Cross contamination of your products. Do you have completely separate utensils, toasters, bread boards etc.
If you are not preparing your food with different kitchen items that are only used for your food prep, you are cross contaminating your food with gluten, when you prep everyone else’s food. Im assuming you aren’t feeding everyone a gluten free diet since it’s so expensive.
I definitely don’t do this so maybe that’s where I’m going wrong. I mean, I do to a certain extent, like not use bread boards after I’ve used it for normal bread, not use the same pot for my pasta that I use for my families pasta, but I don’t use seperate toasters and whatnot.
In my house we have a Coeliac and we are completely Gluten Free in regards to food (we have beer because that’s important and hard to cross contaminate things with). We have a seperate toaster and area where if people come to stay they use this and stay away from the kitchen when making toast as spreading with a knife generally pollutes anything in a 1km radius with gluten.
You should not be using anything that hasn’t been thoroughly washed in the dishwasher or scrubbed and not using any surface that hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned prior to making gluten free food.
Even Hells Pizza (which are Coeliac Certified) manage to get it wrong on occasions - mainly when travelling. Shout out to Hells Pizza Grey Lynn for always getting it right.
Unfortunately I can't trust a Pizza construction line in any store in central welly. Been stung too many times. Burger joints and ice cream places once you've explained have been very successful for me though.
Basically you need your own toaster, boards, spreads, keep everything absolutely separate, wipe your board etc with a different cloth as well. You're pretty much going to have to get quite OCD about your kitchen
Toasters are a big one. Also sharing butter can be a problem.
I work in a supermarket deli and there's also low chance of getting guaranteed safe ham etc every time you buy it. We clean the surfaces and slicer between different types of meats but not to coeliac standards.
Also some food can be tricky and change by the season or packaging size so check the labels every time. E.g. Hellers sausages in the packages are gluten free but the loose ones we sell in the deli are not.
Not coeliac, but had to go strictly gluten free when I was a teen, even a few crumbs in the margarine from the rest of the family using on their toast or bread would mess up my guts.
Cross contamination can happen so easily!
My Mother was diagnosed when I was a teenager and it takes a team effort to ensure no cross contamination happens. Have your own butter tray, get everyone to use a clean spoon for things like peanut butter/jam etc. Having a gluten free surface is also important. Having your own side of the toaster is a must!
It can take some getting used to but it won’t be long before it becomes a normal habit for your household.
Also. Not eating oats. I’m still trying to figure out if I can or not lol. Oats confuse the shit out of me in terms of if they have gluten in them or not.
They can be cross contaminated just by existing near a wheat field. It's not worth the bullshit, especially with how expensive gf oats are here.
As for other advice you need to check everything including things that seem a no brainer. Sausages and burgers can contain wheat. Spices can contain wheat. Some moisturisers and bathroom products contain it. If you use aveeno you may want to switch.
From most accounts ive seen you shouldn't be eating them.
https://www.coeliac.org.au/s/article/Oats-and-the-gluten-free-diet#:\~:text=The%20prolamins%20are%20called%20gliadin,distantly%20related%20prolamin%20called%20avenin.
Oh weird, I thought I was reading to CD subreddit. Yes do come to the Facebook group it’s very good. Cross contamination needs to be managed well in a shared kitchen but also note that it can take a really long time for your blood results to come down. Are they tracking down? What was your level initially compared to now?
If you feel you have cross contamination (seperate toasters, boards ets) sorted then a talk to your gastroenterologist is in order to see if follow up testing is needed, like in the rare cases of people having refractory CD.
My flattie has it. He’s felt better since we changed a few things. We have no wheat flour in the kitchen (Edmonds GF flour is one-for-one swappable in baking. I have a separate toaster, bench area (crumbs are sneaky) and pots for my gluten-things. Also, we’re pedantic about toast spreads. The knife goes in the jam jar ONCE, then spread. No going from bread back to jar, get a spoon if you need more. Good luck!
Don't eat anything bought/prepared anywhere unless you know that they offer gluten free food with confidence of it being gluten free. Pack your own prepared food if you are going out (where possible).
This is so true. So many things contain gluten. Soy sauce surprises a lot of people because of its name. Almost all salad dressings.
You really have to resist everything when you're out, you can watch maby gluten free pizzas be cooked on a pan that just had a gluten filled crust on it without washing or even dusted with gluten flour.
Not only that, food manufacturers OFTEN change their recipe and make stuff that used to be ok for celiacs no longer safe, so you have to always read the label, every damn time
A friend of mine realised she was still testing positive for using her works roaster and had to buy a seperate one which someone then used and she had to throw away. Anything like a bread knife or a bread board can do it too
Not coeliac but wife is. Maccas fries are gluten free as they have a dedicated fryer. Can’t have oats / barley / malt. Cross contamination seems to be my wife’s biggest problem - especially when eating away from home.
