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Cross-contamination of foods
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Cross-contamination of foods
I was wondering if any of you have suggestions for me regarding prevention of cross-contamination of foods. For example, I ordered a GF pizza last week with sausage and mushrooms, but cheese only on half for my husband as I'm DF now. Is it possible for one to react to cheese if it's not on the portion that I'm eating? Also, does anyone know if sausage has gluten in it?
Thanks!
Hi Sharaine,
Sure, cross contamination is possible, just because of the fact that whoever made the pizza had casein on their hands, after adding the cheese to half of the pizza. All they had to do was to touch your portion, or maybe a crumb of cheese fell off their hand as they moved their hand above your portion. Or, a speck of cheese might have spattered onto your portion, during the cooking process. There are probably other ways, as well. Most people don't realize that even a tiny crumb can cause a reaction for someone who is sensitive to a food.
I wonder, though, if the recipe for the dough might have contained milk, or a milk derivative, such as butter.
Yes, some sausage contains gluten.
Tex
Sure, cross contamination is possible, just because of the fact that whoever made the pizza had casein on their hands, after adding the cheese to half of the pizza. All they had to do was to touch your portion, or maybe a crumb of cheese fell off their hand as they moved their hand above your portion. Or, a speck of cheese might have spattered onto your portion, during the cooking process. There are probably other ways, as well. Most people don't realize that even a tiny crumb can cause a reaction for someone who is sensitive to a food.
I wonder, though, if the recipe for the dough might have contained milk, or a milk derivative, such as butter.
Yes, some sausage contains gluten.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Sharaine -
I've only recently gotten serious about cross-contamination. So far I'm not wearing a haz-mat suit if my husband eats gluten in the house... but let's say I have become aware that we weren't taking this seriously enough.
If the preparer of your pizza touched the cheese and then touched the crust - absolutely, there could have been cross-contamination. The pizza slicer/cutter could have moved trace amounts of cheese/casein from slices with cheese to those that were meant to be without. The slab or surface the pizza was baked on could have been touched previously by a pizza made from wheat dough. Just the melting of the cheese onto the pizza "pie plate" could have moved some casein into your portion. And I definitely had a reaction to a local restaurant's house-made sausage, though I'm not sure what was in it. (And since I had specifically asked about gluten and dairy, I think I'll just never eat there again.)
And of course, there might also be something in the pizza crust that doesn't work for you, even though it was gluten free.
I eat out with my husband, and with friends, at least once or twice a week, though it ups my risk. We recently had oven-roasted potatoes that came with a sauce - shared it with friends. I kept reminding everyone NOT to use their forks (which had touched the sauce) to serve more plain potatoes from the dish. It's taken me some time to get vigilant about this. I'm sure you'll develop a skill set that works for you and your husband.
We often have morning smoothies - if my husband wants an ingredient I'm avoiding, he'll add it after he's poured my share out of the blender. That sounds so obvious, but it took us a while to figure it out! While cooking, it's really hard to remember not to use a spatula or wooden spoon that's been in one pot or pan in the "GF/DF/*F" pot or pan. Some people reserve certain utensils and pots for GF (or even better - they have one pot that is 'gluten friendly' and the whole rest of the kitchen works for us!). Some things are easier to de-contaminate than others. We have not replaced all our wooden/bamboo spoons, come to think of it. Hm...
I've only recently gotten serious about cross-contamination. So far I'm not wearing a haz-mat suit if my husband eats gluten in the house... but let's say I have become aware that we weren't taking this seriously enough.
If the preparer of your pizza touched the cheese and then touched the crust - absolutely, there could have been cross-contamination. The pizza slicer/cutter could have moved trace amounts of cheese/casein from slices with cheese to those that were meant to be without. The slab or surface the pizza was baked on could have been touched previously by a pizza made from wheat dough. Just the melting of the cheese onto the pizza "pie plate" could have moved some casein into your portion. And I definitely had a reaction to a local restaurant's house-made sausage, though I'm not sure what was in it. (And since I had specifically asked about gluten and dairy, I think I'll just never eat there again.)
And of course, there might also be something in the pizza crust that doesn't work for you, even though it was gluten free.
I eat out with my husband, and with friends, at least once or twice a week, though it ups my risk. We recently had oven-roasted potatoes that came with a sauce - shared it with friends. I kept reminding everyone NOT to use their forks (which had touched the sauce) to serve more plain potatoes from the dish. It's taken me some time to get vigilant about this. I'm sure you'll develop a skill set that works for you and your husband.
