious gluten free diet). Are there any herbal things to consider. I am a keen herbal tea drinker and would love it if i could find a tea or other to help.

I don't know if anything will really speed it up but peppermint tea does make you FEEL better...

Equally ... though the best thing you can do is cut out/down on irritants.... like coffee, alcohol etc.

Also when the villi are damaged we don't make lactase so lactose intolerance is also a problem...

I also stick away from Soy... (not completely just moderate it)... so I'd avoid soy milk... etc. my mom does react to soy...

Forgot to say but Booths in Clitheroe has a decent selection of "different" stuff to Sainsburies and Tesco... its not big but its different stuff so makes a nice change... but overall the best thing you can do is stick to basics.. try and remove any processed food from your diet because there is always a risk... with most of it... also this way the gluten-free diet is no more expensive than a normal diet...

Just buy fresh meat and veg....

If you're a curry fan nearly all the pataks stuff is gluten-free... as are most popadoms and chutney's... so if your not used to cooking from scratch (which really is no where near so difficult as you might think) you can whip up a gluten-free curry... etc. dead easy...

Same for the "discovery" brand mexican stuff.... the corn taco's and they make a couple of easy mixes for fajita's and taco's..

I was born in the UK, does that count?

Haven't lived there except a brief 2 yr spell for going on 20 yrs though...spent most of my 20's in Africa and the middle and far east...

Spent 6 months in rethymnon and xhania when I was 18... and 6 months in Calgary (and they like to think they are the most American city in Canada)

whattodo: Like Nikki say's its difficult to get any treatment or scans for anything peripheral without the positive biopsy...Personally I think the biopsy is completely stupid (since you basically have to deliberatly damage yourself to get a positive result (what happened to do no harm?)...

The thing is its hard but not impossible to get treatment, it depends on YOUR GP...

If you get a negative biopsy it will be harder again.... because they won't say "oh but its invalid she wasn't eating gluten" they will just look at the test result...

You can of course work around stuff... for the dexa scan you could just present a history of fragile bones etc. I'm guessing your a guy so female menopause if off the list for an excuse for the scan...

There are some other options... that is you could present yourself to a Dr. outside the UK... with emergency symptoms...

and simply take back a note saying you had been tested for celiac disease.... and found positive... for instance I know a couple of Dr.s in Paris who would run blood tests only and diagnose and write a letter... saying you have celiac disease if the tests are positive.

If you see the MD in the morning you can have the results same day....

(Yes I realise that sounds bizarre to anyone used to the NHS)...

You could also for instance try and find someone on the UK lists witrh a progressive MD...its not that a MD can't diagnose on blood tests alone its just they are pushing the envelope a bit....

The advantage of this is you get the tests the same day although you would still need to be eating gluten.

If the NHS actually worked properly the biopsy wouldn't be so bad but with waiting times etc. it means your on the waiting list just to get the blood tests then wait for the results then an opening for a biopsy...

and you need to be eating gluten throughout....so if you had no idea what you had and the Dr. could take blood that day and have a biopsy for you tomorrow and you didn't know about celiac disease so you had been eating gluten anyway then the biopsy might make sense...

I personally honestly couldn't eat gluten for 3 months to make sure a biopsy was positive...

CUK are rabidly against diagnosis other than biopsy... since it is their aim to support their sponsors (the gluten-free food industry) in making gluten-free food available on prescription they need to limit those diagnosed to a reasonable amount.... the reason for this is the same as you8 read about the NHS paying 5 quid for a bottle of Asprin... you can buy in boots for 30p....

The NHS pay several pounds per gluten-free loaf (I think its just under 5 quid) you can buy at Sainsburies or Asda for 1.50...

So they need to keep the coeliacs as a minority... imagine if all the coeliacs in the UK were diagnosed .. its currently less than 1:10 ...

The second reason you need to know about CUK is... They do not accept any non GI symptoms of celiac disease. Your numbness in your face for instance will be dismissed... and they are also against gluten free meaning gluten free... again for the convenience of their sponsors...

The problem here for you is that the numbness sounds like neuropathy ... CUK don't accept a connection... (well they just refuse to acknowledge the research .. its actually quite strange howe they manage to circumvent it since they actually fuinded some of the research and then decided not to use it since it didn't fit their purpose)

Since all evidence shows that the CUK definition of gluten free (<200ppm) is more than enough to trigger neuropathy your in a bit of a mess...

