Distillation is not my friend.

I mentioned before that I can be wrong. And boy, have I been.

One glaring example- distilled vinegar and alcohol.

Being the internet-savvy Celiac that I am, that most of us have to be in this day and age, I find a lot of information. I'm sure you do too. Isn't it nice that all sources are always in perfect agreement as to what is safe for you to eat and what isn't?

On a side note- are you really going to trust what sexychick69 tells you on that obscure message board?!

Don't trust everything you read. Even from a reputable source. Many places say that gluten reactions from distilled vinegar or distilled alcohol (ex. vanilla extract, some liquors) can't be possible because the gluten molecule is too large to make it through the distillation process. Makes sense, right?

I preached that one myself for awhile. All the while, still being sick and being consistently poisoned. I finally made a connection when I would notice a gluten reaction every Saturday for a few weeks. I cut out the Friday night cocktail- no reaction. Hmmm... what was that about distilled vodka being perfectly safe for all Celiacs?

I also made my own version of Easy Mac. Except without the mac, using instant rice. And with a lot less Easy, too. To spice it up, I added a splash of my favorite taco sauce with unidentified distilled vinegar in it. As much as I loved my cheesy, spicy Easy Rice for lunch, I always knew there was something wrong with it. Should've listened to my guts' loud protests...

Take home message: try things for yourself. Don't think that something can't make you sick just because someone else says it's impossible. Logically, yes- gluten shouldn't be able to get into distilled products. I took enough chemistry to know that.

But I've noticed fewer reactions when I'm careful to avoid vinegar and alcohol products of questionable origin. I think it's been a significant key to my slow but steady recovery.

Now if only I hadn't put that hot sauce on my dinner...

I'll name names later. (Frank, you've got it coming, buddy!)