I travelled to Minneapolis over the weekend to present some of my research on depression and anxiety at a conference. While there, I had an opportunity to eat at some fantastic restaurants that offer gluten-free menu options (Fogo de Chão rocks!). I also had a chance to hangout with my best friend from college and her 11-month-old baby. I don’t have a baby, so I have to admit that I had never really thought about all of the ways in which celiac disease could affect the mother-infant relationship. My friend tasted most things that she fed the baby, and she always checked the temperature of warm foods and drinks. Most of what the baby ate ended up all over his face, hands and clothes, which inevitably touched his mom’s face and mouth by the end of the meal.
Beyond the food issues inherent in the mother-infant relationship, cosmetics and self-care products are an important consideration. The baby’s hands were constantly in his mouth, his mom’s mouth, touching her face, and my face. Many kisses were exchanged.
If your baby has celiac disease, all of his or her activities must be taken into account. Does she suck her thumb? Do you kiss her while wearing lipstick or lip balm? Do you put lotion on her? Does she put her hands in her mouth when eating? If so, then you may want to make sure that your lipstick and lip balm are gluten free so that you can exchange worry-free kisses. You may also want to consider the baby lotion, oil, and shampoo that you use.
If you have celiac disease, the considerations are similar. Do you kiss the baby’s skin or hair? Do you wash your hands after applying the baby’s lotion or oil and after giving her a bath? Does the child wear lip balm or facial moisturizer? You may want to make sure that the baby’s products are gluten free so that you don’t have to worry about avoiding kissing her skin or washing your hands after applying her lotion.
This approach may sound overzealous to some, but many others, including celiac specialists, nutritionists, and physicians, seem to agree:
“Make sure everything you use is gluten free; for example, shampoos, hand soaps, makeup and hand lotions.” Erik Spersrud & Jennifer Spersrud (2008) in Everything You Want to Know about Recipes Restaurants and Much More…
“Anything that can be ingested may be a potential source of gluten. This includes not only medications and dietary supplements but also toothpaste, mouthwash, lipstick, and postage stamps… Until more is know about the minimum safe exposure threshold of gluten, the patient should be advised to be as strict as possible.” – See & Murray (2008) in Nutrition in Clinical Practice
“These non-foods may also be gluten sources: lip stick and lip balm, sunscreen… soaps and shampoos, toothpaste and mouthwash, cosmetics, lotions, creams…” – Baurman & Friedlander (2008)
“The make-up that matters most is make-up you’re likely to get in your mouth (or someone else’s), like lipstick, lip gloss, lip balm, and anything else that goes on or near your lips…. Sometimes lotion from your hands or arms can get on the food you’re eating or preparing, and that can cause a problem.” Dana Korn in Living Gluten Free for Dummies (p. 74-75).
Finding out which cosmetics and self care-products are gluten free can be difficult and time-consuming, so we have done the legwork for you. Our Gluten Free Cosmetics List makes going gluten-free easy and includes over 550 gluten-free products from 25 companies in 35 categories and includes baby products, men’s products, lipsticks, lip balms, and lotions, and we’re constantly adding more.
Photo credit: charlottemorrall
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