Ok sorry this is a lot of info all at once... but

Open Original Shared Link

The reason I point this out is the most advanced research in the UK and probably worldwide into neurological aspects of celiac disease is actually done at the Royal Hallamshire....

Its all published, per reviewed etc. so quite how CUK manage to just ignore it and advise the NHS is as I say bizarre?

shopping....

Jason many of the supermarkets carry different ranges, some Sainsburys for instance carry far more than others in specialist gluten-free stuff...But honestly with your numbness you shouldn't be touching the majority of gluten-free bread.. only the stuff say's wheat free!

GP wise there is a GP with 3 celiac disease kids... her practice is I think out in the direction of Langho..(first name Margaret) she might be a good 1st choice if you can somehow swing it to be inside the practice area...

Gfp - that's interesting. I did my undergrad in industrial chemistry and worked in the oil industry. I eventually decided to go back to grad school in biogeochemistry. I just started a tenure track position. I love the job - but it's a definite tradeoff in terms of $$ and workload.

Wow, I really wish I'd done that ... oil was about the last thing on my mind when I started my undergrad degree...

Its just so easy to get sucked in and then not escape...(I only intended to stick with it long enough to pay off my loans and get a little reserve) ... reminds me of hotel california (you can check out any time you like...)

I have DQ1 (double). The neuro problems are the worst part for me. I came across celiac as a way to stop my GI problems, but it turns out my mobility problems (I could barely walk by the time I found out about celiac), fibro-type pain, insomnia, nightmares, headaches, anxiety, depression, anger, memory problems, social anxiety, etc. were all due to gluten. Never would have suspected that.

The mood issues I always just thought were my charming personality.

I think if you can do it, the gene test through enterolab is worth is just for scientific curiosity's sake.

You can also do a search on the web for your gene type and come up with all sorts of information. For example I found out that one of my genes ( HLA-DQB1*0602 ) seems to be protective against diabetes, but some people with that gene develop narcolepsy. And the other one ( HLA-DQB1*0609 ) is an Ashkenazi Jewish gene, which lets me know that my mom's breast cancer was likely genetic, and I need to be especially careful in that regard. There are also a lot of other genetic diseases in the Ashkenazi group. This was a huge surprise because nobody in my family ever heard anything about anyone being Jewish. It must have been someone who married and converted to Luteranism, because both sides of that family are from Sweden and everyone was Lutheran.

So it is kind of fun to learn about.

Nancy

I already know my great grandfather was Jewish but not which branch genetically.

So far as the family know anyway... Its not like people have to even convert since its done for them... especially because of the maternal requirement...so I doubt its anywhere as uncommon than we think...

I do think its fun though....

I've never had any trouble accessing the site. I've never gotten any e-mails from it either?!?!

Thats because its not a real email, its just a lie... to make you click it.

I've never had any trouble accessing the site.

<script LANGUAGE="JavaScript1.1" type="text/javascript">


<!--




// Check the browser...we're looking for ie/win


var isIE  = (navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE") != -1) ? true : false;	// true if we're on ie


var isWin = (navigator.appVersion.toLowerCase().indexOf("win") != -1) ? true : false; // true if we're on windows






// This is a js1.1 code block, so make note that js1.1 is supported.


jsVersion = 1.1;




// Write vbscript detection on ie win. IE on Windows doesn't support regular


// JavaScript plugins array detection.


if(isIE && isWin){


  document.write('<SCR' + 'IPT LANGUAGE=VBScript\> \n');


  document.write('on error resume next \n');


  document.write('flash2Installed = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash.2"))) \n');


  document.write('flash3Installed = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash.3"))) \n');


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  document.write('flash7Installed = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash.7"))) \n');


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</SCRIPT>

They removed the detection for other OS/other browser...

However apart from that I'd never trust a site that uses flash anyway... because its insecure and gives them access to your PC...

but basically any site that sets out to trick people into thinking they have an email or thinking they need to click a button because "we have detected insecurities" etc. is pretty much untrustworthy...

Your not going to see the same stuff as me since it uses your IP to determine where you are...

The girls it says want to "go out with me" is all in French...

