Prevent Cross Contamination - Gluten Free Ingredients

My wife almost killed me the other day when I tried to pull another fast one with the cutting board. I had just finished making omelettes and the cutting board looked 'clean enough' to me after chopping the onions. I knew I'd be using it again soon so I just left it there on the counter. She decided that it would be nice to have an orange as a breakfast dessert and because she hates all traces of the white parts of oranges, she cuts the skin off... on a cutting board. Prove me wrong if you want to waste an orange, but cross contaminating them with an onion flavoured cutting board is an affront to the palette.

Now let's talk about cross contamination as it would pertain to your gluten free ingredients and what you need to do to protect yourself. I recently read a story about someone who has gluten sensitivity and was getting sick every time her mother made her lunch. She finally discovered that her mother was toasting the bread she made her sandwiches with. The problem with this is that the toaster was being used for other gluten containing breads as well, but can easily solved by devoting a second toaster to gluten free breads only. But what about products that we buy that say they're gluten free. Are they?

Just as the toaster example shows, for some people with celiac disease even trace amounts of gluten can cause big problems. This is why it's suggested that you take a risk-free approach to your gluten free ingredients shopping. Even quinoa, which we know is gluten free, may have been processed or packaged in the same facility as other gluten containing grains. Quinoa flour or flakes, for example, are higher risk because there's more processing involved. Raw quinoa seeds have less processing and therefore the risk is lower.

Consideration should also be giving to the labelling of products that boast gluten free ingredients. This practice has greatly improved over the last few years because awareness has created a larger demand and food producers are recognizing a growing market. I would still adopt the ritual of reading labels on all new products you try even if they're colourfully labelled gluten free. I've seen some packages claiming gluten free status when in the ingredients they clearly list wheat or other grains containing gluten.

Some producers might not be as picky as you and I might be when it comes to gluten because they've never been doubled over in pain as a result of their careless contamination. They may also think it's good enough to consider 'gluten-reduced' as gluten free ingredients when this simply isn't the case.

The Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) has much finer guidelines, even more so than the FDA, when it comes to labelling products gluten free. They stand behind a firm rule that gluten must be unquantifiable at 5 parts per million (ppm). In all my research, the CSA has the strictest of labelling criteria and this 5 ppm would include even cross contamination of gluten. If you see a product with the CSA seal, you can rest assured that it is completely free of wheat, barley, rye and oats, but interestingly enough, it doesn't actually use the term "gluten free"

When you find yourself at the grocery store next time, remember to pay close attention to the labels. I would suggest a natural health food store for two reasons. The first being that the staff are more knowledgeable and will better be able to assist you in your choices of gluten free ingredients and the second is because they are likely to have a greater selection of reputable, certified gluten free foods.

Good luck with your shopping and for one last tip on keeping yourself safe from family members who don't suffer from symptoms of gluten intolerance and share the same kitchen. You may think that washing the colander is sufficient to rid it of it's pesky gluten containing starch, but with all the little holes and corners it's near impossible. Get yourself your own personal strainer and label it "Gluten Free - Use Upon Pain Of Death"