We often have morning smoothies - if my husband wants an ingredient I'm avoiding, he'll add it after he's poured my share out of the blender. That sounds so obvious, but it took us a while to figure it out! While cooking, it's really hard to remember not to use a spatula or wooden spoon that's been in one pot or pan in the "GF/DF/*F" pot or pan. Some people reserve certain utensils and pots for GF (or even better - they have one pot that is 'gluten friendly' and the whole rest of the kitchen works for us!). Some things are easier to de-contaminate than others. We have not replaced all our wooden/bamboo spoons, come to think of it. Hm...
Sharaine -
I've only recently gotten serious about cross-contamination. So far I'm not wearing a haz-mat suit if my husband eats gluten in the house... but let's say I have become aware that we weren't taking this seriously enough.
If the preparer of your pizza touched the cheese and then touched the crust - absolutely, there could have been cross-contamination. The pizza slicer/cutter could have moved trace amounts of cheese/casein from slices with cheese to those that were meant to be without. The slab or surface the pizza was baked on could have been touched previously by a pizza made from wheat dough. Just the melting of the cheese onto the pizza "pie plate" could have moved some casein into your portion. And I definitely had a reaction to a local restaurant's house-made sausage, though I'm not sure what was in it. (And since I had specifically asked about gluten and dairy, I think I'll just never eat there again.)
And of course, there might also be something in the pizza crust that doesn't work for you, even though it was gluten free.
I eat out with my husband, and with friends, at least once or twice a week, though it ups my risk. We recently had oven-roasted potatoes that came with a sauce - shared it with friends. I kept reminding everyone NOT to use their forks (which had touched the sauce) to serve themselves more plain potatoes from the serving dish. It's taken me some time to get vigilant about this. I'm sure you'll develop a skill set that works for you and your husband.
We often have morning smoothies - if my husband wants an ingredient I'm avoiding, he'll add it after he's poured my share out of the blender. That sounds so obvious, but it took us a while to figure it out! While cooking, it's really hard to remember not to use a spatula or wooden spoon that's been in one pot or pan in the "GF/DF/*F" pot or pan. Some people reserve certain utensils and pots for GF (or even better - they have one pot that is 'gluten friendly' and the whole rest of the kitchen works for us!). Some things are easier to de-contaminate than others. We have not replaced all our wooden/bamboo spoons, come to think of it. Hm...
Tex had a recent post about BBQ grills that I found really helpful - and also kind of sobering, because it highlighted for me how important this topic is.
Hope this helps. I'm trying to think in terms of being vigilant, rather than alarmist.
Wishing you safe and sociable eating,
Sara
I've only recently gotten serious about cross-contamination. So far I'm not wearing a haz-mat suit if my husband eats gluten in the house... but let's say I have become aware that we weren't taking this seriously enough.
If the preparer of your pizza touched the cheese and then touched the crust - absolutely, there could have been cross-contamination. The pizza slicer/cutter could have moved trace amounts of cheese/casein from slices with cheese to those that were meant to be without. The slab or surface the pizza was baked on could have been touched previously by a pizza made from wheat dough. Just the melting of the cheese onto the pizza "pie plate" could have moved some casein into your portion. And I definitely had a reaction to a local restaurant's house-made sausage, though I'm not sure what was in it. (And since I had specifically asked about gluten and dairy, I think I'll just never eat there again.)
And of course, there might also be something in the pizza crust that doesn't work for you, even though it was gluten free.
I eat out with my husband, and with friends, at least once or twice a week, though it ups my risk. We recently had oven-roasted potatoes that came with a sauce - shared it with friends. I kept reminding everyone NOT to use their forks (which had touched the sauce) to serve themselves more plain potatoes from the serving dish. It's taken me some time to get vigilant about this. I'm sure you'll develop a skill set that works for you and your husband.
We often have morning smoothies - if my husband wants an ingredient I'm avoiding, he'll add it after he's poured my share out of the blender. That sounds so obvious, but it took us a while to figure it out! While cooking, it's really hard to remember not to use a spatula or wooden spoon that's been in one pot or pan in the "GF/DF/*F" pot or pan. Some people reserve certain utensils and pots for GF (or even better - they have one pot that is 'gluten friendly' and the whole rest of the kitchen works for us!). Some things are easier to de-contaminate than others. We have not replaced all our wooden/bamboo spoons, come to think of it. Hm...
Tex had a recent post about BBQ grills that I found really helpful - and also kind of sobering, because it highlighted for me how important this topic is.
Hope this helps. I'm trying to think in terms of being vigilant, rather than alarmist.
Wishing you safe and sociable eating,
Sara
Thank you both, Tex and Sara. This helps quite a bit. I can see now that I'm going to have to become even more vigilant. I just tried Rice Dream Mint Carob Chip tonight. 10 minutes after eating it, I ballooned up again. The ingredients lists barley starch. Sigh. I was hoping Rice Dream would be a "dream" for me since I've had to go DF.