Top Secret Recipes has a recipe for big mac sauce that is awesome. You should make it a day ahead of time so that the flavors can mesh well before you use it. I've tried it a couple of times and LOVE IT! I use Kraft Catalina dressing in mine vs their french listed (same thing basically).

Open Original Shared Link then do a search for big mac or mcdonalds...or just look through all the cool recipes they have. Some are free and some are not. Big Mac Sauce is a freebie!!

-Jessica

BTW.........if you haven't checked out top secret recipes it is a WONDERFUL thing for us......recipes to make "knockoffs" of some of our favorite dishes. Just do some subbing and they are gluten free!! AWESOME!!

If anyone has trouble accessing the site (i.e. your not using Windows and Internet Explorer) the site is meant for Windows users only... but so long as you actuyally do have flashplayer installed it will work if you go DIRECTLY to

Open Original Shared Link

quite why people bother writing websites that only allow internet explorer and windows is beyond me but..???

Ok now I get it its full of spyware wouldn't work on a secure browser...

anyway, its nice to know it tells me I have an email from one of 3 pretty girls who'd like to go out with me ????

Just click the picture ???

Big Mac sauce as I remember it from working there, is a really thick version of thousand island dressing. I am pretty sure that the french dressing would give it a pinkish hue. There really isnt much of a difference between thousand island dressing and the sauce.. but I was 15 at the time.. forever ago, so dont go on what I say.. that recipe sounds like it might be right on. I just said the other day to my dh that I am craving a big mac too.. hmmm.. maybe for dinner tomorrow!

Good luck but here's to betting its nowhere near as good as you remember it

However.... I gotta say if your having a craving that's a far more sensible cure than risking CC !!!

Wow! Thanks for starting this thread. I know what not to do, use, replace etc.. but the actual scientific end of it I would never understand. I feel like I know more now.. thanks so much. So a grill surface that is heated to burning off the remaining stuff, be it stuck chicken, burger, etc, is not enough to rid of the gluten.. even using easy off cleaner might not do it, do to scratches in the surface of the grates... is that right?

I honestly can't say for definate....

look at it this way....

How much do you have to burn a marinade sauce before it stops tasting like marinade...?

Certainly the meat's pretty much cardboard and the marinade is still recognisable.... and when Ive been cleaning the grill's quite often when you start giving it a good scrape the hard black ball turns out to have a soft inside?

However....

I'd say risk is largely based on the "thickness".... that is a something in a little scratch is going to burn away before something thicker... in other words I'd rather rely on a good clean with easy-off and then a damned good heat than just one or the other...

One thing you can use is drain cleaner (caustic)... which is also the main ingredient in oven cleaner...

This actually does break down most organic matter! (eventually) Its also really dangerous to work with... wear gloves avoid breathing it in and remember as you heat it up and the water is released its getting stronger and stronger....

note: yes its dangerous... but so is barbecue lighter if you don';t use it carefully....

Ok from the research I have done and conclusions I have made, it looks like your hubby needs to stay away from gluten all the time. Two DQ1 genes are linked to many neurological problems. Your husband may have symptoms that he is not aware of that are not Gi related.

I am sure ohters will have more information. But i just wanted to respond with the little that I know.

Are you gluten free cause you are celiac, have u had the gene test done?

paula

Hey... can you point any links .....

I never bothered with genetic testing since it seemed superfluous (having positive blood tests).... however I always feel the neuro-symptoms hit me harder than the GI ones... (I do get GI .. I just don't seem so bad as some here)...

This really is interesting, it might be worth me getting the gene test afterall ....

Very good point! That is a much better way to do it. We do have a Meijer nearby and shop there regularly. I have never seen all of the things you mentioned there, but have seen some of them. We also have a Whole Foods about 20 minutes away, so I can stock up there.

I was going to say similar really....

I tend to find that even for me (adult) replacing old food with new food on a piece by piece basis is lousy...

Sorry but no gluten-free pizza crust is ever as good as a real one made by hand and cooked over wood ... even though they can be very good... if you think about this is replacing that its easy to be dissapointed....

Kids tend to be even more fussy I remember as a kid we had these filled biscuits in the UK called penguin's.. they were like 6 a packet but individually wrapped in different color's and I hated the green ones... Of course they were all identical... inside the wrapper!

I even heard people complain about the shape of their pasta... genuinely... no joke someone in the UK complaining because their FREE gluten free pasta choice was limited to 3-4 shapes??? her excuse.. "I don't like the shell ones..."

