[CondoleezzaProtege]

Yes I get the sense author was not celiac (rather rare) but ‘gluten intolerant’ (a sort of trend) ...

[Rockingham]

Alas, celiac disease is not so rare but is estimated to have an incidence as high as 1%.

[Rockingham]

I think you are right. I hate though to see people with a genuine medical disorder talking themselves into dropping the essential therapy for it. There are many with celiac disease who mislead themselves into thinking that after a period of healing, gluten may be safely be taken up in moderation. Unfortunately, for celiacs, that is simply untrue, and even if otherwise asymptomatic, eating gluten brings a higher risk of cancer and a wide range of other serious ailments.

As for nonceliacs who seem to have trouble with gluten, only in the last ten years or so have the existence of wheat allergy and gluten intolerance come to be mostly accepted as common medical problems. The nature and extent of those ailments though remain poorly understood, and they can interact with other allergies and intolerances in complicated ways. Avoidance of offending foods remains essential for effective treatment, so gluten ought to be off the menu permanently -- even if one is on vacation in Europe.