Don’t you just hate it when you play by the rules and you get sick anyway? You wonder why on earth you bother trying to eliminate gluten when all your hard work is for nothing.
Well, help is here. Not only are people more aware of what gluten-free actually means but there’s also an increasing awareness of cross-contamination. However, it’s not just restaurants that need to know about it.
That’s right: you need to start with your home. Coeliac UK have listed the main things you have to remember here.
But you need to do more than just know all the facts yourself.
Make sure you sit down with everyone who uses your kitchen (family for many but often friends and new flatmates for others). Tell them what happens if you have a trace of gluten in your diet. Get them to understand that a pan with day-old pasta crusting onto it is going to cause you real problems if it’s not properly cleaned before it’s used again. If they know why you’re fanatical about cleanliness, they’re more likely to help out.
But after that it’s down to you. If you’re in an environment where you just can’t trust others to remember what to do, arm yourself with protective habits to ensure you don’t get sick because of others’ carelessness.
Use toaster bags if you can’t trust people not to use a separate toaster from yours.
Have a chopping board and pan you keep separate from others (in a place where no-one can accidentally use them (your bedroom cupboard if need be!).
Double-check all utensils before using them. If necessary, wash them up before you put them near food.
Yes, you might feel like Mr or Ms Hospital Corners, but isn’t that better than clutching your belly in agony because there was a crumb of gluten on your fork?