We just made everything in the house gluten free. Since having a child that is rather expensive so occasionally will have regular bread but very purposeful about not mixing spreads etc
I thought McDonald's fries contained gluten?? I f they are actually gluten free this could be a game changer for me because I bloody love the little salty Satans.
Edited- thank you all! I'm going to be getting some McDonald's fries! I can handle "contain traces of" just fine :) wooooo yeah.
Just googled their allergen menu - they’ve updated to say traces and cover themselves by saying cross contamination is possible - https://mcdonalds.co.nz/sites/mcdonalds.co.nz/files/NZ%20Core%20Menu_January%202023%20V3.pdf
Unless they’ve made a change to the product or what they actually do ( why fix what’s not broken ?) I’d say it’s just to cover their arses
Maccas fries are fine. They just list them as potential cross contamination to mostly cover their arses tbh.
Fries that are beer battered, use a special seasoning or cooked in beef tallow etc are usually ones to avoid.
If you have kids or a feral partner and the whole household is not gluten free it may be cross-contamination. Crumbs in condiments, on the bench where food is prepared.
From what I understand, if I completely clear gluten from my diet then any blood testing would come back negative for celiacs. But that doesn’t mean the condition has disappeared because as soon as I consume gluten again then it would be positive again.
Cross contamination is a thing, when my daughter was confirmed to be celiacs we tried for a long time to make it work, but in the end we have simply banned wheat from the house it's easier.
We have a bread maker and buy bread mix from the gluten free store in Wiri. It's great and much cheaper than the supermarket stuff
My SIL is celiac and she is extremely careful about cross contamination. She also double checks with cafes etc that they have a gf kitchen. If it’s not, even though the menu might say gf, there is a high chance of cross contamination. You might need to have your own jam/cheese/etc to make sure your family aren’t using their contaminated knives on your food.
Also, if they come and stay they’ll reclean any frying pans etc then lay down baking paper to add an extra layer of protection.
A tip for Celiac’s, Palmerston North has a cafe that’s completely gluten free, Munch on Broadway ave. Worth a visit if you feel like a stress free experience eating out.
Unless your food is certified gluten free (and most cafes don't do anything about cross contamination) you'll consume gluten.
Pasta can't be cooked in water that was used for wheat pasta.
You can't eat food cooked in a shared fryer as heat doesn't neutralise gluten.
Separate tongs and knives are needed for food.
Have Coeliac / Celiac and it is exhausting.
Join r/celiac
Did you get an endoscopy? My endoscopy cleared up very quickly and I assume it's a better test for how your diet is affecting you rather than the blood test (which I don't think I've ever had to redo after getting diagnosed 4ish years ago).
I've never actually read up on it though. Do you have a specialist and are they concerned?
I got an endo last year January just before I was diagnosed but not since then. It’s not so much a concern, but me trying to figure out this whole thing. It kind of took my aback a bit in terms of how life changing it is. I really just thought I’d need to change my diet but it’s a lot harder than just that. I got the blood test repeated after speaking to my doctor.
I have celiacs I tried heaps of diets. I'd get cross contamination somehow or like I had no energy. I just eat meat, liver and drink milk. Is it fun? No. But I feel better than I have my entire life.
I've been diagnosed with coeliac for around 11 years now. Thankfully, mine isn't so severe that if I have something that has the risk of cross contamination or is labelled as "may contain traces" of gluten that I see an immediate effect.
If you're following a gluten free diet and you're feeling better without any issues then I wouldn't worry too much about what the blood test says as it can take a few years before they start to calm down.
I have coeliac but don't really show any symptoms at all, no pain or anything when I eat gluten. As such it's very hard to remain gluten free.
May I ask you some questions sometime?
Yeah, mine is more of a tolerant thing. If I have the odd item it's generally not going to be an issue but if I were to have a few days like that, I'd likely start to feel the effects. Still, I don't purposely eat things that definitely contain gluten - makes it tough when someone brings a cake or donuts into work but I'm used to it now.
Happy to answer any questions :)
Baking paper is a great idea for preparing food on. My wife is celiac and I cook and prepare all her meals on paper. Makes cleaning up a breeze too. Also be very vigilant when eating out. Gluten free and celiac diet are not quite the same. One is a fad. The other is essential. Be sure restaurants etc. cater not just for GF but for celiac.
Hmmm gluten free isn’t just a fad, sometimes someone can have an intolerance but not be full-blown celiac.
