Originally Posted by canadiancare:
Celiac isn't an allergy. It is a disease where the villi of the small intestine (kind of like plant roots) are damaged by gluten and can't absorb nutrients properly. Continued abuse/exposure can lead to bowel cancer.
I call it an allergy because most people can identify with that when I say I can't have X, Y, Z nor can I have anything that might be cross contaminated.