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Written by Courteney
Posted on April 9, 2016 at 12:20 am
Only about 1% of the population has celiac disease (a serious autoimmune condition whereby gluten protein causes the body to attack itself) and 0.4% of Americans have a true allergy to wheat. However, a whopping 18 million Americans have a non-specific sensitivity to gluten (usually related to the digestive tract).
There has been some debate about the recent rise in people opting for Gluten Free (GF) lifestyles. Many people who have no medical issues with the substance have chosen to jump on the GF bandwagon, equating GF with better overall health. This may not necessarily be the case. While some wellness experts assert that limiting gluten consumption is best for everyone, many medical professionals argue that a GF diet can lack fibre and other essential dietary components and simply isn’t necessary unless you’ve been diagnosed with one of the three aforementioned conditions. Controversy aside, people are free to eat what they wish so whether you have celiac, a sensitivity, a wheat allergy or just wish to evade the hotly contended substance, luckily more and more GF products are becoming available.
* Many of these flours make up great gluten-free pastas as well, such as brown rice (one of our favourites), rice and quinoa!
There are great gluten free companies out there such as Glutino who make virtually anything you can think of gluten free such as: pizza, hot dog buns, bagels (including whole grain), frozen macaroni and cheese, cinnamon buns, blueberry muffins, cookies, pretzels and the list goes on.
You may have to pay a little more for gluten free food items, but most popular restaurants now offer GF menu options. Just a few of the major chains that have recently added GF menus are:
The options are boundless and only continuing to grow with so many people going gluten free, which is certainly great for those with allergies and celiac as they have many more product choices now because of such high demand. Thanks for visiting DocChat! If you have any questions about celiac or gluten allergy symptoms, feel free to sign up today and try a videoconference with one of our highly qualified physicians!