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> Not sure where to end this discussion, but I think we might start by trying
> to get the major celiac support groups to accept the scientific basis for
> NOT including quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth in the celiac NO list.  It
> is, let me be the first to say it, very possible to have a food sensitivity
> to quinoa, buckwheat, or/and amaranth.  But it is not technically a
> gliadin/gluten, celiac reaction that one might have.

Isn't this exactly what the point is with distilled white vinegar? That
it is possible some (a few? many?) celiacs are having *non-celiac*
reactions to it or products which contain it?

I must admit I've been confused about vinegar for the last five years,
thanks to the conflicting celiac organization positions and this list. I
finally decided to listen to chemists who may know more about it than I
do. It opened up a whole new world of enjoyable foods for my son, with
no ill effects.

Sometimes I feel I am raising a hypochondriac (as well as building
neuroses of my own). It has struck me recently that it is so easy to
blame anything and everything on this disease. Every time my son has
problems concentrating, "abnormal" behavior at school, or an upset
stomach, my first thought is "celiac reaction." But we are *so* careful
about his diet. Well, you know what? Every other kid in the world has
bad days, bad moods, and catches viruses, and it's all perfectly normal.

Sticking to a gluten-free diet and avoiding cross-contamination is
nearly a full-time job. Why do we make it worse by suspecting and
avoiding things that scientists say cannot possibly contain harmful
gluten? Even when it feels like a celiac reaction, it is possible it's
not. As so many know from personal experience, celiacs--like the rest of
the population--can have other conditions. I don't have celiac disease,
but am lactose intolerant. My best friend doesn't have celiac disease,
but is allergic to barley. Every reaction in a celiac is not necessarily
*caused* by CD.

I heartily agree with proposals to stop insisting that vinegar in
particular is not gluten-free. However, those with reactions and our
celiac societies would certainly be justified in stating that "some have
problems with vinegar." But at any rate, let's put a stop to the
confusion and its perpetuation!

Tami Powell
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan