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First of all, if you have been contaminated, here is a recipe to soothe your troubled tummy, thanks to Wendy Cohen, RN.
Tummy Rescue Smoothie
*1 cup hot freshly brewed nettle leaf tea (antihistamine, antispasmodic)
*1/4 cup Santa Cruz pear juice (flavor, sweetener-pear are the least allergenic fruit)
*1/4-1/2 tsp. whole fennel seed (reduces gas and bloating)
*2 Tbs. slippery elm bark powder (healing and soothing to mucous membranes and gut)
*1 Tbs. flax seed oil (soothing, anti-inflammatory)
*1/4-1/2 cup rice milk (hypoallergenic, use to thin to desired consistency)
Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth and slightly thickened.
Best consumed when still warm from the hot tea and in small sips over an hour or so.
Magnesium helps with pain and relaxes muscle spasms, so taking a little extra magnesium may be of benefit. For severe symptoms, drink the smoothie while reclining in bed, with a warm castor oil pack over the abdomen, covered with a heating pad set on low. Do not leave the pack in place for more than an hour.
The following list includes the contributions of many members of the Delphi Forum celiac chat. Thank you Mireille, and all the members.
1. Replace toaster/toaster oven. Never use the same toaster/oven that gluten products have been used in. (Toaster bags can be used when traveling)
2. Replace all cutting boards. Old boards may be kept separate for use with gluten foods.
3. Replace wooden, plastic, or teflon cooking utensils/containers. Old ones maybe kept separate for use with gluten foods.
4. Replace porous pots/pans/skillets. Teflon and cast iron are porous and retain gluten from past cooking.
5. Replace pans with seams. Past gluten products can easily be retained in the seam.
6. Replace any kitchen appliance with seams you cannot clean all past gluten out of, eg., mixer, blender, etc.
7. Never wash gluten and gf dishes in the same dish water. (I wash my gf dishes first, before water is contaminated)
8. Use disposable rags/sponges if your kitchen is not totally gf.
9. Many issues one forgets to look at:
Can openers
Colanders
Pets (food, licking)
Stamps, envelopes (glue)
Stamp hinges (for collectors)
Lipstick
Toothpaste
Dental cleaning paste used by dentist
Wooden spoons
Stickers
Shampoo/conditioner, hairspray, hair products of all kinds Cosmetics (yes, there is transdermal absorption)
Packaging adhesives
Dental products
Hand lotion/suntan lotion
Makeup
Medicine/Vitamins
Spray starch for laundry
Straw (bailed wheat stalks)
Computer keyboard and mouse (if shared with gluten eating person)
Car steering wheel (if shared)
Charcoal Grill tops (from past marinades, buns, non gf food)
Blender blade mechanism
Rolling pin
Check all your teas
Old baking stones
Duplicate/triplicate forms and cashier paper tapes made with gluten
Dish detergent
Laundry detergent (residue ends up on dish towels, spreads to dishes, hands, etc.)
Handling money
*If you live with others who eat gluten in the household, or have used these utensils before becoming GF consider these:
*Kisses from glutened significant other (brush teeth and wait 20 minutes)
*Telephone, if sharing
*Shared condiments (don't allow knives to double dip, or have your own GF clearly designated/labeled GF condiments)
*Any shared kitchen utensil
*Sharing a bowl of GF snacks with other's unwashed hands
*Significant other's mustache
*Hand towels (give them separate ones)
*Don't use the same cloth to wipe both gluten worktops and the GF area. *Use separate cloth, kitchen towels (or disposable ones) for your GF kitchen area
*Rinse off nonGF breadcrumbs or flour sauce before putting items in dishwasher
*Gluten crumbs on floor (crawling toddlers, pets transfer)
*Can opener--have separate one for GF
*Electronic game controls
10. Very important: silver drawer. There are always crumbs there.
11. Shared tables, like at work or restaurants. I frequently sit down to have lunch and find someone else's sandwich crumbs all over.
12. Remember to wash your hands before eating finger food. I know our moms always told us to do this, but it's easy to forget. There are many potential comtaminants in the house, especially for those of us with pets or kids. You might not even realize you've touched something that's potentially dangerous.
13. Remember to clean hands after shopping. I carry a small package of premoistened wipes with me in the car for this.
14. Bulk bins at the grocery have one of the greatest potentials for cross contamination. One has to ask the store owners to set some of the product aside for you when they open the new bag.
15. At school: Gym class was held in the multi-purpose room (lunchroom) where kids had just eaten. (breakfast or lunch) Custodians swept the floor after lunch, but didn't wash it. My son crawled around on the floor during gym class, wiggled his loose tooth--gluten. Kids met for chess club in the library during lunch, so they ate their lunch in the library. Gluten crumbs get on little fingers. Kids eat snacks in the hallways. Crumbs get tracked into classrooms. Five year olds spend a lot of time crawling on the floor. Some brands of play clay (eg. rose art and playdough) contain gluten. Some finger paints do, too. Check out all art supplies used in the art room and in the classroom.
16. Conveyor belts at the checkout counters in supermarkets: eg., leaking flour bags, etc.
More ideas: Label or color code all the GF things and have separate drawers and cupboard areas for GF pans, cooking utensils, plastic ware, etc. For eg. Get everything you can in one color, like red. Tag other things with red nail polish (GF). Line drawers and shelves where GF things are stored with aluminun foil, so husband or kids know not to put nonGF things there. Better yet, have your own designated GF storage areas-- well marked. Have a separate storage area for GF pasta, flours, etc. if you can't make your entire kitchen GF. (instead of replacing my ancient contaminated cupboards, we bought a new kitchen island cart, where I store GF things)
If shared kitchen: don't forget to clean buttons on stove, microwave and the handle on the refrigerator. If shared counters: try to be super careful and never put anything down on a counter without a paper towel or plate under it. Remember: all it takes is one crumb of gluten to make us sick!
A new one for me: the sticky fingers and faces of my adorable nonGF grandchildren!
If you have other suggestions, please let me know and I'll add them to the list.
Thanks! Suzanne