Cross Contamination: A serious issue
I've heard some people with Celiac Disease say crazy things like "I'm not that sensitive. I can eat gluten every now and then without getting sick". While part of me is very jealous, another part of me is grateful that my reactions are swift and horrible. Ok, maybe not that grateful, but still. Read on.
Celiac Disease is a serious genetic auto-immune disorder. It is not an allergy or an intolerance to gluten. It is a disease. Gluten triggers an immune response that causes the destruction of the lining of the digestive tract. Any amount of gluten will trigger this response, and the damage is not necessarily proportional to the amount ingested. No matter how small the invader, your immune system will send out the entire army to attack. Sadly, in its efforts, it is seriously misguided and will seek to destroy not only the invader, but you also. I always tell people that I have the best immune system in the world, it is just seriously misguided in its efforts.
The repetitive damage to the digestive tract, along with poor healing from repetitive attacks can lead to serious issues including malabsorption of nutrients, ulcers and even cancers. We are at a significantly higher risk of intestinal cancers and lymphoma. In order to reduce the risk, we must reduce the harm. In order to reduce the harm, we must reduce the risk of cross contamination of our food.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Cross contamination is a term in every celiac's vocabulary. Most people with celiac disease do not intentionally eat gluten, yet we still get sick. How? Why? We get sick from trace amounts of gluten that come in contact with our food. Trace amounts aren't just visible crumbs, they are bits of protein (gluten is a protein) that enters our food through different forms of contact.
Kitchen surfaces need to be clean of any gluten sources. If you share a kitchen with gluten eaters, this will be your biggest challenge. Crumbs, flour dust, etc, can contaminate counters, cutting boards, dishes. Be sure to use clean plates, and have a dedicated cutting board that only cuts gluten free items.
Kitchen utensils need to be gluten free. Any porous or sticky surface items need to be replaced with gluten free ones. This includes, but isn't limited to wooden spoons, teflon coated pans/cookware, plastic items that get scratched or etched, porous stoneware items such as pampered chef stones, cast iron cookware, and cutting boards as was mentioned above. It was a daunting task to clean up the kitchen and eliminate all possible sources of contamination, and so I put it off for several months. Although I initially felt much better than I had before, I found that I wasn't getting really better. I still had lingering nausea, fatigue and weakness. Once I gave away all my old things and bought new ones, I noticed a huge improvement in my recovery. It was expensive, but I only bought what I needed, bits and pieces at a time. Stainless steel pots and pans can be cleaned with baking soda paste to remove any residue they might have on them, so at least I didn't have to replace those.
If you can't have a completely gluten free kitchen, try to designate one area as a gluten free area, where food can safely be prepared without any risk of contamination at all times. Try to store gluten free foods away from gluten containing foods to prevent crumbs from falling and contaminating, but also to prevent confusion between what is gluten free and what isn't. Label foods as such. If you're sharing a kitchen, keep in mind that condiments and spreads in jars will be contaminated if the knife or spoon is returned to the jar after spreading on gluten bread. Squeeze containers are safer for things such as mustard, mayo, ketchup. Or get a second set of jars and label them for gluten free use only. Keep in mind that any amount of gluten in your kitchen can present a risk. Although I'm the only one with a celiac diagnosis in my house, my whole family eats gluten free for my benefit. This keeps me safe, healthy and happy, and allows me to continue to create great meals for them. The recipes I create and share are delicious. They won't miss the gluten. And they'll probably be really happy you're cooking!
For more information, you can check out the Canadian Celiac Association's page.
