Welcome Donna

I have been diagnosed for 20 years now. Most of meals I prepare are gluten free although the kids still get normal pasta (as the gf is so expensive) and will have pizza.

My diary is open so look for any ideas or add me if you like. My diet is also egg, dairy and soya free.

I'm so happy you've got support! That's something a lot of people miss out on.

But yes, unless you have stainless steel pots and pans, you should replace them. Plastic and teflon can actually harbor gluten and other foods in tiny miniscule scratches (I have, actually, gotten ill from my MIL's pots that are ancient non-stick). Cutting boards too. Same for cake pans - if its aluminum, its probably OK (after its been thoroughly cleaned), but non-stick pans are a no.

Also clean out your cupboards with soap and water (gently), wheat flours get EVERYWHERE. My DH is not GF, and so he has a teeny tiny spot of counter that is just HIS. And he has to use paper towels/plates to make sandwiches. Then clean the counter again, lol. All he gets is bread, that's it.

Pretty much everything in our house is GF, except DH's bread. If you have a Trader Joe's near you they are a life send! They have decently priced bread, and their rice pasta is really good, and really reasonably priced. Amazon is my go to for GF flours, as you can sign up for their subscribe and save feature. I generally get a shipment every 3 months of brown rice flour, tapioca flour and potato starch (sometimes sorghum too).

Remember that gluten is everywhere, even in shampoos and soaps, so make sure you carefully read ingredients on everything! I'll never forget when I suddenly started getting sick, only to be bored one day and reading the back of my hand sanitizer... ugh. Wheat was a primary ingredient! It was from Bath and Body Works, but honestly, what purpose does wheat have in hand sanitizer??? Some people might not have a problem with these things, but if you're just starting out you want to make sure you have all your bases covered and you're not getting contaminated from a source you don't know about, and therefore negating any good work you've done!

Every meal I prepare is gluten free, and 99% of the time its also dairy free for my dairy allergic son. It's a hard adjustment if you're used to cooking out of a box, lol (as I was!), but healthy whole foods are naturally GF, and the more basic, the better. Good luck! You won't believe how much better you feel after a full 6 weeks!

I would make sure they are distinctive in some way so no one cooks anything on them other than you. The other option is to go with stainless steel. That's a pan you can clean easily. If you notice, it says if the pans have scrapes then you have to worry. Basically, I've always read that a nonstick with scrapes is dangerous to your health anyway. I think with Celiac's you have to worry even more than I do as I can tolerate a tiny bit but in your case...it's not the same. I just wash my pans very carefully. I suspect if my allergy were worse I'd have to do what you're doing.

Oh, I never ever cook with the same oils that my family does if it's breaded - always cook my food first then theirs so I don't have to worry about accidentally causing an allergic reaction. I just thought I'd bring that tip up as it's a pain to wash two stainless steel pans if you're frying stuff.

Monica