.. and this was apparently someone who claimed to be an adult????

(honestly... if you are still thinking like this at 18 see a shrink not a MD)

I guess I'd say go for the more obvious just don't buy too many... the whole point is your looking for nice treats if they passingly think they taste a bit better than eating cardboard its not really a treat.... and if you use it to get them to finish the nutritious thing that perhaps does taste like cardboard (some gluten-free bread really does) its not much of a reward for them cleaning the plate ....

I've been out of school more years than I like to think about, but to be completely technical isn't the answer that heat can destroy gluten but you don't get that level of heat in any household applicance.

I seem to recall that someone posting here that propane grills are not an issue for holding gluten - is that because they can get hotter than an oven or stove-top?

Not trying to be difficult or overly technical but it sounds as if some people have family/friends who will be...

Technically correct.... I wouldn't want to risk a propane grill though... but yep if you make stuff HOT enough ...you can break it down to the individual atoms... (that's how a mass spec works)... but its VERY VERY hot... i.e. superheated plasma...

As a simple way to view it a wood fire gets pretty damned hot... but pickk through the embers after and stuff is still recognisable...

break open the big bits of what was wood and is now pretty much carbon and you find that some of the wood survived on the inside... (carbon makes a fairly good insulator)

Indeed you can take a bit of wood that's been dead for 100 millions years and heated up to 200 or 300F for a long time and still find wood proteins inside it... we commonly call this coal

or another way to look at it is burn a wheat field to the ground and next year it will spring into life as the ones which survived magically shoot up.... (even if 95% wasa destroyed)....

Basically any test has always got a bias....

It will lean over to false negative or false positive... because of the way tests are designed...

If you cross the road and look both ways its a test... but it doesn't mean you didn't miss something... however mostly (unless you are hallucinating) if you see a big bus it means there is a big bus....

Hence this test is a false negative bias....

If you get back from vacation on the beath and you check your clothes for sand .. same sorta thing... I guess we have all done this and then a week later found some

Again if you found sand then it confirms it there... but not finding it just meant you didn't identify/see it...

The celiac test suite tends towards false negative... its not that common but it happens and as fiddle-faddle points out its largely subjective anyway...one specialist might say negative and another positive ???

On top of all this we influence the results ourselves....

Firstly if your not eating gluten the test will be negative....

If your not eating a lot it might tend towards negative.... certainly enough for one specialist to call it negative while another might call it positive.

Finally the tests should be taken as a suite, together.... not just one of the tests....

Thanks so much for the quick replies and advise. Thanks so much for the looong list of items that can be eaten. Finally something positive.

Having only been offf gluten for two weeks, should I really be starting with gluten again for the blood test? Does the body change that fast?

The thing is its not a presence or absence the tests measure... but whether its above "normal" or not...

Its not impossible to test +ve after longer... but it just means the chance of the test actually being positive decreases....

Its one of those things that IMHO if your going to do it at least do it right and give the tests the best possible chance...

Its not like taking an exam or driving test etc. where your aim is to pass ... your aim is to get the most accurate information for you... so maximising the accuracy is the best thing...

wow.. i thought avoiding gluten sucked before.. now it's even worse.. jeeeze..

Its nowhere near so hard.... seriously

Food wouldn't be hard if we could use the same food everyday.... but obviously we'd get bored outa our heads and probably nutritionally miss out...

It might seem a big deal but its not the same, using the same shampoo or soap isn't like eating the same thing everyday...

The hardest thing is using "other peoples soaps" etc. like resto restrooms... however for this I just (unless its labelled as containing gluten) use it and try and make sure not to get it under my nails etc and then make sure I really really rinse and use a paper towel or 10 to make sure.... its not 100% but neither is eating out ....

Take care. Listening to others experiences are much better teacher than talking to someone who has never had an intolerance.

Amen....

I had not thought about it this way, yet I have another example that I am sure many of you can relate too:

If you take normal flour and wash it in lots and lots of water what you end up with is a sticky mess which is almost pure gluten...

When I used to make cutout sugar cookies, I used to dread the mess it makes. Flour all over the table--sticky, sticky, sticky. The clean up consisted of wiping and wiping and wiping again. The dish water was slimey, the dish cloth was slimey, your hands felt funny. That my friends, is gluten!!!! It grows and grows.

