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Thanks, Om
Tag: gluten-free
America, you can eat gluten again!
❝ In fact, most of you always could. That isn’t stopping the food industry from making a mint on gluten-free products.
❝ Only 1 percent of the U.S. population has been diagnosed with celiac disease, yet gluten-free products are still filling up—and flying off—grocery store shelves. U.S. sales reached $1.57 billion last year, up 11 percent over 2014, according to data from Packaged Facts.
Sure, that growth has slowed — it was at 81 percent in 2013. But it still runs laps around the grocery sector’s overall growth of 3 percent. In the cereal aisle, for example, where sales have been declining for the past decade, claims such as “gluten-free,” as well as “GMO-free” and “no high-fructose corn syrup” have made for one of the few bright spots, according to a recent Nielsen report…
❝ Avoiding gluten while dining out is also getting easier. Although some restaurants are now celebrating grain, others are touting their gluten-free options. “Gluten-free” was on 23.6 percent of menus this year, beating out “organic” (21 percent), “locally” (14.2 percent), and “all natural” (8.9 percent), according to DataSsential Menu Trends. That’s a big jump from 2014, when it was on only 15 percent of menus, and organic was still the health term to beat, appearing on about 19 percent of U.S. menus…
❝ For those diagnosed with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, the sudden boom in tasty, sort-of-affordable gluten-free foods is a “blessing”…But only 15 percent of consumers make these purchases because a member of the household has a gluten sensitivity, and only 9 percent make them for a member with celiac disease…
❝ The top reason for purchase? Thirty percent responded that “some products that I buy for other reasons are marked gluten-free.” Nearly as many — 29 percent—said they buy them because “gluten-free products are generally healthier,” and 20 percent said they make the purchase to manage their weight. Other surveys confirm these findings. NPD Group found that about one in four consumers thinks “gluten-free is good for everyone.”
❝ Healthcare professionals say this is a misconception — people without a related diagnosis don’t need to avoid gluten.
I didn’t have to sit around waiting for Bloomberg to publish this little article. As is my habit, when I see food purveyors ramping up production of something that reads like a fad diet, I start looking for articles from recognized sources of medical and nutritional information based on science – not profit or popularity.
I’d already learned the size of the legitimate market. I was able to compare that to what I saw in the markets where I shop. Fortunately, folks working in local stores belonging to national chains specializing in natural and organic foodstuffs have an obvious sense of humor. Signs appeared in both stores for gluten-free water, gluten-free carrots, and on and on.
Yes, they carried a chunk of the newly-expanded catalogue of wheat-free, gluten-free products. Some folks need them. Provide useful access for those who benefit and you may as well sit back and get your share of the fad from the rest.
RTFA for more details. Think you have a problem with nutrition? Consult a good doctor. Hopefully, you already have one. There are plenty around, at least, it feels like it in my neck of the prairie.
Huh? Wha?
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WTF?
Humans grow vegetable matter. Eat part of it. Compost the rest and use that to help grow more vegetable matter. One use of inedibles involves pressing and producing useful container shapes. In our home, we use one of the larger form factor plants to heat the interior. Cellulose, fiber from any variety of plants, all are useful.
Gluten-free? Give me a break from silly marketing, from hustling people. Please!
And, now, a gluten-free moment or two…
Reporter Vivien Williams discusses gluten with Dr. Joseph Murray
The Celiac Disease Foundation wants to make the process of going gluten-free easier for people with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease. Mayo Clinic experts agree that people with celiac disease should not consume gluten. But, many people who don’t have celiac disease also go gluten-free, because it makes them feel better. Dr. Joseph Murray says for that group, gluten may not be the issue.
In addition:
…Most of the people who reach for gluten-free products don’t have celiac disease and or even a sensitivity to wheat, Peter H.R. Green, MD, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, told WebMD. “The market for gluten-free products is exploding. Why exactly we don’t know. Many people may just perceive that a gluten-free diet is healthier.”
In fact, it isn’t. For people with celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is essential. But for others, “unless people are very careful, a gluten-free diet can lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber,” says Green.
Experts estimate that about 1% of Americans have celiac disease. The condition, caused by an abnormal immune response to gluten, can damage the lining of the small intestine. That, in turn, can prevent important nutrients from being absorbed…
How can you know if you have celiac disease? The only way is to be tested. The first test is typically a blood test that detects antibodies related to an abnormal immune response. If the blood test is positive, a biopsy is performed to confirm inflammation in the lining of the small intestines…
So what’s wrong with the rest of us trying a gluten-free diet a try to see how we feel?
For starters, going gluten-free means saying no to many common and nutritious foods. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Gluten also shows up in many whole grain foods related to wheat, including bulgur, farro, kamut, spelt, and triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye). Some celiac disease experts warn patients to steer clear of oats, as well…
Gluten itself doesn’t offer special nutritional benefits. But the many whole grains that contain gluten do. They’re rich in an array of vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins and iron, as well as fiber…
If there’s anything lacking in what the average American consumes it is fiber. Eat lots of processed food? You eat damned little fiber.
Many folks who impulsively decide on going gluten-free gain weight, To make new foods palatable, producers add sugar and fat. Two food groups Americans already love. You also may be losing beaucoup minerals and trace elements from whole fiber foods.
Go talk to your doctor, find a nutritionist who has the reputation of being professional – not plugged into this year’s favorite magic bullet. Make certain you’re not wasting money on food that produces nothing more than increased profits for the corporations that specialize in hustling Americans with the latest fad diet.
Eideard 