I will keep mining these posts and learn more. I'm also taking your advice, Tex, (that you gave others) and starting a food diary.
Thank you for being there for me. I'm starting to feel a bit lonely and concerned about how I'm going to handle travel for work. Knowing you all are there on this MBB makes it easier for me.
Sharaine
Sharaine,
We are definitely here for you, and with you! There are some major travel experts here on this board - both for vacations and business travel. (I'm just back from a trip, and writing up a little note about it to post later today - I got a lot of help from others and hope my notes will give you good ideas, too.) When you figure out your foods (both your intolerances and your preferences), you'll start to find convenient, packable items that make being on the go a lot less stressful. Some big-chain restaurants now offer GF selections.
I can recommend Sharon's Coconut Sorbet, which is GF/DF and *very* creamy - satisfies the desire for ice cream. It may not be available everywhere, but keep your eyes peeled.... I recently bought popsicle-molds and am planning to freeze ripe bananas, blend them with So Delicious brand coconut milk and some shredded coconut, and make frozen treats. (Unfortunately, bananas around here don't last long enough for me to get this experiment off the ground, but determined to give it a go.)
So Delicious brand also has some frozen treats, I believe, as well as yogurt/kefir analogs. I haven't tried those yet, but the milk is really wonderful - useful in smoothies, on rice cereal, etc. They also make a coffee creamer.
I have had several recent experiences where my food was so good, it made the omnivores jealous. When I was first sick, I honestly didn't care about tastiness, but I'm happy to report that it's possible to enjoy wonderful food.
I had given up my food diary, which was mostly confusing me before I got my symptoms stabilized. I decided to postpone till after our vacation, and I guess I'm just mentioning it now as an extra nudge to restart that TODAY.
Hope you're feeling encouraged amid the overwhelm,
Sara
We are definitely here for you, and with you! There are some major travel experts here on this board - both for vacations and business travel. (I'm just back from a trip, and writing up a little note about it to post later today - I got a lot of help from others and hope my notes will give you good ideas, too.) When you figure out your foods (both your intolerances and your preferences), you'll start to find convenient, packable items that make being on the go a lot less stressful. Some big-chain restaurants now offer GF selections.
I can recommend Sharon's Coconut Sorbet, which is GF/DF and *very* creamy - satisfies the desire for ice cream. It may not be available everywhere, but keep your eyes peeled.... I recently bought popsicle-molds and am planning to freeze ripe bananas, blend them with So Delicious brand coconut milk and some shredded coconut, and make frozen treats. (Unfortunately, bananas around here don't last long enough for me to get this experiment off the ground, but determined to give it a go.)
So Delicious brand also has some frozen treats, I believe, as well as yogurt/kefir analogs. I haven't tried those yet, but the milk is really wonderful - useful in smoothies, on rice cereal, etc. They also make a coffee creamer.
I have had several recent experiences where my food was so good, it made the omnivores jealous. When I was first sick, I honestly didn't care about tastiness, but I'm happy to report that it's possible to enjoy wonderful food.
I had given up my food diary, which was mostly confusing me before I got my symptoms stabilized. I decided to postpone till after our vacation, and I guess I'm just mentioning it now as an extra nudge to restart that TODAY.
Hope you're feeling encouraged amid the overwhelm,
Sara
Thank you, Sara! Your encouragement is very helpful and comforting. I just learned my company (we are very small ... 10 people) is having a 2 day retreat in the fall. Luckily my boss is very supportive. I did ask how do I raise the issue of my food allergies and was told that she (boss, president) will just give instructions to those who cook/buy food that my allergies have to be avoided as well as carbs for those who are diabetic. I'm going to bring some of my own food, just in case, though. The idea of having XD during a retreat is NOT pleasant. 
Oh, Sunday will be the first wedding reception I've attended since my diagnosis. I'm hoping for lots of salad as veggies and I get along great!
Oh, Sunday will be the first wedding reception I've attended since my diagnosis. I'm hoping for lots of salad as veggies and I get along great!
Sharaine, we have a wedding coming up next weekend, and quite a few other members here have upcoming weddings to attend! I am going to make a point not to be hungry, and to have some backup calories on hand, and concentrate on smiling at the bride and groom and dragging my darling out on the dance floor!
Sounds like your boss is wonderfully supportive. You'll have time to collect some great trips about travel foods by then, plus you'll know a lot more about what works for you, and how to make eating from home as low risk as possible.
--Sara
Sounds like your boss is wonderfully supportive. You'll have time to collect some great trips about travel foods by then, plus you'll know a lot more about what works for you, and how to make eating from home as low risk as possible.
--Sara