SAVOR encore
Going Gluten-Free
What’s behind this flourishing food movement? by
Tiffany Fitzgerald
W
hat was only a phrase 10 years ago — gluten-free — has become a burgeoning food movement that, among other things, involves eliminating wheat from the diet. In the past, living gluten-free meant tediously poring over the ingredient lists on product labels. Now entire supermarket aisles are dedicated to gluten-free living. People choose to go gluten-free for a number of reasons. In 2008, I was diagnosed with endometriosis, a disease that causes uterine tissue to grow outside of the uterus, resulting in chronic pain and infertility. There are many paths of treatment, but cutting out wheat and other gluten-containing foods is a noninvasive way to combat the pain of the disease, so I’ve been eating mostly wheatfree — with some falling off the wagon — for five years. Since I started cutting out wheat, two things have happened: My daily pain has become manageable and often nonexistent, and the gluten-free eating craze has taken over, providing gluten- and wheat-free options at most grocery stores and local eateries, both chains and independently owned restaurants. Many people want to know if a gluten-free diet is healthier than a gluten-filled diet, what the difference between gluten and wheat is, and what makes celiac disease different than gluten intolerance. All wheat has gluten in it, but not all gluten comes from wheat. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. According to registered dietician Susan Katz-Scheinker, who owns and operates Cambium Nutrition in Kalamazoo (CambiumNutrition.com), the gluten-free focus in nutrition right now is not unlike diet A sampling of the many gluten-free products available in local supermarkets.
12 | Encore FEBRUARY 2014