Gluten free movement growing more popular
The gluten-free movement caught the public’s eye this summer when tennis player Novak Djokovic rose from obscurity to become Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion.
His meteoric rise coincided with a gluten free diet after his nutritionist discovered he was allergic to the byproduct of proteins found in wheat grains last year. The Serbian eliminated pasta, pizza, beer, bread and cereal from his diet.
So have millions of Americans — roughly 1 in 15 people — who are allergic or sensitive to gluten. Catering to those with intolerance has become a rapidly growing $1.3 billion industry that is expected to grow to $1.68 billion by 2015.
Dawn Ebanks, a physical therapist in Palm Bay, Fla., was able to diagnose her problem easily because she exhibited classic signs of gluten intolerance
“I would have stomach aches and joint pains,” she said. Other people may suffer for years because many of their symptoms may not seem at all related to gluten intolerance.
Gluten, perhaps the most unpredictable protein composite, can be erratic depending upon the individual. Found in processed food from wheat and related grains, gluten acts as flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent.
Gluten intolerance, at its worst in a digestive condition known as celiac disease, can be insidious, with symptoms such as abdominal discomfort and fatigue masquerading as nutritional deficiency. Even the symptoms of celiac disease, an autoimmune ailment that results in malabsorption of nutrients and damage to the lining of the intestine, may present itself as constipation, diarrhea, weight loss, bloating and joint pain, symptoms that can represent many other ailments.
“They may come in with iron deficiency, arthritis, osteoporosis and even Type 1 diabetes,” Dr. Peter Koretsky, a gastroenterologist in Melbourne, Fla., said of people with gluten intolerance. “The physician has to have a high degree of suspicion to check. Research shows that for every case that is diagnosed, seven go undiagnosed.”
Three million people in the United States are estimated to have celiac disease and up to 18 million may be gluten intolerant.
Fortunately, the cure is cheap and fast: Stop eating the stuff. Once you cut gluten from your diet, you will start feeling better and the damage will start reversing itself, doctors say.
However, quitting gluten can be tough because it is prevalent in many components of our diets and lives. “People don’t realize it can be in skin-care products, in soy sauce, in vitamins and even in mouthwash and toothpaste,” said Jayne McAllister, a certified health coach and nutrition counselor.
Gluten Free Houston (gfhouston.com), which Beth Mincher manages, has grown exponentially in just a year, shipping nationwide. Mincher admits that gluten free eating remains challenging but is worth the effort.
“You walk into the grocery store and realize you are being forced to change the entire way you shop for food and the way you eat. It’s a little daunting at first, but once you realize making such a simple change in your diet can make you feel so much better, the choice becomes easy.”
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