Exactly...

The thing I find is it really helps to be able to visualise what your talking about...( even if that visualisation isn't 100% technically correct which isn't the case here) if you can think of it in the right terms like that you can start thinking about how to control the stuff...

Perhaps a silly example but lets take the imaginary Scot's Haggis ... that elusive creature roams Scotlands mountains and Glens... (OK... just imagine Haggis is actually an animal)

Erm so everyone imagined a small rodent? Probably not so if you were trying to build a fence to stop pesky haggis it wopuld help to know if they are the size of a horse or the size of a rabbit... can they jump like a kangaroo? etc.

Realising your dealing with this sticky slimy substance means you can then at least think in terms of how to control it...

Like you say it grows and grows.... well it spreads and spreads... and when we used to have gluten flour we would clean it up and wash it off with lots and lots of water and towels BUT because we only need such a tiny amount its not really cleaning it...

Like DarlingDeb say's its on the dishcloth, in the water etc. etc. and basically everything you touch...

If we were talking about something easy to see like tar which is also sticky... its easy to see that it gets everywhere once your hands are covered with it...

Aniother good way for you gals is like Mascara... if you put it on over the sink (like my girlfreind does)... getting the stuff off the sink needs a good scrub and lots of soapy water... however because mascara is designed to be highly visible its easy to se when you got most of it off

And the good news is its not making us ill, just unsightly...

Dear corinne,

This is interesting! I am glad you shared your expertise. Information such as this is not normally released to the public, although I feel it should be. It is fascinating that organic arsenic is not poisonous. Inorganic arsenic is what we need to worry about then.

I get most of my rice flour from the Chinese market. I have had them from India and China or Taiwan. I am not sure about toxins aside from the more recently exploited melamine found in the pet food. Sometimes I wonder if the only way to avoid any of these dangers is to stop eating altogether! This is scary and frustrating!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

Its not really that the information isn't released but that its not put into an easily digestible (forgive the pun) format.

Arsenic isn't THAT poisionous .. which isn't to say its a good thing to have in food but since corinne mentioned mercury .. mercury is actually the only natural element NOT used by the human body..

Everything else we need in some tiny quantity.... including arsenic.

organic arsenic is non-toxic.

Organic uranium isn't THAT toxic either... its just a matter of perspective... uranium citrate is pretty soluble so if you are working with uranium the first thing to do is drink lots of real lemonade...

The thing is if the report mentioned elevated calcium or elevated selenium or one of countless suppliments many people take nonone would be worried but half the suppliments in a mutli vitamin and trace elements tablet are just as toxic as arsenic.

For almost any chemical or element this data is very publically available... just google MSDS then the name ... (material safety data sheet)...

As I have mentioned reasonably often the USGS has maps and data... its all public information...

You just need to know what you're looking for really.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Corinne.... I'm envious... you're doing what I intended to do... (seriously)... My geol undergrad dissertation was on trace elements in soil but I ended up in oil...

It doesn't explain why I get brain fog every time I get glutened though. I mean, I don't just suddenly turn iron deficient one day and then not iron deficient the next when the brain fog lifts again.

But interesting nevertheless.

Pauliina

Could be it inteferes with your bodies ability to use it? Like you say though it seems improbable its deficiency overnight????

(just a wild guess)

If someone has a LOT of time there are some really good articles here.. Open Original Shared Link

Text size tip.

If your on Windows and want to make your type larger, just for you to see. Hold ctrl key down and go up or down on your mouse wheel. It just increases or decreases the size you see, not the size you are typing. This actually works on lots of things. Linux too I believe.

Check it out, it works on most everything. It can be nice, on webpages where they assume you are using a really poor resoultion on your monitor.

Hold down Ctrl, then mouse wheel up or down. (check out what shift and alt do too! :>)

Good tip

You can also in Firefox set the minimum font size it will go down to...globally... which is useful if you do have problems on small type on more than one site...(preferences/conteny/advanced tab on font)... Its been in Firefox a long time and IE usually copies firefox so I'd expect its there too and Safari definately has it if your on a Mac.

This leaves the fonts as they are until they get smaller than your pre-defined minimum...

The board uses some quite small fonts so this can make life easier too....

grant's tip is great if you infrequently need to do this like if you use reading glasses sometimes... or you just get tired eyes

I really need glasses myself but I can manage until my eyes get tired... and I'm too stubborn to have my eyes tested...

