Gluten or no gluten?

So, with this baby shower really just a little over a day away and with some of the people that I've had the opportunity to connect with over this last market season, I feel like I needed to take a moment to acknowledge the gluten conversation. I have my own experience with this, we have friends who have their experiences, then I've had market goers that I have learned from as well.

From my own experience I've previously made decisions to, at a point, remove gluten from my diet entirely. Being in a family with a long history of food sensitivities, allergies, and intolerances I can say with confidence that this decision at the time did help my body out in its digestion. I still can eat gluten without getting sick, but I could feel a difference. Now, I think that having a kid may have actually, funny enough, helped my stomach issues because for the past year, I've gone back to not being particular about my dietary habits, so I've been okay with sourcing both gluten and gluten free.

We have learned from friends and customers just how much of a prevalent issue gluten can be for some individuals. My husband and I saw the gluten free description on some baby wipes when we were out and about one day and we had to call and have a laugh with some friends about it. Obviously, there's always a reason for some signage and I'm sure that there are individuals out there that have enough of an allergy to gluten that physical contact could cause a flare up. I just always find it interesting to see these warnings on non food products.

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Knowing that some individuals have greater sensitivity to gluten than others. I respect the need for a safe, sanitary surface for food providers to be working on. It also gives me an appreciation for the need for insurance. I feel fortunate to have found the commercial kitchen resource that I have access to and the equipment that they have available. One of the market goers I chatted with explained that they need that high heat level of sanitation and no cross contamination to avoid their physiological response. When they mentioned the 186 degree Fahrenheit point it helped me connect the dots that the commercial sanitizer I utilize runs dishes through that high temp water.

Since having this conversation I wanted to make sure that I made it a point to keep all dishes and utensils sanitized regularly. Other than this just being a good practice in general for the health and safety of anyone partaking in the Sweets & Starches products, it's also a critical practice for customers who may be keeping their distance from gluten for whatever the reason. It's of course always difficult to completely eliminate the possibility of all contact with gluten, but I do feel confident with my practices and hope that they can be appreciated by customers of all level of sensitivities.

If you or a friend is looking for a fun gluten free treat or you need some options for an event let me know. I'm more than happy to coordinate! Because I know that this comes up pretty often, I wanted to make sure that I included some information in my FAQ as well. You can find that here! Thank you for visiting my site and I look forward to connecting with you!