A World Without Wheat....Picky for a Very Good Reason

Did you know that once celiacs stops eating wheat their reaction becomes even worse when they do accidentally consume a food containing gluten?  After I quit wheat I thought that I could cheat once in a while and not really suffer any consequences.  Not so. Your body becomes incredibly sensitive to all gluten substances and even a tiny bit is too much.

A few examples: if I serve beer at a fest, splash some on my hands and then unthinkingly touch a finger to my mouth; instant contamination and feeling sick is sure to follow.  Same goes if I am helping in a kitchen and touch bread or flour and then touch my mouth with that contaminated hand. Zapped again! 

Ways to be contaminated by restaurant food that seems like it should be safe: If I eat at a pancake house and order eggs and home fries, if my food is cooked on the same griddle spot as your pancakes (wheat containing!) five minutes earlier; instantly my eggs are contaminated and unsafe for anyone with celiac disease.  But I won't know that until I get sick later.  And sometimes the home fries have flour in them and waitresses seldom know every bit of what goes into a dish and may tell you it is safe when it contains wheat of some sort.

If the chef sprinkles seasoned salt on my rice, it is likely uneatable for me.  Reason is they often put all purpose flour in seasoning mixes to facilitate flow and a smooth mixture of spices.  This is why many things that appear safe are not; “seasoning mixes” are the culprit that makes rice pilafs often uneatable by celiacs.

Even GF pasta can be contaminated if it is drained in a colander that is used for wheat pasta.  Pasta gluten is extra sticky and it is nearly impossible to get all of it off a colander.  So, many times pasta that should be safe gets contaminated when the cook drains it in a colander that has tiny particles of wheat gluten sticking around the strainer holes. 

Restaurants that advertize GF menus need to have dedicated equipment like strainers, colanders, pots and utensils.

The times I fail to carefully read a list of ingredients are the times I have to throw things away later as I find out they are unsafe for me.  Same goes for times I eat at places which don’t have GF menus.  They often tell me they serve GF foods but they really don’t understand fully how much they have to do to keep my food safe.  See three paragraphs above….

People seem to feel celiacs are exaggerating or being over cautious.  When in reality all that caution is necessary to eat safely and avoid gluten.  It only takes a tiny amount of gluten to contaminate food or drink. 

So, if you are in a restaurant, don’t roll your eyes when the person at the next table starts to ask pointed questions on ingredients and method of preparation with respect to gluten.  They are just trying to eat a safe meal out.  Sometimes this is kind of a roll of the dice for us celiacs so be patient and polite if you come into contact with this situation.  And yes, that goes double for you wait staff persons!  We are not trying to hassle you, just attempting to stay safe and enjoy a good safe meal.