7 Tips to Prevent Gluten Contamination

THE DEVIL IS CROSS CONTAMINATION

​

The minute you get diagnosed with Celiac Disease or a gluten allergy a lot of people think just giving up four things wheat, rye, oats and barley can’t be so difficult but the real devil isn’t just getting gluten free food but to ensure that the product is away from cross contamination.

​

Tip 1:

If you are in the initial stages of being diagnosed, try to eat only at home and carry home food.

​

Tip 2:

If you are buying products from outside buy products that are manufactured in a 100% gluten free facility. Just yesterday, I was speaking to a bakery to order gluten free bread and I heard the whole story we first do gluten free products first thing in the morning, then we do wheat products and use fresh towels and all the equipment is sanitized. Question so what kind of flour do you use? Where is it manufactured? What kind of baking powder? Cocoa powder, icing sugar? Type of cream

Please understand a couple of points even a spec of wheat in the oven is enough to affect your stomach. No equipment can be 100 percent cleaned to remove gluten. Remember my article on how to clean your kitchen, chopping boards, knives, dough hooks, spatula’s, pans and the list is never ending. Cleaning, doing it first, separate equipment. Just stay away it has to 100 percent gluten free facility.

​

Tip 3:

If you are ordering food in a restaurant always ask them to boil water in the pan before they use it to make your food. The purpose of boiling water is that then the pan will be cleaned completely and if they were that 1% it will have evaporated before grilling a fish.

​

Tip 4:

Sitting in a group of people that are eating everything while you eat your gluten free food, the chances of cross contamination are super high though your food might be gluten free. When we travel and sometimes I am feeding my younger son Armaan wheat bread (it is important to eat gluten if you don’t have Celiac Disease or a gluten allergy), I keep my hands away from Mannat’s plate and don’t touch his plate, knives, forks etc.

​

Tip 5:

If you are sitting in a group and eating avoid using the same butter dish as it is tough to remember which knife went first into the dish, people eating gluten or gluten free.

​

Tip 6:

Visiting relatives, festivals are super tough. Try to discuss in advance what you would eat. When I take Mannat says to my in laws I just say he will have rice, rajma and zeera paneer. What are the chances of cross contamination high but the main ingredient that might have gluten is haldi. Insist not using “Hing” a favorite in Indian homes and packed masala’s.

​

Tip 7:

The biggest challenge of cross contamination lies in joint family kitchens in India. Kitchens run by staff and the lack of knowledge about “Celiac Disease”. No one is to blame but knowledge of the disease is the key to remaining healthy.

​

Yesterday, I was at a big store that sells gluten free food and found between the gluten free shelves all kinds of wheat products. Please be careful. READ ALL LABELS of every product you buy, every time. Lots of times the ingredients keep changing.

Always remember when in doubt don’t eat!