What's Behind the Craze for Gluten-free Food?

Approximately 1% of the population has celiac disease.

Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease that triggers varying levels of digestive distress and numerous long term health problems if gluten is consumed. The only treatment for this condition is a gluten-free diet for life. However, for the vast majority of us, gluten is a harmless protein found in grains like wheat, rye and barley that is best known for giving bread its fluffiness.

Nonetheless, "gluten-free" has been a major selling point, as if it were a synonym for "low carb". There are now hundred's of gluten-free foods on the grocery shelves, gluten-free menus in restaurants, gluten-free Communion wafers and gluten-free lifestyle tips from Hollywood personalities. American's spent a record $2.6 billion last year to banish gluten from their lives.

A recent survey by a market-research firm, Packaged Facts, showed that only 8% to 12% of people who purchased gluten-free products did so because of a medical reason. Most people, at least 76% of gluten-free consumers, simply thought gluten-free products were healthier or of higher quality or would help them manage their weight.

"It has become extremely fashionable to the point that it is alarming," says Dr. Stefano Guandalini, founder and director of the Celiac Disease Center at the University of Chicago. He and other gluten colleagues say most people on gluten-free diets don't actually need to be: they have either jumped on the bandwagon or misdiagnosed themselves as gluten-sensitive. Lab work from a doctor or a biopsy from a gastroenterologist is required to correctly diagnose celiac disease and therefore "qualify" for the mandatory gluten-free lifestyle. In fact, “without proper regulation of the use of a gluten-free diet, vendors and restaurants will feel it is just a fad or another ‘crazy diet' and won't adhere to the strict guidelines that need to be followed by true gluten- sensitive people,” says Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina.

Dietary gluten is not a dietary evil. Consider whole grain wheat as one of the healthiest, fiber-packed foods we have to choose from. Think of all the populations on the globe that have existed and thrived since the beginning of time on wheat. As for weight loss benefits, a gluten-free pretzel is not going to take off pounds any faster than a regular pretzel. In fact, if only gluten is avoided you will probably be getting more calories with fewer nutrients because many gluten-free foods end up being high in sugar and low in fiber. This is why celiac patients who go on prescribed gluten-free diets often see their body mass indexes increase, not decrease.

The bottom line…. A gluten-free diet is not necessarily a healthy diet. It can be a healthy diet if correct instruction is given by a qualified registered dietitian, but it is definitely not to be taken as a fad diet.