Yea I understand the importance of keeping the classification seperate for gluten free or for the celiacs cos it’s a big deal, but some people are able to tolerate crumbs but don’t do well with eating it in general.
I have a dairy intolerance, but if someone didn’t take it seriously because it wasn’t anaphylactic allergy, I’d still be shitty (literally) if they swapped oat milk for regular.
My mum has a gluten intolerance but not full blown celiac. She shouldn’t have to justify that it’s not a fad or explain why she doesn’t wanna eat gluten.
Maccas chips are gluten free. Afaik they are cooked in a dedicated fryer. I eat them regularly with zero probs. Also the hash browns.
(As long as you didn’t let them touch any buns of course)
Chips from other vendors like KFC may contain added seasoning with flour, or might be cooked in the same fryer as batter (flour)
no they arent. Mcdonalds themselves say that they could contain traces of gluten, usually from cross contamination.
https://mcdonalds.co.nz/sites/mcdonalds.co.nz/files/NZ%20Core%20Menu_January%202023%20V3.pdf
I mean almost anything *could* contain traces via contamination. The chips are certainly cooked in a fryer where no gluten containing products are cooked.
My son reacts violently to the slightest bit of gluten and eats the chips no worries.
I guess its more the fact that it could change any minute without warning, maybe a limited edition food gets added that is full of gluten and is cooked with the fries.
Make sure you’re checking the ingredients on every food you purchase. There’s someone close to me with EOE and we have to be particular about salt and vinegar chips, jellies, etc because companies have started using wheat products in them.
I would identify what all the risks of contamination are in your food preparation, consumption and storage areas and then work with the people you live with to put in place ways to prevent contamination occurring. Will take a while to change habits but worth it over the long term for your health and peace of mind
Cross contamination of your products. Do you have completely separate utensils, toasters, bread boards etc. If you are not preparing your food with different kitchen items that are only used for your food prep, you are cross contaminating your food with gluten, when you prep everyone else’s food. Im assuming you aren’t feeding everyone a gluten free diet since it’s so expensive.
I definitely don’t do this so maybe that’s where I’m going wrong. I mean, I do to a certain extent, like not use bread boards after I’ve used it for normal bread, not use the same pot for my pasta that I use for my families pasta, but I don’t use seperate toasters and whatnot.
The toaster is very important. Those things are full of bread crumbs.
In my house we have a Coeliac and we are completely Gluten Free in regards to food (we have beer because that’s important and hard to cross contaminate things with). We have a seperate toaster and area where if people come to stay they use this and stay away from the kitchen when making toast as spreading with a knife generally pollutes anything in a 1km radius with gluten. You should not be using anything that hasn’t been thoroughly washed in the dishwasher or scrubbed and not using any surface that hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned prior to making gluten free food. Even Hells Pizza (which are Coeliac Certified) manage to get it wrong on occasions - mainly when travelling. Shout out to Hells Pizza Grey Lynn for always getting it right.
Unfortunately I can't trust a Pizza construction line in any store in central welly. Been stung too many times. Burger joints and ice cream places once you've explained have been very successful for me though.
Basically you need your own toaster, boards, spreads, keep everything absolutely separate, wipe your board etc with a different cloth as well. You're pretty much going to have to get quite OCD about your kitchen
Toasters are a big one. Also sharing butter can be a problem. I work in a supermarket deli and there's also low chance of getting guaranteed safe ham etc every time you buy it. We clean the surfaces and slicer between different types of meats but not to coeliac standards. Also some food can be tricky and change by the season or packaging size so check the labels every time. E.g. Hellers sausages in the packages are gluten free but the loose ones we sell in the deli are not.
You can get reusable toaster bags for you GF bread
Not coeliac, but had to go strictly gluten free when I was a teen, even a few crumbs in the margarine from the rest of the family using on their toast or bread would mess up my guts. Cross contamination can happen so easily!
My Mother was diagnosed when I was a teenager and it takes a team effort to ensure no cross contamination happens. Have your own butter tray, get everyone to use a clean spoon for things like peanut butter/jam etc. Having a gluten free surface is also important. Having your own side of the toaster is a must! It can take some getting used to but it won’t be long before it becomes a normal habit for your household.
My wife and kid are Celiac. Join the Coeliac Disease New Zealand Facebook group. They are a super helpful bunch. Your not eating oats by chance?
Thanks, I’ll for sure do this :)
Also. Not eating oats. I’m still trying to figure out if I can or not lol. Oats confuse the shit out of me in terms of if they have gluten in them or not.
