Last year, Americans spent $2.64 billion on foods and beverages without gluten, up from $210 million in 2001, according to Packaged Facts, a Rockville, Md.-based market research firm . The number of food and beverage packages with gluten-free package claims or tags rose from fewer than 1,000 at the end of 2006 to 2,600 by 2010. The target market for sufferers of three types of gluten-related disorders is significant. An estimated 3 million Americans have celiac disease, a life-threatening immune disorder triggered by the consumption of a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Celiac disease is considered genetic, but can strike at any time of life when genetic and environmental influences intersect. Only about 200,000 Americans have been diagnosed. Another 300,000 to 600,000 Americans have wheat allergies, which could kill them if they inadvertently ingested wheat products that swell their airways shut. The biggest of these potential pools lies with those plagued by an emerging, but not fully delineated “gluten sensitivity” which Dr. Alessio Fasano, director of the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland in Baltimore , in a study published in March, estimated could be as many as 20 million people. Among that group is Maria Monteverde-Jackson, 40, of Arlington, Va. Only six weeks ago, she gave up gluten after becoming increasingly frustrated by doctors’ inability to pinpoint the source of the stomach pain, tingling in her hands, headaches, brain fog and “a general unwell feeling” she’d had since December. Because she had a 3-year-old niece with celiac disease, she considered the possibility that celiac might be “somewhere in our DNA” and underwent blood tests and biopsies of her small intestine, which all proved negative for celiac. After that, she said, “I felt like I needed to take control and do something to see if I couldn’t make myself feel better.” She had a consultation with Fasano and was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity.
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Gluten-free diet works for many reasons
One such reason is non-Celiac gluten sensitivity, or NCGS. Though NCGS is not as severe as Celiac disease, research has suggested that a gluten-free diet can relieve NCGS symptoms, which include abdominal pain and headaches. Allergies are another reason some people may opt for a gluten-free diet. Unlike Celiac disease or NCGS, both of which are digestive system responses to gluten, wheat allergy is an immune-system response and, like other allergies, can be outgrown. But until a wheat allergy is outgrown, its best to avoid foods, including those with gluten that might trigger an allergic reaction. While a gluten-free diet is a necessity for people with Celiac disease, NCGS or wheat allergies, it may provide little health benefit to those without such conditions. But that doesnt mean the popularity of the gluten-free diet is about to wane. Those without a pre-existing medical condition who are considering a gluten-free diet anyway should know a few things about this diet before making such a drastic change. Gluten-free is not easy Unlike eliminating sugary soft drinks or cutting back on fried foods, going cold turkey on gluten can be very difficult. Many people who adopt a gluten-free diet find it extremely challenging, as gluten proteins can be found in additives, making something as seemingly simple as reading labels a lot trickier than it looks. Though labels may not list gluten among a products ingredients, men and women must be aware of all additives that contain gluten proteins in order to avoid gluten entirely. Certain foods and drinks must be avoided Though people considering a gluten-free diet are aware that such a diet requires some sacrifices, they may not know which foods and beverages they will need to avoid until they have instituted the diet. For example, a gluten-free diet excludes any beverages that contain barley, meaning beer cannot be part of a gluten-free diet. Though many gluten-free beers are now on the market, beer aficionados may find such alternatives cannot compare to the real thing. Rye and wheat products also must be avoided, and these include products whose labels list bulgur, durum flour, farina, graham flour, kamut, semolina, and spelt among their ingredients. Though there are now many gluten-free foods on the market, unless labels say gluten-free, the following are a handful of products that should be avoided: Breads Soy sauce Soups Many doctors also recommend men and women on a gluten-free diet avoid oats, as they can easily be contaminated with wheat during the growing and processing stages of production.
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