For people with celiac disease, living a gluten-free lifestyle can be challenging. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley, and other natural foods. However, giving up foods that contain these ingredients is the main key to living a healthier and happier lifestyle. Once a person is diagnosed with celiac disease, a kitchen makeover is required to minimize the ill effects of cross-contamination with other foods and other parts of the kitchen. While making the transition can be costly and time consuming, those on a gluten-free (GF) diet agree that it’s the best solution to a difficult health problem.
Elimination
The first step is to remove all products that create a reaction. This includes wheat-based products such as flour, baking mix, bread, cookie, and cake batters, as well as anything that comes in contact with them. The bread maker, toaster, mixer and cutting board have to go. The most practical solution is to gift to friends and family who live elsewhere. Any food that has open packages or containers and that may be cross-contaminated with flour dust, toast crumbs, barley or rye should be confiscated and removed. This includes seasonings, sugar, salt, and anything that sits on a flour-dusted shelf.
Cleaning
All surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned, including the oven, inside and out. While a self-cleaning oven may suffice, there’s no point in guessing. All cabinets, shelves, floors, walls, fans, and ceilings must be thoroughly sanitized to create a comfortable and healthy environment.
replacement
Check all labels and do extensive research on what types of flour and other foods are safe. For example, most vegetables are okay to eat. There are lines of gluten-free baked goods and specialty desserts at the grocery store that often taste better than your standard wheat-based baked goods. Some are in the frozen food section, while other stores have items in the bakery section. These include gluten-free brownies, mini cakes, and dinner rolls.
Separation
Ideally, a person who lives alone can have a kitchen that caters to a GF diet. In many cases, however, the kitchen must be shared with family members or roommates who don’t need to care for the wheat. For a shared setting, use two sets of utensils, two sets of dishes, and never allow safe food, dishes, and cookware to mix with unsafe items. This takes work and is sometimes made easier by color coding the cabinets or labeling the shelves.
moral support
While this is a difficult transition to make, many people with celiac disease find that forums, support groups, and other friends or family on a gluten-free diet can make this lifestyle much more bearable. Where to find special products travels quickly and becomes easier.