If you constantly struggle setting the min font size is more permanent but it can mess with the formatting on some sites...wheras grant's tip you can just reset at will...

Gfp will have the best answer, but this is what I remember -

Gluten isn't a bacteria or virus. It's the protein component of the grain. You can't kill it. It would be like being allergic to peanuts and saying that if you cooked them long enough or at high enough temperature, they would no longer be peanuts.

So the little bits of gluten just float around in the oil and stick to whatever else is being fried in there.

No amount of heat for any length of time can get rid of gluten. If you can't get in there and wash/scrub it out, it's going to stay there.

If you've got cast iron pans, I've heard you can reseason them, but I don't know the process.

Same goes for washing hands. That's why using hand sanitizer doesn't really work very effectively for getting gluten off your hands. All it does is spread it around. I learned this the hard way. Although I don't know why Wet Ones towellettes do work? Hmm...?

Also, remember that gluten is sticky (remember making paste out of flour and water when you were a kid?) and will get stuck in crevices. The little scratches in cookware, the grain in wood, scratched up plastic, mesh strainers.

There were several pieces of my really old plasticware that I tossed just because they were so scratched up that there was no way I could clean it well enough. Most of it I kept with no problem. So I'd say it's a judgement call. The lids can be really hard to clean with all the grooves and stuff, but if you get a new cleaning brush and really do a thorough job, it might work.

I hope that helps.

Nancy

That's what I would have said...

Gluten isn't a bacteria or virus.

The peanut analogy is probably the easiest way to look at it.

Its not alive ... so if you think about trying to "kill" it its on the wrong track..

Like NancyM said

It's really not possible to emulate that with household cleaners, at least, not as far as I know!

Yep, however I wouldn't say its impossible to make something "safe" that is more effective at cleaning/washing it away or even breaks it down but exactly what I wouldn't wany to say.... but applying the logical that something that kills bacteria doesn't seem like the logical way.... we just go back to the fact its not alive to be killed.

Although I don't know why Wet Ones towellettes do work? Hmm...?

As you said you have to wash/scrub it away... wet ones have a mild detergent ... a simnple way to look at a detergent is it makes sticky things less sticky... that is it "detatches" the sticky stuff making it easier to wipe away... hence the way we wash dishes using detergent... for regualr washing. Wet ones probably make it stick less then you rub it off onto the towelette...

The problem with gluten is as darlingdeb say's ... it takes a tiny amount and its incredibly sticky...

If you take normal flour and wash it in lots and lots of water what you end up with is a sticky mess which is almost pure gluten...

This is the simple method used to actually seperate starch and gluten ... so from my POV I think this is the easiest way to visualise it... if you think in terms of killing it its not helpful because its not alive to start off...

For the recipes that only require 1/4 cup or less of flour, I have found that I can substitute potato starch or rice flour with no problem (no xanthan gum needed!).

Yep

My Girlfriend makes a GREAT carrot cake .... and also banana and sunflower seed cookies... both have less flour than normal "cake" and taste indistinguishable... except perhaps a little lighter?

What about doing a potato salad instead? It's naturally gluten free, and potatoes are cheap! I think banana splits would be good for dessert. Or a cheesecake or pie made with gluten free cookie crumbs for the crust. Yum!

Michelle

To be honest anything naturally gluten-free is always better/cheaper?

If the salad is an accompanyment or just starter ... starters/finger food wise... chicken wings or ribs?? take/make your own gluten-free sauces?? mexican salad? with chicken (or turkey) cheese and tortillas?

I'd say it depends what people consider "normal food"... I like say a risotto which is gluten-free so long as you make it yourself .... but not everyone likes "foreign food"... (my mom included)...

I tend to cook different stuff if visiting my mom for instance...

Honestly just pick a recipe or 5 (anything not bread or pasta based) and we can help turn it gluten-free or suggest something...

I read that the liquid might not be....

darlindeb25 posted one brand that definately is.... so my opinion is why take the risk... ??

Most of the generic brands proably are and must state it anyway if they do.. or say might contain...

There are 101 brands of loperamide hydrochoride available and many are gluten-free...

Whereby it might be slightly easier to give a child liquid... I'd still say why take the risk... ?