Chapter 1: Getting Diagnosed + Logistics
IN THIS LESSON
Before being diagnosed, I didn’t even know what “contamination” meant in a food sense. Now, it’s basically my world…
First, let’s give a definition, and keep in mind I tend to use the words cross-contamination and cross-contact interchangeably, since in terms of Celiac, they are very similar. According to the Beyond Celiac, cross-contamination/contact is “when a food is transferred from one surface to another. It’s important to prevent cross-contact when cooking for someone with allergies or celiac disease. These people can face serious consequences from eating even small amounts of the food that makes them sick, whether it’s peanuts, shellfish, or gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.
Picture this: a chef puts a piece of wheat bread on a plate with scrambled eggs. The eggs may slide up against the bread, and their proteins will mix—a very tiny amount of eggs will be on the toast, and a very small amount of bread will be on the eggs. This means the eggs have come into contact with wheat bread and are no longer gluten-free. The eggs are no longer safe for someone with celiac disease to eat, even if you remove the bread from the plate.”
So, what does this mean- what do we do about it? Well, if you keep a gluten-free home, you won’t have to worry about contamination at all. While this is probably the safest option, if you have siblings this might be too difficult or unfair of a transition for the whole family. In that case, I would recommend you keep separate gluten free utensils, pots and pans, and plates/bowls if possible- or just ensure that your dishwashing is incredibly thorough. Be careful about super crumbly foods, like bread and baked goods, and try to not let friends/family into the house or kitchen with these types of foods. If you have a pantry, keep the gluten-free snacks separate to make sure you don’t accidentally grab something gluten-filled (this is especially for young kids, parents!).
Finally, at restaurants, contamination can be a significant area of concern. However, lucky for you, the awareness of Celiac Disease and what contamination is has risen significantly over the past couple of years. Because of this, at most restaurants, you should find that at least one staff member or manager should understand your needs, and either be able to ensure no cross-contamination in the preparation of your food, or let you know that the restaurant and their procedures won’t be safe enough for your sensitivity.
There you have it! Cross-contamination is a widely misunderstood concept- I’ve had friends stay far away from me when they’re holding a piece of pizza or sandwich in (unfounded) fears of “glutening” me. However, if we continue to talk about Celiac and what it means/entails, we can only improve the awareness of concepts like contamination and learn how to take care of ourselves nad our peers with Celiac Disease.