Celiac disease. "Well, what's that? I mean, I think I've heard of it. It's when somebody has a problem with gluten right? Like an allergy..."
I hear this allot. People knitting their eyebrows and asking me to explain Celiac disease. Well they're right. It's when someone has a problem with gluten. But they're also wrong. It isn't an allergy.
The next question they ask is usually, "What's gluten exactly?" or "What's it found in?"
Gluten is a protein, it's found in wheat, rye, barley, some oats and a few other grains. So you will find it in breads including loaves, muffins, cupcakes, crackers, etc. It's also used as a thickening agent or flavor enhancer in many foods that you wouldn't think to find it in. That list includes: soy sauce, ketchup, salad dressing, soups, barbeque sauce, seasonings, and many, many more. This severely limits the foods of those who cannot have gluten; especially those who can have it under no circumstances such as those with Celiac (or Celiac Sprue) disease. Then things get worse. How can they get any worse? When companies are using gluten as a binding agent in cosmetics, hair supplies (including sprays, shampoos, conditioners, mouses...), skin products (including lotions, butters, cleansers, etc...), perfumes, nail polishes, and other products that you would never think of finding gluten in. Ever.
Why in the world, after limiting us so much already in our foods, do we also have to worry about the beauty products we're using? Why do we have to worry that this nail polish or this hair spray is going to make us sick?
If that's not bad enough, here's the other kicker: Companies do not have to say weather or not there is gluten in their products. How do you know then? You've got to become an expert - and I mean expert - label reader! It's like deciphering a code.
Have you ever turned over the back of your blush or shampoo or other beauty products and read the label with the loooong, confusing sounding scientific-lab-names for all the stuff it's made of? Chances are, at least two of those complicated words means "GLUTEN". Kicker? The longer the label, the higher the chances there are more and more words there meaning "GLUTEN".
Now that you know what gluten is in, let's talk about the differences in gluten "issues".
There's three levels:
- Gluten sensitivity/intolerance
- Gluten allergy
- Celiac Disease (or Celiac Sprue)
Each one is bad enough and hard enough to live with on it's own. Each one adds new and worsening symptoms. The variations and degrees of severity for the symptoms also depends upon each person suffering with their "gluten problem".
Ingesting any gluten can make the one very sick; ingesting any gluten for one with severe Celiac... can be fatal.
"So, what do you do? You just avoid eating stuff with gluten right? Avoid those beauty products? What do you use?"
Well, yes... You DO have to cautiously avoid gluten at all costs. But it's easier said than done. It sounds easy, it really does. But think about all the thousands of food products and beauty products alike that contain it... That leaves a mighty slim selection for us gluten challenged folks.
NOTE: There are companies that make gluten free, and slowly, more and more people are beginning to become aware of it. Praise the Lord! I'll write a blog at another time about the different companies supplying us with God-send products safe for our use (though they come at a hefty price and small quantity... Gluten free food for example: the ingredients are expensive.)
There just one more kicker...
Cross-contamination. Remember that one folks, it's a real dilemma.
Imagine going to a pizza parlor on Friday night with your mates. You've just been to a movie and everyone's spirits are high. Everybody's laughing, having fun, and making some wonderful memories to look back on in years to come. The pizza parlor has a gluten free menu. Wow! This is great for you! You're the one in the bunch that can't have gluten. So for you, regular pizza is out. You consult the waiter, he tells you that they even have dedicated gluten free equipment for making the dough, etc. Another huge plus! Of course, a dedicated gluten free kitchen would be even better (those DO exist, though hard to find!) but hey, this is shaping up to be a good meal. Sure, the gluten free pizza only comes in one smaller size, and the crusts usually are thinner but this place is great so far! ...Is it?
Your pizza comes. Gluten free pizza. This is amazing. You take a bite. You haven't had pizza in so long... maybe if you've known about your celiac your whole life, this may even be your first taste of pizza. It tastes so good. You're laughing with your mates and you couldn't imagine a better evening.
Fast forward. Dinner is over. You're walking to your car. But something's wrong. You're not feeling right. The next thing you know is you're sick. Your celiac symptoms are kicking in and you have no idea why. What's wrong! You ate gluten free pizza didn't you?
Some of your friends stay with you. Some other decide to go in and ask to make sure you got the gluten free pizza that you ordered. You did. But then your friends are told that the knife they used to cut your pizza, had been used to cut other pizzas... that were not gluten free.
Doing this they cross-contaminated your pizza with gluten from the other pizzas. By using the same knife without washing it thoroughly, they caused you to get very sick. You're lucky it wasn't worse.
You see, something as simple as using the same knife will cross-contaminate your food and can bring horrible results. While the gluten-free-diet is a healthier choice for some and can afford to cheat here and there (bite of regular pizza, or cracker, or muffin), other have no choice and must go on the life-long gluten free diet for far different health reasons.
Do you have someone gluten-free in your family? Be safe! Use different colanders when making pasta dishes, use different knives, different spoons, different cutting boards. Make sure everything is safe and cleaned well. If you're rolling out dough and flour, make sure to clean those surfaces like there's no tomorrow! In my family, we even have separate butter dishes and toasters. Mine to to the left and is dedicated gluten free. Only my gluten free bread goes into that toaster. Only my knife will touch my butter and then touch the bread. It is bad enough for me that I cannot even touch a piece of regular bread. If I do, I MUST wash my hands very thoroughly directly afterwards.
These are just some ideas for stay safe in the kitchen.
How else can you be contaminated? A celiac mom kissing her cracker-crumb ridden child's lips. A boyfriend kissing his girlfriend after they just ate two different kinds of pizza (tips for gluten-free dating is pretty important too. Don't worry, the diet isn't going to scare anyone off. Most people are very excepting and understanding about it. But if you're going out for pizza, I recommend you both eating gluten free.) Your sister with greasy hands and arms from putting on lotions coming to hug you. Accidentally mixing yours and your bestie's eye liners. Uh oh.
It's critically important that cross-contamination is understood more and more. Just because a menu says gluten-free... there's still that risk. Make sure to ASK QUESTIONS ALWAYS. Ask about dedicated equipment and kitchens, request different knives for cutting the food in the kitchen, etc. They should never complain about that. If so, go to to a new restaurant. If they can't accept your health reasons and go to appropriate lengths to make sure you're going to stay safe, then they don't deserve your business and they certainly should NOT be stating "Gluten Free" on their menu. After all, what's the point if the ingredients are G-free but it then gets contaminated?
Thank you for reading this and please! pass this message on! Tell your gluten-free friends and family about this blog, share it, bookmark it. It's so important.
Love always,
Maurisa xx
(as always, my work is copyrighted and marked with my initial seal)