How to try a gluten-free diet?

[ILoveAFullFridge]

I want to try ds on a gluten-free diet for a few months.

I have no problems modifying my cooking, but am not sure just how pedantic I need to be. Do I need to clear out all flours, pasta, scrub shelves, etc? Or would just not using the gluten-containing products be OK? What about potentially-contaminated products like already opened jars of peanut butter and jam? Can I use the toaster?

I'm a coeliac and to answer your questions:

Do I need to clear out all flours, pasta, scrub shelves, etc?

Yes. Or have a separate space for gluten and gluten free which has been thoroughly scrubbed. I wouldn't risk having glutenous flour in my house since it gets bloody everywhere but I do sometimes buy glutenous pasta/spaghetti if I'm feeling sorry for the rest of my (non-coeliac) family (it's just me with CD so far). But if I ever cook the glutenous pasta at the same time as my own GF pasta, I have to be ultra careful with stirring one pan with one spoon and putting it on its own spoon rest and always stirring the other pan with another spoon and putting that one on its own spoon rest (by spoon rest, I obvs mean plate or piece of kitchen towel - I'm not that posh. But I do put it on something in case the worktop has crumbs of bread on it or something).

Or would just not using the gluten-containing products be OK?

No this is not OK unfortunately (I say unfortunately coz I realise all of this extra caution it's a right bloomin pain, but it's necessary).

What about potentially-contaminated products like already opened jars of peanut butter and jam?

Not suitable. We have separate jars (clearly labelled, or kept in a different place).

Can I use the toaster if I give it a good vacuuming?

I wouldn't take that risk. We have always had 2 toasters. If using the grill for something like cheese on toast, either use a clean oven tray or cover the grill pan with kitchen foil.

The easiest thing of course is for you all to go gluten free in your home, which is how I lived with my DH until we had children. This is the least stressful way of living since you know that everything in the house is free from contamination.

The reason I have all these separate areas and cupboards is that in my house it's only me that has CD and after having children I wanted the rest of my family to have as normal a life as possible.

As *Charmingbaker says, beware of "gluten free oats/oatflour" too. I am one of those coeliacs who unfortunately can't have those. DH just bought some Morrisons GF Cookies at the weekend and after scoffing half the pack, I noticed they were made with GF oat flour. I am now ill. Bleurgh.

I don't know which tests were done.

Dh has agreed that it's simpler if the whole household goes GF for the duration. We've decide to start after Easter, which gives me time to run down supplies, research alternatives, and get scrubbing.

Ugh. Going DF was much easier!

Are there any websites where I can enter details of a ready-made food item and get suitable/unsuitable result, or do I have to research each item/manufacturer separately?

Like charmingbaker, we went completely gf at home (two coeliac DC). For a while, I tried it the other way and it was an absolute nightmare. I had to do that because one DC was still waiting for testing so had to keep eating gluten. But I was constantly on edge, having to think about what touched what, and also watching everyone else to see they didn't make a mistake.

Now it's much better. Nothing that contains gluten (or oats, even gf ones) comes into the house. Blanket rule, don't even let visitors bring anything - if they don't like our food, they don't have to stay!

I replaced a LOT of kitchen equipment - toaster, grillpans/baking trays, casserole dishes, wooden utensils, sieves, colanders, graters. Expensive, but worth it IMO.

I chucked out / gave away flour, pasta, biscuits, preserves, stock cubes, gravy powders etc etc. Completely washed out all kitchen cupboards and scrubbed down kitchen.

This way we can all share meals, all eat things without fear, and there is a 'safe space' for the DC - the only one that exists for them, and to me that feels important. Everywhere else they have to be super-careful about cross-contamination, but I don't want home to be like that.

As a bye-the-bye, DH and I (neither of us coeliac) both felt a lot better digestive-wise after going almost-gluten-free (we eat gluten outside the home, just for convenience). For about 6 months we both had massive bread-cravings and would order the bread-bowl on our (infrequent) meals out. But that just disappeared, and now neither of us are in the least bothered - if we eat out without the DC, then I'll often choose a gf option if it's there. If we eat out with the DC, we always all eat gf - easier because DC still young, so we still have to cut up food etc. and don't want to have to keep thinking about what utensil has touched what. Also nice to be able to let them try something from your plate.

But your DC aren't coeliac (although they will have a higher chance than average of developing it at some point in their lifetime since they have coeliac relatives) so it's possible you don't need to be this careful.

If you join Coeliac UK (first 6 months are free I think) then you can use their electronic food directory where you can enter in foodstuffs and find brands that are okay - they also have a printed directory listing thousands of items, and email you monthly updates to it.