Vinegar Allergy!

FIANLLY, I am so glad I found this site. I have been to so many specialist allergest, dermatologist and was tested for everything but vinagar. I have stayed away from the basic panal allergenss but the symtom have not goon away. i have all the syptoms that ALL of the post, everyone. My face has been bright red for so long the the tingling could not find out what was wrong. AND THE WORST WAS EVERTHING THE SPECIALEST GAVE ME MADE MY FACE WORST. Thank you soo much it will be interesting what will change in the next couple week!!!

I'm not sure what my issue is yet.  I have a major gluten sensitivity and believe it may be celiac disease despite negative test results.  I've been going on almost two years trying to eliminate trace gluten and be on as close to a 100% gluten-free diet as I can.  I thought I was doing really well, but things started getting bad for me again a few weeks ago.  I thought the episodes started because of chia seeds, which I hadn't had in about a year and wanted to see if I could tolerate them.  I also believe I got glutened by a mini doughnut maker that I forgot to clean when I went through my kitchen last year and that I was taking a longer than normal time to get over it.  This past weekend, I had a dill pickle for a snack and was so horribly bloated that night, more than I can ever remember happening to me.  I felt a little bit better the next day but had guacamole that contained vinegar on a gluten-free bagel for breakfast the following day and felt awful all day, mostly really fatigued.  I started to suspect the vinegar but for gluten reasons because some vinegars can be created from gluten grains.  I of course knew malt vinegar was a no-no, but both these products had just "vinegar" on their labels.  I later found out that vinegar labelled this way has to be apple cider vinegar in the US, so no issues with gluten there.  I was really confused by that information but decided to try eliminating vinegar anyway just to see if it would make a difference.  It didn't take long for me to feel like I did when I first cut gluten, full of energy with my digestion actually starting to work right again.  It seems like I react to the vinegar itself and have symptoms similar to when I've been glutened.  I'm going to continue staying completely vinegar-free for a while to see what happens, to see if I stay okay or develop other symptoms because I'm still consuming problem foods.  Thankfully I'm on vacation next week and can try figuring out what to do to find substitutes for foods with vinegar like mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and salad dressing.  I may have to do without some of these things.  I also hope I can rinse beans and other foods prepared in a sauce with vinegar and still eat them.  Hopefully after some time I can see my gastroenterologist to let her know of this new "event" in my life and get her thoughts on it, if it's a permanent thing, if I should include it in my medical records and medical alert information, etc.  I just wish there was more information out there.  I pretty much feel I'm on my own trying to figure out what these reactions mean and how to eat vinegar-free.

Hi, we find that distilled vinegars have wheat and or gluten added to it but because the amount is so low the manufacturer does not have to put it on the label. The vinegars that are safe for many celiacs or those with wheat allergies is rice, apple cider and balsamic vinegars. As we all know most of the condiments like ketchups, mayonnaise, mustards, pickles use distilled vinegars. Dr. David Perlmutter, MD has written a book on grain brain which talks about allergies, and food.

Here is additional information about vinegar and how it appears on food labels.What does the single word “vinegar” mean in an ingredient list? For the purposes of food labeling, the FDA views the term “vinegar” to be the same as “cider vinegar” or “apple vinegar.” All of these are defined as made from the juice of apples. Vinegar, cider vinegar, and apple vinegar are gluten free. http://www.fda.gov/iceci/compliancemanuals/compliancepolicyguidancemanual/ucm074471.htm: VINEGAR, CIDER VINEGAR, APPLE VINEGAR. The product made by the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentations of the juice of apples. Also, I would love to start a Facebook group for those who are avoiding vinegar for any reason (candida diet, allergy/intolerance, yeast sensitivity, etc.). However, I don't have any Facebook friends that I know of who are avoiding vinegar, so if any of you are on Facebook and would like to join a group, please reply here (so I know who you are) and send me a friend request. I should be able to form a group as long as I can add at least one friend. Once the group is created, I'll reply here with the group name and link so others can join.  ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web addresses not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

Oops...guess I should have said who I was! My name is Sarah Trammell, so you should be able to find me on Facebook using that name. I'm not sure what additional information may be needed, but I live in GA.

I created a group called Living Without Vinegar on Facebook. You should be able to find it by searching on that name.

i have been swollen most of the summer, and it wass suggested last week that it might be suphites. Well today I was making pickles  - boiling vinegar and my face started swellling even more. My face, throat and arms have been swelling off and on since early June. i will be happy just to have an answer.Vinegar i can elminate  if necessary

Several weeks ago I had a reaction similar to yours after eating Tuna, rice and balsamic vinegar. I blamed the tuna.....well this evening I had another reaction after eating tomatoes, cheese & balsamic vinegar. Short of breath, tightness in neck & chest and a feeling of panic. My son gave me a benadryl, I used my rescue inhaler and perhaps 30 min. later I felt some relief. I now feel it is my favorite vinegar and I am heart sick. And yes, sulphite's are the culprit. So long wine, vinegar and anything containing sulphite.

OMG! I was just looking to see if it was possible to have an allergy to vinegar because I made a chicken dish with a package of spices that also required you to use distilled vinegar. This is the second time that I have used this and both times, the next day my mouth breaks out in numerous ulcers and canker sores. It is hard for me to chew or sometimes even swallow when my mouth breaks out. Thank you for posting this.

I'm so glad that the sweating, prickling under the eyes, and flushing was discussed here. I ALWAYS have this reaction to anything containing vinegar, but never considered I was allergic...not to mention that I LOVE vinegar. I won't give it up, but in future I will probably now ask for dressing on the side so I can limit how much I eat.

Vinegar  triggers an asthma attack within about 5-10 minutes.  I have to be so careful about reading labels.  I have so many food allergies and intolerances it isn't even funny.  All my favorite foods are trying to kill me! :(  I

Yes! Makes me sweat starting at my scalp!

Thank you for sharing your experience, it helped me track down what I ate before I had a swelling of the upper lip and difficulty swallowing even my saliva .and ended up in E.R and they started me on Steroid Pac...I was drinking water with 1 teaspoon of vinegar for a week. I could kick my self for doing this ..I never thought I would be allergic to vinegar..thanks again...

I have started building up a mild tolerance to it, but I have been unable to eat vinegar since I was little - it causes me to throw up and my intestines to kick off. Even the smell makes me queasy. It's the acetic acid which causes the problem - chemistry lessons are useful for something, had to sit outside the rest of the class because I was going to hurl or pass out. Coupled with garlic making me faint and also haveing digestive issues I have a serious problem eating unless I cook it myself! Any 'sauce' or dressing has vinegar in it, olive oil and lemon juice with pepper make a lovely salad dressing alternative though My Dad has a similar but more severe reaction than I do, and my sister can eat it for England (tomato sauce is a staple for her, I dont even know what it tastes like! )by if she gets neat vinegar on her skin she comes out in a rash.

Don't give up salads. Just use lemon juice in place of vinegar or explore other dressings.