Can You Get Glutened by Kissing Someone?

This might sound like a strange question… But it’s one I get asked more often than you’d think. 

Can you actually get glutened… from kissing someone? 

Maybe your partner just ate something with gluten… maybe you’re out on a date… or maybe you’ve never even thought about this before… 

But now you’re wondering…is this something I need to worry about? 

In this episode, we’re going to break this down in a really clear, practical way what the actual risk is, when it matters, and what you can do about it without making things awkward. 

And by the end, you’ll know exactly how to handle this in real life… without overthinking it. 

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Transcript

Disclaimer And The Big Question

Carrie Saunders 0:00

Quick reminder before we get started on this episode. This podcast is based on my personal experiences and isn't medical advice. So here's something today that some people don't think about. Can you actually get gluten from kissing someone? Maybe your partner just ate something with gluten in it. Maybe you're out on a date, or maybe you've never even thought about this before. But now you might be wondering, is this something I need to be worried about? In this episode, we're going to break down in a really clear, practical way what the actual risk is, when it matters, and what you can do about it without making things awkward. And by the end, you'll know exactly how to handle this in real life without overthinking it. Let's dive in. Welcome to the Gluten Free Engineer Podcast. I'm your host, Kiri Saunders. In 2011, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, a moment that changed everything. But I was determined not to let it hold me back. With my two engineering degrees, I set out to reverse engineer the gluten-free lifestyle, breaking down recipes, safety tips, travel hacks, and everything in between to rebuild a life I love. Whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or simply choose to live gluten-free, this podcast is for you. Join me each week as we simplify the gluten-free lifestyle, make it fun, and prove that you don't have to miss out on anything. Okay, so we're talking about a topic today that I feel like nobody ever talks about. Can you get gluten by kissing someone? This is a really important question, especially those for people newly diagnosed with celiac, you know, they're might be dating, they have a partner, you know, somebody they kiss regularly. This is where gluten-free living goes beyond just food and into our real lives. So, and the short answer, is it possible? And yes, it is possible to get gluten from kissing somebody. It's happened to me multiple times via my husband before he realized he needed to be gluten-free too. It really can depend upon the situation, though. Gluten particles in the mouth can remain in the mouth after eating, and transfer can happen through saliva. It's as simple as that. And for someone with celiac, even small amounts can definitely matter as we talk about on this podcast episode. It's not the most common way people get gluten, but it's not impossible either. I have definitely have, I can at least count five or more times, and I know that my kids have as well when they were dating. Um, hopefully that doesn't embarrass them to say that on the podcast, but you know, we all kiss when we're dating, right? So it shouldn't be something that should be embarrassing. It can be a way to get glutened. Now, what can happen is, especially if they've just eaten gluten, haven't brushed their teeth, then that's a definite thing that we need to be careful for. So it is something I talk to my children about, um, especially, you know, when they got older and they were dating. So studies show that small bounce of gluten can remain in saliva after eating. The levels decrease over time and with actions like brushing or rinsing your mouth or something like that. So the amount is usually small, but with celiac, it can still matter and it can depend upon the person whether they're going to get symptoms or not. Obviously, with celiac, we shouldn't have any gluten, um, even whether we have symptoms or not from it. So, what I recommend and and what I recommended to my children was, you know, make sure your, you know, girlfriend that you're dating knows that if she eats gluten, she needs to brush her teeth afterwards before coming over to our house or before going on a date or something like that. That way it wasn't like awkward in the moment. They already pre-prepared by brushing their teeth, which greatly reduce the risk. So, when is the risk higher? The highest risk situation situations are right after eating gluten. Foods that leave residue like breads, crumbs, um, no brushing or rinsing, close contact soon after. Think about, you know, when you've eaten food, you know, some that food will stay in your mouth. It might get stuck in between your teeth, especially things like soft things like bread. Um, what can make it a lower risk is the time has passed, or the mouth has been brushed, rinsed, drank water, etc. I will caveat this to say that there was one day that my husband had gluten at lunch. Then we decided to get uh Chipotle for dinner and we shared a pop. We weren't even kissing, we were sharing a pop. And on the way home, after I picked up Chipotle, and I started getting sick already from you know us sharing that pop. So even sharing a drink can do this as well. And we couldn't attribute it to anything else other than he had high gluten at lunchtime and he hadn't brushed his teeth yet because you know he had been at work, so he hadn't we didn't think about him brushing his teeth. We thought, oh, enough time has passed. So again, we come back to listening to our body here. We I've also gotten gluten from him whenever he um used to drink beer. Obviously, he didn't drink beer anymore because he's gluten-free too, he feels so much better off gluten, and he actually has a celiac gene as well, so he may have celiac, but he drank beer. Well, he brushed his teeth like we always did to make sure I didn't get gluten after he had gluten and I still got sick. Well, we could attribute beer to being something that could potentially stay in cracks and crevices in your mouth. Maybe he didn't brush well enough, maybe he should have used mouthwash at the same time and really switched around. So we just need to make sure we are listening to our body. So these are some real life situations where I have gotten sick because my husband has eaten gluten. And we've also had situations where one of our children has gotten sick uh kissing a girlfriend who had just recently eaten gluten. Let's have some phrases that we can say to make this a little less awkward. So here are some examples of what you could say. Hey, can you rinse or brush real quick? I just want to be careful. Then that doesn't put it on it's their fault. You're just, you know, saying, Hey, you want to be careful yourself, want to be careful. Or how about it's not a big deal, but I just have to be careful with cross contact and I want to make sure I'll be safe. Just anything calm and normal and not apologetic. Any phrase you're comfortable with, practice it in your head if you need to, if you are in a situation where you're going to need to bring this up. And so it might feel awkward at first, especially when dating or in early relationships. You know, for me, I've kind of felt like I was crazy. You know, even though I'd been dating my husband since 1992, I mean married since 97, it kind of felt like I felt like I was being crazy asking him to brush his teeth before we kissed because I didn't want to get sick because I had been getting sick from it. But your friends and your family and the person you're dating, if they really truly care about you, they will listen, especially if you do it in a kind, calm manner, and you know, just saying, hey, I'm just trying to protect myself. So try not to turn this into fear though, too. I don't want you to panic. Um, you don't need to avoid being close to somebody. You just need this awareness and some simple habits and some open communication so that you can, you know, be safe with this if you have celiac. So this isn't really all about fear, it's about small practical adjustments because we can get gluten from kissing. It is obviously a lower risk than other ways, but it definitely can happen. And our family has experienced it multiple times. At the end of the day, this is one of those things that sounds complicated, but really just comes down to awareness and simple habits. You don't need to overthink it. You just need to understand it, and you just have to ask with kindness and with no apology to have that other person to please brush their teeth before you kiss. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Gluten Free Engineer. If you found value in this story, please share it with someone who might need encouragement on their own gluten-free journey. For more tips, recipes, resources, and even links to my YouTube channel, head on over to theglutenfreengineer.com. It's your one-stop hub to make gluten-free living simple, fun, and full of flavor. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss out on an episode. And we will see you next week. The Gluten Free Engineer Podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I share my personal experiences and stories about living with celiac disease and navigating a gluten free lifestyle. This podcast does not provide medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for medical questions, concerns, or advice specific to your health.