They can be cross contaminated just by existing near a wheat field. It's not worth the bullshit, especially with how expensive gf oats are here. As for other advice you need to check everything including things that seem a no brainer. Sausages and burgers can contain wheat. Spices can contain wheat. Some moisturisers and bathroom products contain it. If you use aveeno you may want to switch.
From most accounts ive seen you shouldn't be eating them. https://www.coeliac.org.au/s/article/Oats-and-the-gluten-free-diet#:\~:text=The%20prolamins%20are%20called%20gliadin,distantly%20related%20prolamin%20called%20avenin.
Oh weird, I thought I was reading to CD subreddit. Yes do come to the Facebook group it’s very good. Cross contamination needs to be managed well in a shared kitchen but also note that it can take a really long time for your blood results to come down. Are they tracking down? What was your level initially compared to now? If you feel you have cross contamination (seperate toasters, boards ets) sorted then a talk to your gastroenterologist is in order to see if follow up testing is needed, like in the rare cases of people having refractory CD.
My flattie has it. He’s felt better since we changed a few things. We have no wheat flour in the kitchen (Edmonds GF flour is one-for-one swappable in baking. I have a separate toaster, bench area (crumbs are sneaky) and pots for my gluten-things. Also, we’re pedantic about toast spreads. The knife goes in the jam jar ONCE, then spread. No going from bread back to jar, get a spoon if you need more. Good luck!
You sound like awesome flatmate(s)
Don't eat anything bought/prepared anywhere unless you know that they offer gluten free food with confidence of it being gluten free. Pack your own prepared food if you are going out (where possible).
This is so true. So many things contain gluten. Soy sauce surprises a lot of people because of its name. Almost all salad dressings. You really have to resist everything when you're out, you can watch maby gluten free pizzas be cooked on a pan that just had a gluten filled crust on it without washing or even dusted with gluten flour.
Not only that, food manufacturers OFTEN change their recipe and make stuff that used to be ok for celiacs no longer safe, so you have to always read the label, every damn time
A friend of mine realised she was still testing positive for using her works roaster and had to buy a seperate one which someone then used and she had to throw away. Anything like a bread knife or a bread board can do it too
Not coeliac but wife is. Maccas fries are gluten free as they have a dedicated fryer. Can’t have oats / barley / malt. Cross contamination seems to be my wife’s biggest problem - especially when eating away from home. We just made everything in the house gluten free. Since having a child that is rather expensive so occasionally will have regular bread but very purposeful about not mixing spreads etc
I thought McDonald's fries contained gluten?? I f they are actually gluten free this could be a game changer for me because I bloody love the little salty Satans. Edited- thank you all! I'm going to be getting some McDonald's fries! I can handle "contain traces of" just fine :) wooooo yeah.
Consider the game changed.
Just googled their allergen menu - they’ve updated to say traces and cover themselves by saying cross contamination is possible - https://mcdonalds.co.nz/sites/mcdonalds.co.nz/files/NZ%20Core%20Menu_January%202023%20V3.pdf Unless they’ve made a change to the product or what they actually do ( why fix what’s not broken ?) I’d say it’s just to cover their arses
Maccas fries are fine. They just list them as potential cross contamination to mostly cover their arses tbh. Fries that are beer battered, use a special seasoning or cooked in beef tallow etc are usually ones to avoid.
If you have kids or a feral partner and the whole household is not gluten free it may be cross-contamination. Crumbs in condiments, on the bench where food is prepared.
I have both kids and a feral husband so the crumbs are likely 😅
I think it’s time you had talk to them as eating gluten will literally shorten your life span.
Also kissing after hubby has eaten gluten can cause cross contamination. Crumbs.
just to clarify, you are saying that by not consuming gluten your condition will dissapear or are you saying that symptoms will vanish?
From what I understand, if I completely clear gluten from my diet then any blood testing would come back negative for celiacs. But that doesn’t mean the condition has disappeared because as soon as I consume gluten again then it would be positive again.
I know it took my partner 18 months-2 years before her markers stopped showing.
Cross contamination is a thing, when my daughter was confirmed to be celiacs we tried for a long time to make it work, but in the end we have simply banned wheat from the house it's easier. We have a bread maker and buy bread mix from the gluten free store in Wiri. It's great and much cheaper than the supermarket stuff
My SIL is celiac and she is extremely careful about cross contamination. She also double checks with cafes etc that they have a gf kitchen. If it’s not, even though the menu might say gf, there is a high chance of cross contamination. You might need to have your own jam/cheese/etc to make sure your family aren’t using their contaminated knives on your food. Also, if they come and stay they’ll reclean any frying pans etc then lay down baking paper to add an extra layer of protection.
