Cross contamination question

[Ange7894]

Hi all,

It's been a while since I posted on here. Been gluten free almost 2 years now, but I've been getting sick a lot lately and I'm totally stumped as to why. I've been in some sort of pain or discomfort every day for a couple of months now and I'm getting very worried. I haven't eaten anything new, so my obvious assumption now is cross contamination here at home.

My question is what are the chances that my dishes are being contaminated in the dishwasher, and is the dishwasher getting my pots clean enough? I don't have my own set of pots or pans, so my husband and I share them. He makes his spaghetti all the time, but I just figure it's getting clean in the dishwasher so I shouldn't worry. If the pots aren't getting clean enough because they're not actually being scrubbed, could my actual dishes and glasses be getting contaminated too from the water?

I'm going back to my doctor in a week or so to see if I am getting glutened somewhere, or if it's something else totally unrelated. The pain feels like my Celiac pains, so I'm guessing I am getting glutened somewhere, I'm just really scared it's something worse.

Anyone have any advice? Thanks.

Angela

[aklap]

Hi Angela,

It's good to see you again. Sorry to hear that you're feeling off.

It's common practice to replace or have separate pots/pans for NGF and GF cooking. More so for teflon pans since the coating is porous.

I seem to remember one of our members getting sick until she replaced her old pans...maybe they'll chime in.

Certainly it's a good thing to go get it checked out tho. Try not to worry about it too much. Stress about just seems to make things worse.

Hubby's not double dipping in the mayo/peanut butter jar is he? That's a common source.
Do you have separate toasters?
Wooden spoons/cutting boards?
Shampoo & Hair care products?
Meds & supplements? Maybe some formulation changes have taken place?

Good luck Detective Angela!! Please keep us informed!!
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[nancw]

Separate pots and pans are a must and I cleared up many CC issues in my house when I got some for GF-only cooking. I also use my own cooking utensils. Plastic and wood can carry gluten in their scratches.

Could you be developing other food sensitivities? I hate to even broach the subject, but it is possible. Perhaps a food and symptom journal would help pin down any possible offenders.
_________________
Nance

gluten, dairy, soy, rice, corn, yeast and 99% grain-free

[Ange7894]

Hi there,

No, hubby has his own peanut butter, margerine, jam, etc. I have my own wooden spoons and toaster, but that's it. All the other cooking utensils we share. He and I talked about this last night and we both agree I need my own stuff. Should I go the extra mile and get my own dishes and eating utensils too? Should I just wash my stuff by hand and leave the rest for the dishwasher just in case?

This is so frustrating cause our kitchen space is very limited. I have no idea where I'm gonna store these extra pots and stuff. Grrrr. But I don't want to be in pain anymore, so I'll find the room.

Thanks all.

Angela

[ostrich]

I think replacing all the stuff you cook with will be enough. Your dishwasher should be scrubbing all the plates clean. However, does your dishwasher have a garbage disposal? I'm thinking that if your husband doesn't rinse his plate off before putting it in the dishwasher, there's a possibility that the NGF food is flying around. Just a thought...maybe I'm being overly paranoid.

I second what Nance said: have you looked into possible issues with other food?
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

I lie below, you float above
In the pretty white ships that I am dreaming of

[Ange7894]

That's my concern too with the dishwasher. It's actually not a very good one (we live in an apartment, so I'm sure it's one of those very basic models that are inexpensive to put in all apartments), and there's plenty of times food is still caked on the glasses or dishes. I'm thinking if the dishes aren't rinsed off well enough first, the food gets mixed in with the rinse water and it splashes over everything, then dries. It's so gross. I'm also thinking that if it's not a very good washer, it's not really scrubbing the residue off the pots or pans.

I have been tested for other food sensitivities, but I don't know the results yet. I'm supposed to see the doc this weekend about that. I'm hoping not because I don't want to give up any more foods The more I think about my pots and pans, the more I'm thinking that's the culprit. I plan on getting my own this weekend.

Thanks

Angela