Yess!! I'm coeliac and I'm on a cooking rota with my friends- they're all really good at checking ingredients and they scrub all their utensils so contamination is rare, and my contamination avoidance is the same as theirs anyway, and yet when I asked for advice online about talking to them about not using my wooden utensils on gluten stuff etc, I was bombarded by people telling me to cook for myself- I wasn't asking for them to dictate how I choose to manage my condition, I wanted a way to tell my friends why I don't want them using my stuff without offending them
I don't get hugely sick from contamination, and in my case specifically, I don't think avoiding gluten to extremes is worth the stress, not to mention cooking for myself every night etc
It's my life- I can do what I want with it. And I choose not to stress about contamination. Other people can, and I understand that, but I also believe that it's up to each individual how they manage their condition- if they don't care, that's up to them.
Just don't tell a restaurant you're coeliac and then eat gluten from your friend's plate- if I'm gonna eat something from my sister's plate, I tell the restaurant it's a mild intolerance and not to worry about contamination
When I tell them I'm coeliac, I will never take these risks- it's not fair on those who cannot deal with contamination, nor the chefs who work hard to keep my food safe when I'm just gonna render it pointless anyway- but I don't think it's wrong to take these risks if you're coeliac, some people act like it's the worst thing you can do ever
I'll deal with this shit how I want, thanks. I've found my balance. Sorry it's not the same as yours.
This may be a hot take but anyways.
Whilst we need the general public & to some extent, newly diagnosed people with coeliac disease to understand the seriousness of the condition. I wish people within our community would stop fear mongering so much.
We get it. We need to not be exposed to gluten. But also we still need quality of life. There comes a point where the harm stress does to our body, outweighs small occasional risks of exposure.
Having a ‘may contain’ food item once in while, is not that serious. It is not going to do a massive amount of damage to our bodies in the long term, even if it does have traces. Getting exposed from eating out one time, is not going to cause cancer.
Some people get extremely ill & I’m not dismissing that. Most of us want to avoid it regardless of the severity because it sucks. But what I am saying that if people want to take small risks once in a while, they shouldn’t be made to feel bad or like that is going to kill them. People should be allowed to ask ‘hey, anyone tried this may contain? Did you get sick from it?’.
I don’t know why but it’s always the ‘may contains’ that people are the most wildly judgemental about. Everywhere you eat out is a ‘may contain’. Your home is one huge ‘may contain’ if you live with people who eat gluten.
Do your best. Allow your body to heal after diagnosis &/or exposure. Figure out what risks feel like a reasonable balance for you between not getting sick/not having ongoing exposures & quality of life. Maybe this works better in places where it’s easier to avoid exposures because of better/clearer labelling laws but that’s all I can speak to & where the chaotic judgement is coming from too.