Making a guide to what you eat

I have found that communicating about my dietary restrictions can be exhausting, so I wrote the following into a Google Doc that I share with people when they ask about my food allergies/sensitivities.

So far it’s been very well received, and hopefully this is useful and/or inspiring for you! Good luck! 🍀

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This document has four sections. One describing the severity of my gluten sensitivity/allergy. The second a quick nod to preparing a safe cooking environment. The third describing foods and ingredients I can eat and the last covering what I don’t eat. The last section includes some very nuanced aspects of gluten contamination and also includes other non-gluten allergies I deal with.

1. So I have some food allergies…

Sadly I cannot depend on “gluten free” labeling to stay safe

I’m reactive below the threshold required for GF certification (10ppm). I have to check products individually for possible sources of contamination, so the easiest way for me to avoid gluten is to avoid processed foods unless they’re produced in a dedicated gluten free facility/kitchen… sauces & condiments are especially subtle!

2. Food prep (sanitation vs denaturing gluten)

Gluten is a “sticky” protein and common sanitation practices (bleach) won’t remove it from surfaces. To denature and remove gluten, surfaces must be washed with hot water and soap (or detergent).

This includes both prep surfaces and cook surfaces, and it can be useful to review more information online about how to prepare specific cooking surfaces such as wood cutting boards or cast iron.

Shared oil for frying is also a common source of contamination.

3. Efficient_Fox2100 Eats…

I readily (and enthusiastically) consume:

• Almost all veggies (light on onions & garlic)
• Fruits (esp apples!)
• Beans, (esp Pinto)
• Chicken
• Pork
• Lamb
• Goat
• Tofu
• Rice & Rice products
• Potatoes & yams
• Nuts
• Quinoa
• Dairy (I’m now limiting my dairy intake… but I’m still eating cheese)

I have found Cup 4 Cup flour works for me, and any other similar flour should be fine. It’s ingredients are: Cornstarch, White Rice Flour, Brown Rice Flour, Milk Powder, Tapioca Flour, Potato Starch and Xanthan Gum.

4. Efficient_Fox2100 does not eat…

To stay safe, I’ve restricted my diet to:

• No grains, even those considered “gluten free” such as sorghum and oats.
• No foods processed “on shared equipment” or “in a facility that also processes wheat”.
• No foods with ingredients generically listing “spices”, “natural flavors”, and especially nothing with “smoke flavor”.
• No foods with vinegar when the vinegar source is unknown. Known gluten-derived vinegar includes: sushi vinegar many hot sauces
• No Cinnamon (non-gluten allergy)
• No Beef (non-gluten indigestion)
• No onions (seem to cause indigestion, but green onions and garlic seem to be okay? Still figuring this one out…)

Final note regarding “no grains of any kind”: It is unclear to me if my sensitivity to oats and sorghum is due to gluten contamination during harvest, storage, and processing of these grains or because of the similarity of their proteins to that of gluten. I do eat quinoa occasionally without issue, and other alternative grains like amaranth may actually be feasible for me. If you want to have me try a new grain, please let me know. I’m open to it!