<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
One recent thread has dealt with what we should expect from restaurants, food
companies, and others.  There has been much discussion of celiac sprue as a
 "disease."  First, I should say that it is my daughter, not me, who has
celiac disease.  I had a severe case of gastroenteritis when I was a
teenager, and I was on a diet for a long time that was  extremely restricted
(much more so than the GF diet).  With this experience, and providing for a
healthy diet for my daughter, I do understand the problems encountered.
 
I think that celiac disease is a food intolerance with an unfortunate name.
 We don't talk about other food intolerances as diseases.  I can't eat some
shellfish, many people are lactose intolerant, and others are unable to eat
nuts or other commonly used foods.  We don't think or speak of these people
as being diseased.  Gluten is toxic to people with CD, and when exposed to
this poison, celiacs get sick.  On a gluten-free diet, after the effects of
the poisoning have healed, almost all celiacs seem to be just as healthy as
anyone else.  I highly recommend Jax Peters Lowell's book to everyone on the
list. She really has the right attitude about CD.
 
My daughter was diagnosed before she was  2 years old, and now at 4-1/2, she
knows what she can't eat, and she has a great attitude about it.  We have
explained to her that almost everyone has certain foods that they can't eat,
and she has already seen this even in her pre-school:  one of her classmates
is allergic to chocolate, and one of her teachers was lactose-intolerant as a
child.
 
This said, I'm not trying to make light of anyone else's concerns.  Many of
the list's participants are suffering greatly from the effects of delayed
diagnosis and long-term gluten poisoning.
 
I agree with those on the list who think that we need to concentrate on
getting U.S. companies to label food properly.  The people in New Zealand are
really lucky that they have such good labeling laws.  It is not only celiacs
who are put at risk by the lack of thoroughness of our labeling laws.
 Educating doctors about the disease is also obviously  very important.  I
applaud those of you who are  organizing these efforts, and I'd be happy to
help if I can.
 
Sorry this is so long.  In closing, I'd like to thank all of you for the
great information I've been getting from this list.
 
Evelyn