Sorry to hear that you have it, it's a tough thing to do deal with. Although I do not have celiac my sister does and I grew up in a household where I couldn't p

Sorry to hear that you have it, it's a tough thing to do deal with. Although I do not have celiac my sister does and I grew up in a household where I couldn't put butter on toast and then go for a second dab of butter. Here are a few tips of advice from what my sister has done, and what our family does. > At restaurants or family gatherings my sister would always say, "I am allergic to gluten" in place of "I have celiac disease. An allergy is within the experience of most people, particularly in severe cases like some peanut allergies. In this way the waitresses and family members often ask about severity, in which she mentions nothing that touches gluten should be used to prep her food and that washing a set of utensils is best. > A second restaurant protocol is asking whether a salad, piece of meat, or other dish has coatings, dressings, or bread accoutrements. Grilled chicken and steak are my sisters favorite as when she asks if they are coated in flour the answer is always 'no'. When salads or soups come with bread or croutons she asks for them to be removed when ordering. > When a dish comes with a loaf of bread, croutons, or other gluten items we weren't able to discern from the menu or the waitress, she usually asks for one of us to remove it and eat it, if the contamination was small. Knowing how you react to small amounts trace gluten is the key here. > Create a shelf at home that contains only gluten free food. We have several now, but first began with a shelf in the fridge for only gluten free foods and leftovers and a pantry shelf. If not that, have pieces of tape to mark items of food that have no gluten anything that helps in indicate to others what it is and is for. "Use the pasta with the tape on it for my dish because I am allergic to normal pasta" is easier to relate to others. A final thought, make it a point to go out to eat and explore food with your family! They'll only grow comfortable to you asking questions of the food if they are exposed to it repeatedly. My family always looks at the menu's ahead of going to a restaurant, but even at the most bread heavy of spots she finds a salad, soup, or steak that suits her desires. Don't worry too much and know that it won't ruin all eating for you! Just find the right set of questions to ask and the best ways to translate it to others!