One of the newest and most controversial nutrition fads has centered around “gluten-free” food. For some people, the idea of living a gluten-free lifestyle is not optional, but necessary. However, this only applies to the 1% of Americans with celiac disease (Jaret 1). For people with this condition, eating gluten can be dangerous, because it can damage the lining of their small intestine and prohibit nutrients from being absorbed (Jaret 1). But what about the rest of us? Why have the production and purchase of gluten-free products increased, even though the amount of people with celiac disease has not? Is consuming gluten-free food healthier than consuming food without gluten? The answer is unequivocally and without a doubt, no. In fact, not …show more content…
Gluten is a large component in wheat, barley, and rye. It is also found in smaller amounts in many whole grain foods related to wheat, including bulgur, farro, kamut, spelt, and triticale (Jaret 1). Giving up gluten would mean giving up most breads, crackers, cereals, pastas, pastries, and a wide range of processed foods. These whole grains play an important role in our diets. They are rich in vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B, iron, and fiber (Jaret 2). Studies show that they may help lower risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer (Jaret 2). The 2010 Dietary Guidelines suggests that Americans consume half of their necessary carbohydrates from such whole grain products (Jaret 2). Seeming as people who do not eat gluten can not consume these and most other whole grains, they are at an increased chance for malnutrition. Peter H.R. Green, MD, the director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, says that "unless people are very careful, a gluten-free diet can lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber" (Jaret 1). In 2005, the American Dietetic Association concluded that most gluten-free products are low in a wide range of important nutrients, including B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and fiber (Jaret 2). Green extends his theory and makes a broader claim saying, “any time you eliminate whole categories of food you’ve been used to eating, you run the risk of
Keep in mind that people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity have wildly varying degrees of sensitivity to gluten. Be careful and always monitor your gluten symptoms (even from some products that appear to be gluten-free), because there may be enough trace gluten in some products to make you react, despite a safe list of
Desiree Ferrandi, a 50-year-old female who I had the pleasure to meet and interview, is 1 out of the about 3 million people in the world suffering from Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is just one out of the many chronic illnesses that affect nearly 3 million people in America. It is a disorder that can lead to intestine damage if gluten is ingested. A strict, gluten-free diet is the only current treatment. Celiac, like other chronic illnesses, not only affects the health and body of someone, but it affects all aspects of one’s
Celiac disease is seen in about 1-2% of the population, with a 2:1 woman to men ratio (Lisa Ring Jacobsson, 2011). I choose this topic because celiac disease and gluten-free diets seem to be on the rise. In the past, the diet and lifestyle changes for people with celiac disease was very challenging, but in recent years there has been an increase in the amount of people being diagnosed with celiac disease. There is much more information out there about these special diets. Life has become much easier for those with celiac
Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects about 1 in 133 Americans. Those with Celiac must stick to a strict gluten free diet in order to heal the lining of their intestines. When people with Celiac ingest gluten, their body triggers an immune response that attacks the small intestine. Some experience mild discomfort and bloating while others experience a more serious reaction which can make them very sick for many days. Having Celiac can change your life dramatically, but in the past five years the selection of gluten free foods has significantly improved. In 2007, Phil Zietlow proposed the “Gluten Free Project” to General Mills. He was not the only person to propose this major
Of the suggestions, an adoption of the gluten-free diet has made its way to the top of the list. The gluten-free diet has shown tremendous improvements in overall quality of life for people with fibromyalgia. Usually, the gluten free diet is suggested for people who have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. What had been brought to light is that symptoms that typically spawn with Fibromyalgia also spawn with Celiac Disease. Thus, an idea was born to test the adoption of the gluten-free diet in those who have fibromyalgia. A study published in the journal of Rheumatology International discovered that a gluten-free diet produced drastic improvements in symptoms that occurred with Fibromyalgia. Patients reported that they were able to fully return back to normal activity and work. Other reported that they were able to completely stop taking their prescribed medication with no undue stress. Many explained that they went into total remission and had no symptoms return while adhering to the Gluten-free diet. Most of the subjects reported a combination of two or all three discoveries. A select few tried to ease gluten back into their regular meals. Instantly, symptoms returned and did not disappear until those individuals reincorporated the gluten-free diet into their lives once
Life changing, life long, no cure! This paper is to give knowledge and inform readers on what Celiac Disease is, who it effects, what it affects, and try to explain how it can interrupt a normal, life style to where most of us take for granted. Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you found out you could not eat normal everyday foods that most of us take for granted? What if one day you woke up and found out you could not eat something as simple and as popular as pizza? That you could not eat bread, cake, cookies, lasagna, spaghetti, or even drink beer? That every time you did, you would get sick. Well, for a growing percentage of Americans, that is what is
