Going Overboard?

[Mahee34]

Ok......now i'm the first person to say that being on a gluten free diet hasn't been easy, and although i used to cheat i've been much better. however, i only have changed my diet. am i the only one who thinks that getting gluten free soap, hair products, makeup and everything is a bit overboard?? once i stopped cheating with my diet i've felt a lot better.. sure there are days that are worse than others but that's with everyone celiac or not. i don't get shampoo in my mouth, i wash my hands so all the soap actually gets off. my dog eats regular food not gluten free food and i think i handle it all pretty well.

i talked to my doctor about this and he thinks that as long as i am on the diet i'll be fine. any comments?

[lilupstategirl]

i totally understand your point of view. when i was first diagnosed and i discovered all of the things we're supposed to do to stay 100% gluten free, i was very taken aback. i thought "wow, i don't want to live my life like this. i can't go around avoiding every single product because i'm not 100% sure if it's gluten free. i mean, it's absolutely impossible to know for sure where something has been before you come in contact with it, right?"

so, if you feel okay, in my opinion it's ok to go about what you've been doing. things like shampoo and dog food aren't things you physically put into your mouth and consume, so it's not like you're cheating because of cravings. i think that, as long as you continue to feel okay and happy with the decisions you've made (this is important. you can't feel guilt - if you're feeling this way, which it sounds like you're not, just stop!) then go ahead

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Some people, including myself, start to develop allergic reactions to gluten. I don't know why but I figure it's because my body isn't used to having it at all. I get rashes on my scalp from shampoo with wheat in it. My hair isn't very long yet I still stomes get it in my mouth and can taste the shampoo when I do. I will get itchy red spots if I don't wash my hand when preparing gluten food for humans and animals. I also think that not anyone really knows everything about Celiacs. Symptoms include things with the brain, bones, and stomach.

[kabowman]

I don't have any reactions to topical gluten and I don't worry about what is in my soap, shampoo, etc. I do, however, pay attention to my hand lotion because I have a bad habit of my fingers getting into my mouth.

[Rachel--24]

I noticed a big difference when I switched my products. It wasnt really a big deal for me...I only had to change a few things and it was worth it for me. I was getting bad reactions and it was coming from wheat germ oil in my lotion and wheat in my shampoo. They were getting in my mouth though.

[skbird]

I switched my dogs and cats foods and I can't tell you how many times now when I pet my dog or kiss my cat and get the dust from their food on my lips/hand/face that I am thankful I don't have to worry about there being gluten in it. I was getting sick from the glutenous cat treats my husband was feeding the cat for a while there. Now I don't have to worry.

I used to get a sort of rash from this one shampoo - I have no idea why, but now I avoid. I have gotten shampoo suds in my mouth in the shower on accident, and eyes. I would worry if there was gluten in there somehow, even if it seems extreme. I don't want to take chances. And it hasn't been a big deal since changing, either.

Stephanie

[Jnkmnky]

My celiac is a boy. The only thing I'm careful about topically speaking, is his chapstick. I think lipstick or for boys - chapstick- would be the most dangerous way to pick up 'applied' gluten.

[frenchiemama]

Well, it may seem "overboard" to you but I personally believe in "better safe than sorry". (Also, my dogs eat a food that is gluten-free because it is a better food. It's for their health.)

[lindseylue]

  Mahee34 said:

Ok......now i'm the first person to say that being on a gluten free diet hasn't been easy, and although i used to cheat i've been much better.  however, i only have changed my diet.  am i the only one who thinks that getting gluten free soap, hair products, makeup and everything is a bit overboard?? once i stopped cheating with my diet i've felt a lot better.. sure there are days that are worse than others but that's with everyone celiac or not. i don't get shampoo in my mouth, i wash my hands so all the soap actually gets off.  my dog eats regular food not gluten free food and i think i handle it all pretty well. 

i talked to my doctor about this and he thinks that as long as i am on the diet i'll be fine.  any comments?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have dermatitis herpetaformis and keeping gluten off my skin really really helps keep rashes away. I used to work in a pizza place and had to quit because the flour would get on my skin and after awhile it would just burn. And then I'd have a rash a few hours later.

[Guest nini]

my husband told me that I was going overboard when I suggested only gluten-free food for the cats and the dog... he said that I was just being ridiculously OCD and didn't want me to pass my OCD onto my kid

so, the cat food and dog food and treats are all gluten filled and I am just fanatical about hand washing.

[cornbread]

  nini said:

my husband told me that I was going overboard when I suggested only gluten-free food for the cats and the dog... he said that I was just being ridiculously OCD and didn't want me to pass my OCD onto my kid so, the cat food and dog food and treats are all gluten filled and I am just fanatical about  hand washing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's terrible to hear! I have our pets on gluten-free food because not only is their food kept in the kitchen, that is where we serve it up, and then their dishes go in the sink or the dishwasher. As often as you wash your hands after handling their food, what about the dust in the air (presuming dry food) or crumbs or little splodges or canned food on the counter that you have to touch to wipe up? Then once meal time is over, what about the pets licking you? It's simply not worth it. I'm sorry, but this makes me so annoyed! This is YOUR HEALTH we are talking about! It's not something to be taken lightly. And it's also about your comfort level in your own home. If I were you I would just buy the pets gluten-free food next time. It has to be better for them anyway.

[Jenn2005]

I changed all of our pet food to gluten-free. The dog food is easy to find in gluten-free and its one less thing to worry about with cross contamination. We have an African Grey also and there is more gluten in the bird food than I could have imagined. We now do all fresh fruits, vegtables, nuts and seeds. My husband had actually shown major improvements after we switched the animals food to gluten-free. I don't think there can be such a thing as overboard when it comes to someones health.

Jennifer

[Rachel--24]

Hmm...I havent switched my pets food. For one thing my cat only likes one kind of food...the expensive kind. My birds food has gluten and so does my dogs food...if I wash my hands everytime how can I possibly be glutened?

[cornbread]

Rachel, I switched our cats to Precise: Open Original Shared Link

We have 2 very senior cats and a young adult cat. Until now they were on two different brands of food (and older cats needing anti-hairball senior food). With Precise we switched them all to the same stuff, the Feline Hairball formula. All 3 of them love it (as does my friend's dog! ) My cats are all really fussy eaters, but they all dug the new stuff. From the ingreidents list it looks like it's really good for them too. And NO hairballs since they switched. Woo hoo!