After being diagnosed with a celiac disease, I knew it was necessary to implement big changes in my everyday life. It was not easy and often overwhelming. I hope that sharing my experience can make the beginning of someone else’s gluten free life easier. This is how I started my gluten free challenge. Things I did:
Eliminated gluten from the kitchen:
- All food products from the kitchen shelves – even if originally it contained no gluten it probably became polluted upon using
- All food products from the fridge
- Jams and other products in open jars/tins – most likely polluted with a knife having bread crumbles on it
- Wooden kitchen accessories like cutting boards and wooden spatulas
- Colander
- My old bread box
- Old frying pans that were not easy to clean anymore
- Baking forms/molds
- Old toaster
Cleaned really well:
- All kitchen surfaces
- Kitchen shelves
- Oven
- Fridge
- Plates, cutlery and pots
- Cloth kitchen towels
- Dining table and mats
Bought new:
- Cutting boards
- Spatulas
- Baking forms
- Bread baking machine – with a fast gluten free program
- Bread box and bags with a seal to keep bread in it
- Frying pans
Removed all the gluten containing medicines and supplements from the medicine cabinet.
Learnt how to distinguish hazardous and gluten free products (how to read the label’s and recognize gluten free logo’s)
Checked gluten free department in every store in a neighborhood
Checked online shops for gluten free products
Started baking gluten free bread, cookies, cakes etc. using gluten free ingredients (my recipes)
Filled my kitchen shelves, fridge and freezer with naturally gluten free foods
Visited a dietitian and learnt following:
- The celiac symptoms can occur already after consumption of 10 milligrams of gluten, (otherwise known as a bread crumb) and this is why the contamination has to be avoided by any means
- Web shops with gluten free products
- Handy recipes
- Handy links to find the safe food, e.g. Livaad.nl
- About ‘De Nederlandse Coeliakie Vereniging’
- About tax compensation (ref)
- Overall tips regarding how to stay gluten free
Subscribed to the Dutch Celiac Association ‘De Nederlandse Coeliakie Vereniging’
- Membership card
- Discount when shopping for gluten free foods at certain shops (e.g. webshop, EcoPlaza)
- Welcome packet from DNCV
- Welcome packet from Schar
- Brochures with information’s
- Invitations to organized by DNCV events like baking workshops, gluten free markets, symposium’s etc.
- Mails informing about new gluten free products available on a Dutch market
- Other
Found blogs / websites written by other celiacs/doctors/ scientist for ideas and inspiration, knowledge but also support!
* After my diagnosis I found a following post by Gluten free Goddess ‘here’ . Check it out!
