Tuesday, May 21, 2019

The Seriousness of Cross-Contamination



Do you ever find yourself wondering what the right thing to do is in the case of cross-contamination? Do you feel pressured to just give in? Do you find yourself second guessing your decision to completely abstain?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this post is for you! READ ON!

Many years ago when I first went gluten free, I knew nothing about food allergies or intolerance. I simply knew I wasn't feeling well and wanted things to change. My doctor suggested a gluten free diet to help my body heal. I listened to her, did some research and found out about Celiac Disease. I didn't wait to be tested for Celiac, I just went gluten free. Long story short, my life changed drastically! Things weren't perfect, but the difference was huge. I faced the music from friends and family concerning the diet...as I am sure we all do...and began to give in. Just a little here and there. I shared microwaves with them. I would hang out in the kitchen as they were preparing a gluten filled meal, or baking a cake. I would even allow them to bring their food into my kitchen thus contaminating it. I knew it made me sick. I felt it. I really couldn't deny the obvious result was that just a little bit of contamination was all it took to make me SICK! I thought it was just in my head at first and did some serious research. I found that people with Celiac experience intestinal damage by even the tracest amount of gluten ingestion! 

There was no getting around the truth. I couldn't afford to get exposed to even the smallest amount of gluten equaling the size of a crumb. One crumb was all it would take to make me sick.
The truth was devastating at first. But it did confirm my suspicion based on my symptoms. The next step was to completely rid my life of gluten. So I did. My life is so much better now. My kitchen is safe from gluten contamination. My soaps, meds, and even my supplements are free of gluten. But every now and then I get exposed when out of the house. Those infamous cramps, diarrhea, brain fog, inflammation, moodiness, and much more symptoms all come back for a few weeks until my body is able to rid itself of the gluten.

Of course, food allergies are different...but still very serious. One trace amount of one of my food or drug allergies can cause me to go into anaphylactic shock! So cross-contamination is truly a big deal with allergies as well.

The bottom note of this post is this: Cross-Contamination is serious and must be avoided at all cost!

Don't second guess your decision to avoid gluten at all cost, just do it! You know what is best for your body. The Glute Free diet isn't all fun and games but it is a life necessity if you are Celiac or sensitive to gluten. Do the right thing for your body and avoid Gluten!

Have a Happy, Healthy, Gluten Free Day!
~Gluten Free Em~