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The Gluten Free Boom in 2009, from my blog at amillioncooks.com
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‘Tis the time of year for trend-spotters to make their predictions for the foods that will take off in 2009. One that is a good bet is the niche of “gluten-free” foods and products. The phenomenon of new and better wheat and gluten free food is one that is gratefully accepted by the celiac sufferers among us. What is odd is that the majority of the purchasers of these products have not been diagnosed as having any problems with gluten.
Just to clarify, a diagnosis of celiac disease involves a biopsy of the intestines of the patient, and means that the celiac sufferer can never eat gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye, again. A slip on a gluten-free diet for a celiac is very serious. Celiac is different from having a food intolerance, a term that covers all the other allergies and hard to define issues that people have with eating certain foods. Gluten-free diets are also adopted for many diagnosed and undiagnosed problems, ranging from digestive issues to autism and ADHD.
According to the market research group Mintel, 800 new gluten-free products came to market in 2008, and the category has been growing at 15-25% a year for a few years. The FDA estimates that 28% of the population has some kind of food intolerance. Within that large number are the .8% that the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research estimate have celiac. According to a recent article in U S News & World Report article, (“Gluten-Free Diet: a Cure for Some, a Fad for Most”-Jan 7, 2009) 120,000 cases had been diagnosed by this fall (2008), compared with about 40,000 in 2003. Add to that the scheduled 2009 release of official FDA standards for “gluten-free” foods, and you have a perfect storm for new GF scones, muffins, and beer.
The numbers of diagnosed celiac sufferers continues to grow, and I’m predicting a big spike when the first in-home blood test for celiac becomes available in the US.
In Canada, a new in-home celiac blood test is available from 2G Pharma, called a BioCard. It is expected to be approved in the US in 2009, and will require only a few drops of blood from a fingertip to find the IgA antibodies present in celiac sufferers.
I spoke to Shelley Case, a Canadian Dietician specializing in GF issues, (www.glutenfreediet.ca). “The test is going to really help sufferers in the US. It hasn’t been as big a deal in Canada, because our health care system covers the celiac antibody test-you can get it for free. In the US, insurance companies may not cover testing, and on the flip side, insurance companies in the US won’t insure people with celiac disease, so people don’t want to be diagnosed at the doctor and be denied insurance.”
Case, who worked with the Canadian Celiac Association to write the insert that goes in the package with the blood test, thinks it can be a good tool, if people follow directions carefully and take the results to a good doctor. “The average time that people seek help before being diagnosed is 11.7 years, so at least if they have this test they can walk in to a doctor with it, get started, and prevent further complications. Untreated celiac disease leads to thyroid problems, iron deficiency, infertility, autoimmune problems, and ultimately intestinal cancer.”
I also spoke to Carol Fenster, author of 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes (Wiley, 2008) and the gluten-free expert behind www.thesavorypalate.com, about the trend to GF foods. She pointed to the increase in diagnosis, and “I also think that since gluten-free foods are getting better, other family members are eating those foods, too, rather than just the afflicted person. For example, we believe that people who buy GF oatmeal are cooking it for the whole family rather than just the afflicted person.”
Fenster also cautiously acknowledges the use of GF diets for autism. “One in 150 children has autism and many families use the diet as a part of the overall treatment for their children. Though there is little or no scientific evidence to support this, there is much anecdotal evidence by parents about the merits of the diet.”
Another issue that has been raised in the GF arena is the possibility that self diagnosing and then starting a GF diet with no oversight might actually harm people. Fenster explains: “It is better to be diagnosed by a board-certified health professional who specializes in food sensitivities, than to figure it out yourself. One reason is that you may not correctly identify the right food culprit and inadvertently omit crucial nutrients . For example, a loaf of store-bought bread may contain many of the eight top allergens even though most people think it is only made of wheat. So, you “self-diagnose” and say, “well, if I get sick when I eat bread, then wheat must be the problem (when in fact, it could be one or more of the other ingredients). The end-result is that you may be avoiding critical nutrients and be jeopardizing your diet, unknowingly. This is particularly true of people who rely on the fortification of wheat bread to supply critical nutrients for their diets.”
My own experiences working in a Natural Foods store did bring me into contact with people who fleetingly adopted the latest diet, or who would buy something that said Gluten-free on the assumption that it was somehow healthier. And I met people who suspected they had a problem, but without a diagnosis and direct symptoms, didn’t stick with a real GF diet. Recently, Oprah went on a cleansing diet that was GF, and probably sold a few million loaves of wheat free bread to her fans overnight.
I asked Fenster if she had any predictions for 2009, since she works with many of the manufacturers of the GF foods we will be seeing. “I’m optimistic; if ever there was a time to be gluten-free it’s certainly now with all the awareness and growth in availability of GF foods. Watch for more interesting, innovative ingredients (such as Expandex modified tapioca starch, which improves texture, gives a higher rise, and longer shelf life). Also, more GF services such as the online menu planning service that I launched last fall at www.GfreeCuisine.com.”
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