Lifestyle

Deciding to live gluten-free will require commitment from your whole family. We have simple and easy gluten free recipes the whole family will enjoy. Although other family members may not need to restrict gluten from their diets, they will need to follow a few rules to support your lifestyle. The following suggestions are easy and simple and will go a long way toward enabling you to eat gluten-free while allowing other family members to eat their favorite foods.

• Organize your pantry to separate gluten-free food items from any containing
gluten. Use different drawers, different cupboards, even different rooms
if your kitchen space allows. Store the gluten-free foods above the foods
containing gluten to avoid an accidental spill which would require the
replacement of your entire gluten-free stockpile.

• Designate a safe counter top to place your gluten-free foods or restrict the
foods containing gluten to a counter top that you will avoid. This greatly
reduces potential contamination by unseen crumbs and flour dust.

• Double up on equipment that commonly comes in contact with bread or
other baked goods, and clearly label one “Gluten-Free.” Toasters, waffle
irons, sandwich makers, and cutting boards are all indispensable for a
varied gluten-free diet—but only if they have never been in contact with
gluten. It only takes one piece of wheat bread in your gluten-free toaster to
render it useless. Clearly label and keep this equipment within a designated
area, if possible.

• Train your family to use serving utensils carefully. Foods that require a
utensil to remove a serving out of a larger container, such as peanut butter
or jelly, require special attention because a contaminated utensil can ruin
the entire product. You could double up on these foods to be safe, but the
sheer number of these items in most kitchens will likely make duplication
cost-prohibitive. The solution is to designate a serving utensil each meal
that will be the only one used for dishing out a specific product.

• Be sure everyone always washes hands and wipes surfaces before getting
out any food. Not only is this good hygiene, but it is a final line of defense
against stray crumbs and flour particles.