14 Things About Eating Gluten-Free That You Really Need To Know

I like dessert--particularly cake and cookies. When I'm at a function, and there's a big rich-looking gluten-free chocolate cake, I gravitate right to it and cut myself a big wedge. Now I haven't been diagnosed with Celiac disease, I just happen to like how gentle a gluten-free cake or cookie can be on my stomach. And a gluten-free dessert is healthier than its gluten counterpart--isn't it?  

Here are 10 things about gluten free you didn't know, but definitely need to:

1. About 35,000 Canadians have been diagnosed with celiacdisease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by the protein. 

2. Between four and seven million Canadians are “gluten avoiders,” choosing gluten-free products because they believe that it’s a healthier choice.

3. A landmark study by researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, published in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research in 2008, revealed that gluten-free foods were, on average, 242 per cent more expensive than their “regular” counterparts, and up to 455 per cent pricier in some cases.

4. A newly published study by the Dieticians Association of Australia quantifying the cost of gluten-free foods shows a family with two children can pay up to 17 per cent more for a gluten-free diet, with the cost blowing out for single men on welfare, and thus "demonstrates for the first time that a gluten-free diet is a significant financial burden for many Australian family types”.

5. In 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a regulation that defined “gluten-free” for food labeling. This regulation provided consumers the guarantee that the gluten-free food they purchased was indeed gluten-free. Gluten-free is a claim that is used by manufacturers voluntarily, but if it is used, it must conform to the FDA regulation of less than 20 parts per million (ppm) gluten. (Burdock Group)

6. Canada's gluten-free industry, in 2014, was $500 million annually.

7. The US gluten-free industry in 2014 was $4 billion annually. 

8. The British gluten-free market is worth approx US$500 Million annually and forecasted to grow to US $1Billion by 2017 

9. Unless you have celiac disease, a gluten-free diet can actually damage your health, according to Dr. Norelle Reilly, of Columbia University Medical Centre, in New York.

10. Gluten free packaged foods frequently contain a greater density of fat and sugar than their gluten-containing counterparts. (Dr. Norelle Reilley)

11. Obesity, overweight and new-onset insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome have been identified after initiation of a gluten-free diet" (Dr. Norelle Reilly)

12. A gluten-free diet adopted by people not diagnosed with Celiac disease, “also may lead to deficiencies in B vitamins, folate, and iron, given a lack of nutrient fortification of many gluten-free products” (Dr. Norelle Reilly).

13. There is no evidence that processed gluten free foods are healthier nor have there been proven health or nutritional benefits of a gluten free diet. There are no data to support the theory of intrinsically toxic properties of gluten in otherwise healthy adults and children. 

14. Gwyneth Paltrow, Posh Spice, Miley Cyrus, tennis star Novak Djokovic, Russell Crowe, Bill Clinton, Ryan Gosling are all celebrity advocates of a gluten-free diet. The author has yet to uncover evidence of endorsement monies from gluten-free corporations to these and other celebs. 

If you think you have Celiac disease, it is advised to consult your doctor for a proper prognosis. If you just enjoy eating gluten-free because you think it's better for you, or it's cool, or because your favourite celebrity endorses it, think twice. There's no issue with enjoying it from time to time at your family cook-out, but there can be health and financial ramifications from uncritically eating a gluten-free diet that are indeed unnecessary.