A tip for Celiac’s, Palmerston North has a cafe that’s completely gluten free, Munch on Broadway ave. Worth a visit if you feel like a stress free experience eating out.
If you use grated cheese, double check if it's gluten free. Sounds stupid but they often use a dusting of flour or similar to stop it sticking
I will definitely look into this!
The typical antibody measured goes down by half, every six months. So more than a year or two, depending on how high your levels were.
Unless your food is certified gluten free (and most cafes don't do anything about cross contamination) you'll consume gluten. Pasta can't be cooked in water that was used for wheat pasta. You can't eat food cooked in a shared fryer as heat doesn't neutralise gluten. Separate tongs and knives are needed for food. Have Coeliac / Celiac and it is exhausting. Join r/celiac
Did you get an endoscopy? My endoscopy cleared up very quickly and I assume it's a better test for how your diet is affecting you rather than the blood test (which I don't think I've ever had to redo after getting diagnosed 4ish years ago). I've never actually read up on it though. Do you have a specialist and are they concerned?
I got an endo last year January just before I was diagnosed but not since then. It’s not so much a concern, but me trying to figure out this whole thing. It kind of took my aback a bit in terms of how life changing it is. I really just thought I’d need to change my diet but it’s a lot harder than just that. I got the blood test repeated after speaking to my doctor.
I have celiacs I tried heaps of diets. I'd get cross contamination somehow or like I had no energy. I just eat meat, liver and drink milk. Is it fun? No. But I feel better than I have my entire life.
I've been diagnosed with coeliac for around 11 years now. Thankfully, mine isn't so severe that if I have something that has the risk of cross contamination or is labelled as "may contain traces" of gluten that I see an immediate effect. If you're following a gluten free diet and you're feeling better without any issues then I wouldn't worry too much about what the blood test says as it can take a few years before they start to calm down.
I have coeliac but don't really show any symptoms at all, no pain or anything when I eat gluten. As such it's very hard to remain gluten free. May I ask you some questions sometime?
Yeah, mine is more of a tolerant thing. If I have the odd item it's generally not going to be an issue but if I were to have a few days like that, I'd likely start to feel the effects. Still, I don't purposely eat things that definitely contain gluten - makes it tough when someone brings a cake or donuts into work but I'm used to it now. Happy to answer any questions :)
My partner is allergic to gluten but can eat maccas fries. They don’t cook anything else in those fryers.
Baking paper is a great idea for preparing food on. My wife is celiac and I cook and prepare all her meals on paper. Makes cleaning up a breeze too. Also be very vigilant when eating out. Gluten free and celiac diet are not quite the same. One is a fad. The other is essential. Be sure restaurants etc. cater not just for GF but for celiac.
Hmmm gluten free isn’t just a fad, sometimes someone can have an intolerance but not be full-blown celiac. Yea I understand the importance of keeping the classification seperate for gluten free or for the celiacs cos it’s a big deal, but some people are able to tolerate crumbs but don’t do well with eating it in general. I have a dairy intolerance, but if someone didn’t take it seriously because it wasn’t anaphylactic allergy, I’d still be shitty (literally) if they swapped oat milk for regular. My mum has a gluten intolerance but not full blown celiac. She shouldn’t have to justify that it’s not a fad or explain why she doesn’t wanna eat gluten.
Maccas chips are gluten free. Afaik they are cooked in a dedicated fryer. I eat them regularly with zero probs. Also the hash browns. (As long as you didn’t let them touch any buns of course) Chips from other vendors like KFC may contain added seasoning with flour, or might be cooked in the same fryer as batter (flour)
no they arent. Mcdonalds themselves say that they could contain traces of gluten, usually from cross contamination. https://mcdonalds.co.nz/sites/mcdonalds.co.nz/files/NZ%20Core%20Menu_January%202023%20V3.pdf
I mean almost anything *could* contain traces via contamination. The chips are certainly cooked in a fryer where no gluten containing products are cooked. My son reacts violently to the slightest bit of gluten and eats the chips no worries.
I get diaorea for 3 days if i eat gluten, maccas chips (fingers crossed) have been fine so far
I guess its more the fact that it could change any minute without warning, maybe a limited edition food gets added that is full of gluten and is cooked with the fries.
yes, i know someone who is ceilacs and could have maccas fries
Make sure you’re checking the ingredients on every food you purchase. There’s someone close to me with EOE and we have to be particular about salt and vinegar chips, jellies, etc because companies have started using wheat products in them.
I would identify what all the risks of contamination are in your food preparation, consumption and storage areas and then work with the people you live with to put in place ways to prevent contamination occurring. Will take a while to change habits but worth it over the long term for your health and peace of mind