Oh, joyful, gluten-free Christmas season

Anyone suffering from gluten sensitivity or celiac disease must avoid all classic grains. But that's not all. All processed foods that contain components of these grains in any form are also taboo.

However, the Christmas season is a challenge in itself! We'll take you on a little pre-Christmas journey, complete with many gluten-containing pitfalls and how you can avoid them.

1. Gluten-free Christmas season: The Christmas market

At every stall, there's a wonderful aroma. Your mouth waters just thinking about it. And what can I eat there with my gluten intolerance? Right, practically nothing, it feels like. Because everywhere it not only shines and smells wonderful, but the "evil" gluten also lurks everywhere. At Christmas markets, waffles and crêpes are a real classic. Usually sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, served with apple sauce or generously spread with Nutella, they are often made from gluten-containing grains. A stall offering gluten-free waffles therefore often causes true joy. But here lies the common problem: the stall operators are not always aware of potential cross-contamination. People with celiac disease should pay particular attention to whether separate machines are used for the non-gluten-free varieties. Even the smallest residue of a gluten-containing waffle in the waffle iron can trigger severe reactions. Roasted almonds can also be found at every Christmas market. One might think that roasted almonds only contain nuts and a lot of sugar, but a rude awakening can follow. In rare cases, flour or starch is added after roasting to prevent sticking. NO-GOs also include hand-bread, filled rolls, gingerbread, Christmas cookies, Stollen, or breaded dishes such as vegetables in batter (unless only chickpea flour was used and fried in a separate fryer), schnitzel or fried fish, as well as sauces, of course. Are the delicious chocolate fruits still an option? Unfortunately not. Even those are often "pimpt" with gluten.

Then maybe better have a drink? That's also difficult. Because in many sweetened drinks, gluten likes to hide disguised as sugar called barley malt extract.

OUR TIP: You can, of course, always ask if a dish or drink at the Christmas market is gluten-free. However, many stall operators are often overwhelmed by this. They often don't even know what gluten is. It's safer to simply ask for all the ingredients or read the ingredient list yourself.

2. The company Christmas party

With the invitation to the company Christmas party, the annual Advent wonder and amazement begins anew: will there be anything gluten-free this year? So, first, ask the organizational team. Often, you only hear, "You'll have to ask about that yourself once you're there." Of course, you then arrive "completely relaxed" at a large event where hectic in the kitchen is pre-programmed, and then ask the next best buffet employee or chef you run into if there's a gluten-free option/alternative. In most cases, you get answers like: "No, there's nothing gluten-free." or: "Yes, this and that, but I can't guarantee that it's contamination-free." In both cases, you then pull out your Christmas-themed homemade sandwiches from your handbag and bravely endure the pitying glances of your table neighbors for the rest of the evening.

OUR TIP: Two variants have proven effective:

1. Inquire about the catering company and contact them yourself in advance. Explain exactly to the staff why you need a gluten-free, uncontaminated meal and that you don't mean to bother them.

2. Practice "pre-eating" at home. This way, you're on the safe side, you're not hungry, you have a good base, and one or two glasses at the party won't harm you afterward. So that the worst case doesn't happen: you only drink instead of eating, you're already drunk before dessert is served, and you might even kiss someone you would never do sober!

3. The family Christmas party

Surely a gluten-free Christmas season is easier with family? One might think so. After all, Grandma invites everyone to a family Advent dinner every year and serves all sorts of gluten-free delicacies. However, at that moment, you're not mentally going through the many treats on the table, but rather, what contamination risks could be lurking.

Here's the explanation: For those affected by celiac disease, even tiny traces of gluten, on the order of "bread crumbs," can trigger inflammatory reactions in the intestines. Therefore, work must be very clean and contamination-free. However, this is difficult to achieve in a household where mostly gluten-containing food is cooked.

In plain language: Grandma, for example, shouldn't use a wooden spoon or her beloved hand mixer if she has used them to stir gluten-containing dough. She would have to buy new baking pans and should never have baked gluten-containing dough in them. The ingredients would also have to be certified gluten-free, and much more. As you can see, the whole thing turns out to be more difficult for those affected than expected.

OUR TIP: Bring something yourself and warm it up. Uncool? But unfortunately just safer. The other option is to instruct grandma, mom, and co. precisely (preferably prepare them for it repeatedly throughout the year) and ideally cook along directly and keep an eye on how the cooking is done and guide them accordingly. Because having a gluten accident is definitely not the better option here.

And what is the moral of the story?

Education is important! The Christmas season is not an easy time for people with gluten intolerance. Every day, the risk of potential gluten contamination must be weighed.

Because with every meal, you entrust your health to professionals, but also to every amateur cook. In these cases, GluteoStop® can be taken as an additional precautionary measure before a supposedly gluten-free meal. GluteoStop® cannot replace a gluten-free diet, but in addition to a gluten-free diet, it can help reduce the unwanted and unwitting exposure to gluten (which, for example, has entered food through contamination). And that's what it's all about: to add as little gluten as possible to your body.

Be vigilant and attentive and don't stop asking! With care and GluteoStop®, a gluten-free Christmas season is also possible.

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