Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Why is there so much attention given to Gluten-free foods in health-food stores & restaurants

Why is there so much attention given to Gluten-free foods in health-food stores & restaurants?
What is Gluten anyway, and why do people want to eliminate it from their diets? Sugar Pie - what is a PITA?
Cooking & Recipes - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Celiac disease (allergic to gluten) seems to be on the rise, but those who can't tolerate gluten still want to enjoy the same flour based items as the rest of us. So the industry has developed substitute flours so they can enjoy breads, cakes, cookies, pasta, etc. without the affects of their disease. All wheat flours have gluten.
2 :
Due to the rising incidence of coeliacs disease it is essential that stores stock gluten free foods for sufferers.Gluten is a substance found in Wheat & some other grains(see link)Coeliacs disease is an intolerance of gluten.We have a person in our family with the disease. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten http://www.coeliacsociety.com.au/dis-what.html
3 :
Many people ar allergic to glutten (celiacs disease). Reactions can me mild or serious but either way has a major impact on the individual who has the disease. And there are actually even more people that have the symptoms of celiaces but don;t even know why they are sick and feel like crap.
4 :
True celica disease (aka non-tropical sprue) is extremely rare. I think the rise in GF items is purely a trend, just like eating oat bran was in the 80's, low carb/Atkins was in teh 90's, avoiding trans fats was in the 00's. Some people think foods that contain gluten are full of the "wrong calories" or "too many" calories... whatever. So they avoid it. I have a friend who is a vegan and avoids gluten. She is a PITA to go out and eat a meal with!!! Gluten is one of the main proteins in wheat, rye, and barley. It gives bread it's stucture and shape, allowing it to hold shape when risen and baked. It is developed by kneading, and creates long (relatively! we're talking microscopic!) strings that cross and intersect to make bread take shape. Bread floru is extra high in gluten; pastry flour is extra low in gluten.
5 :
Celiac disease is not rare, 1in 133 have it, it is more commonly diagnosed because better test have been developed. Gluten is a protein found in wheat barley and rye. A person with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance will react after eating these grains. More information can be found at www.celiac.com Also, it is trendy to be gluten free right now after several celebs have stated they follow a gluten free diet