Tag: cross-contamination

GF LIFE HACKS, Uncategorized

Gluten-free Life Hack #10

Tami D.

I feel like it’s been ages since I posted a hack so here it goes!

Gluten-free Life Hack #10

It’s easy to make your own gluten-free food and hide away from the world afraid of cross-contact. It’s great to be cautious, but don’t be afraid to live and try new things.

Sometimes the best things are hiding in your own backyard!

Yesterday we finally went to check out this great Gluten-free bakery in town. I say finally because they opened their store front last fall! It was so wonderful! We loved everything we tried and the atmosphere was so great we will definitely be going back again.

For me it is so hard to try new restaurants I am always afraid of the cross-contact with gluten and my plate. It part of trying is trusting and hoping and if I can’t do that life can be pretty boring and lonely. I encourage you to venture out and find that diamond in the rough in your area. If you need some inspiration here is the video I did of our experience!

www.youtube.com/watch

GF LIFE HACKS

My #1 Secret Hack for Avoiding Gluten Cross-Contamination!

Tami D.

Most people don’t realize one of the major sources of cross-contamination in their kitchen is their toaster!  Think about it, if you are moving your kitchen over from 100% gluten to gluten free there are so many things you have to buy-food, baking utensils, who wants to, or has the money to buy a new toaster?  Or if you live in the real world, like we do, the majority of the family is not gluten free, but I am.  And quite honestly it is just too expensive to buy gluten free for everyone, I’ve tried and the kids don’t mind it, but it’s just not affordable.  So you could do several things;

  1. Give up toast.
  2. Buy two toasters
  3. Make the gluten eaters give up toast

I don’t know about you, but those don’t really work for me!  So one day while I was exploring ways to get one of my favorite gluten free brands online (otherwise I had to drive 1/2 an hour away to get it) I discovered these!  I have to say it was one of the most liberating days in my gluten free journey!

Screen Shot 2017-09-16 at 10.13.12 AM

Toaster Bags!  I had never heard of them before!  It was amazing!  I can still use a toaster that all those other gluten eaters around me use, but I won’t get sick!!!!  So here’s some of my favorite features about them!

  1. They are reusable!!!
  2. They are very inexpensive!
  3. You can toast; sandwiches, pizza, make grilled cheese, bagels, waffles, and moreAND it doesn’t make a mess!
  4. Dishwasher safe
  5. Transportable

I pack my bread for my sandwich in it for work and sandwich fixings separately.  I put my tuna melt together at work, put it back in the toaster bag and use the toaster at work.  Voila-I have a safe for me sandwich, the mess is contained and the bag can be thrown in the dishwasher and used again!

Here is a link for the toaster bags that I use.  The bags are good for roughly 50 uses, or when you start to notice excessive wear.

I love this hack, it has made my gluten free life so much easier!

GF LIFE HACKS

GF Life Hack #6

Tami D.

There are so many things to think about when you go from eating gluten to living gluten free. Even more so if it is because you have an; allergy, intolerance or straight up celiac disease. Once you enter one of this realms it becomes necessary to be concerned about cross-contamination. And it is in that vein that the topic from this hack comes from.

#6. When turning from a life of gluten to gluten free- wood utensils and cutting boards are NOT your friend.

In other words do not use a wooden spoon you used to use to stir gluten containing macaroni in your pot of Annie’s GLUTEN FREE macaroni. This fun fact we learned during our “conversion period” was mind blowing to me. Wood opens up when heated and contracts when cold, sealing in anything that got in the wood when heated- like gluten. So then when you use that same utensil the next time the wood opens back up and releases whatever it was holding on to until it’s cold again making whatever you are currently making have an unintended effect on the gluten intolerant.

Now if you do not have severe issues with gluten this is not a problem. But if you do, or if you cook for someone who might- avoid wooden spoons, rolling pins and cutting boards if at all possible. We actually got rid of all of ours and bought some new.  For most things we decided to use plastic or metal rather than wooden.  At my mom’s house she has a wooden spoon marked clearly gluten free so we know which one to use when there. So there are different options, do whatever makes sense for you and your situation. We do it several different ways at the different houses we eat at- just make sure to be clear about what you need to be able to eat when not doing it yourself. 

GF LIFE HACKS

GF Life Hack #5

Tami D.

This is a quick one that goes along with the theme so far of eating out (or somewhere other than your own house).

#5 Don’t be afraid to take food to someone else’s house if it enables you to eat or have a similar meal.

When I first got diagnosed I hated feeling different or having to go through to get my food first- I just felt uncomfortable. Often I would eat before or wait to get home if we went to visit friends or family- but this brought up the same attention I was trying to avoid.

Here’s some thing I’ve figured out about going to other people’s houses during meal time.

  1. Talk to your host about the menu
  2. Offer to bring your own food along the same lines as the menu to help out and be polite.
  3. Offer to bring food that would make your meal as similar to the rest of the group as possible.

An example of the last item; I offered to make guacamole and bring chips that I knew were gluten-free to share. Again as long as you are gracious and understanding of whatever the host asks you to bring or not bring these steps usually ensure a smooth mealtime for everyone! 😊

GF LIFE HACKS

GF Life Hack #3

Tami D.

So this may seem redundant- but I feel it is vital to share again- perhaps in a different context.

#4. You are your only advocate that will always be with you- you have to become a fierce advocate for yourself!

This hack is very similar to hack number 1, but with some slight and important differences.  The first being that you have to be ok with sending food back if it is incorrect- and be explicit with what is wrong with it. I’m not advocating that we give a dressing down to every waiter and/or chef that ever makes a mistake. On the contrary if you keep hack number 2 in mind you can still be thankful and firm that something is not right with your meal.

Part of the importance of this hack is remembering there isn’t anything wrong about firmly asking for what you need, you don’t need to apologize for it. I find often I am uncomfortable with being so firm and try to soften my requests for safe food- I have paid for that mistake. You have a right to safe food and if someone can’t provide it for you it is ok to decline to eat or walk out of the restaurant if that is where you are. [Just a side note, I have never had trouble at this particular restaurant!  I’ll share more about that later!]

One of the other aspects of this hack is that while it is important to have someone who supports your diet they can’t do everything for you. When I first got diagnosed with celiac disease my husband jumped in with both feet. He began doing research and reading labels like a pro. He also became my voice at family functions and restaurants. It wasn’t until I went out with some friends without him that I realized I needed to be more comfortable doing these things on my own. Another hard lesson learned- and still learning. 😉