In Modern America, there is a trend going around affluent, white families to ditch gluten. The idea is that by going gluten free, your consumption of food is automatically healthier. Dr. Norelle R. Reilly goes through all the possible reasons for those going on a gluten-free diet and the problems involved. She begins by giving the reader statistics according to, “‘The Hartman Group’s Health & Wellness 2015 and Organic & Natural 2014’ Reports.” According to these findings, the most common answer to why a person went gluten-free was, “no reason”, second to, “healthier option.” Later in the article, Reilly discusses fact vs. fiction of reasons to gluten-free. In the paragraph titled, “Fiction: The GFD (gluten-free diet) is a healthy lifestyle
When we first found out that I had Celiac Disease, we had a hard time adjusting. None of my family knew what gluten was until then. We heard about thing like cross contamination or even that I couldn’t be in the same room that flour is being used. Slowly, we learned how to accommodate for my needs. We went to a dietitian who showed us how to spot foods that had gluten in it. We also found out that the grocery store Reasor’s labels food that is gluten free. After a couple of years, it became easy for us to find foods and drinks that did not have any gluten in
A gluten-free diet consist of eating products that are free of gluten. Some of the ingredients to avoid eating are barley, bulgur, flavoring, rye and vegetable gum and you can add corn, quinoa, sago, soy flour and beans (3). The doctors recommend to follow a gluten-free diet if you are gluten sensitive or if you are diagnosed with Celiac disease. Celiac disease is an immune disorder that does not tolerate gluten. According to a special report done by Mayo Clinic it explains that Celiac disease is when the immune system responds to gluten like if it was a bacteria or something that does not belong in your stomach (1). Since your immune system begins to attacks your body trying to get rid of the gluten because it sees it as a little enemy it affects mainly the small intestine. Since there is a constant attack of the body every time you eat something containing gluten it causes your small intestine to become irritated, and it damages the little hairs called villi that are found inside the small intestine
Is gluten a miscast villain in the diet world? Perhaps. A new study raises the question about gluten sensitivity symptoms and challenges the usefulness of following a gluten free diet plan for most people who have not been carefully and properly diagnosed with celiac disease.
Dr. Ford, a pediatrician in CHristchurch, New Zealand and author of The Gluten Syndrome, believes the leading causes of sickness is consumption of gluten products, which Ford concludes the numbers of gluten-sensitive people could be a huge margin of the American population, between 30% and 50%" (Franso). I myself, am a personal witness of being sensitive to gluten. Before I became gluten free, my mom noticed I started having trouble digesting my lunches at school. I sometimes had to call in sick day from school. My mom didn't know what was causing my upset stomach. She tried many different options for food; more fruits, more vegtables, but nothing worked. Then she heard of this new trend of eating what's called gluten free. One day my mom sent me back at school and made me a sandwhich with spelt bread. I tried it for the first time, and was not a big fan of the taste, but I stomach stopped hurting. That day, when my mom came to pick me up from school, she noticed I wasn't sick. I
Celiac disease is seen in about 1-2% of the population, with a 2:1 woman to men ratio (Lisa Ring Jacobsson, 2011). I decided to research celiac disease and gluten-free diets because it seems to be a popular topic right now. In the past, diet and lifestyle changes for people with celiac disease was very challenging, but in recent years there has been an increase in the amount of people
When a person eats gluten, which is a protein that causes an attack on the villi’s of the small intestines, which are described as small finger-like structures and damages the villi’s in return it’s very difficult for a person to absorb any nutrients. That is why there is many long term affects in a person’s health. Where they either have Iron deficiency anemia, or early osteoporosis, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and many more health conditions. There are many symptoms to Celiac disease, and that is why it’s difficult to diagnose a person. Some people who have Celiac disease have little or no symptoms. There are several treatments for Celiac disease which are Gluten-free diet, vitamins and dietary supplements and bone health. Of course, the patient can treat Celiac disease with choosing to not eat gluten products such as cereals that contain wheats and processed foods. Eating foods like fruits and vegetables would be convenient for the person who has Celiac
The current population in Canton is 50,053 individuals with a median income of $54,600, all potential gluten and allergen free consumers (PRIZM, 2015). In Canton there is a median age of 34 among the residents with a split of roughly 50% between males and females (Areavibes, 2015; PRIZM, 2015). However, nearly 30% of the population is in between the ages of 21-34 (PRIZM, 2015). According to The Gluten-Free Agency, consumers that are between the ages 25-34 and 50-64 are more susceptible to gluten-free marketing than any other age group (Gluten-Free Market Trends, 2012). The Gluten-Free Agency also discovered that males in North America are more affected by gluten-free marketing, which is half of our population in Canton (Gluten-Free Market Trends, 2012). Also nationally, The Gluten-Free Agency determined the target market for gluten-free products is around 44 million people (Gluten-Free Market Trends, 2012).
A study conducted by Sharp, Walker, and Coppell (2014) examined the results of the New Zealand Coeliac Health Survey, a self-administered cross-sectional survey of “biopsy-positive respondents aged 16 years and over (n=936)” (p. 223). The results indicated that patients expressed an assortment of symptoms prior to being diagnosed. Patients expressed relief from some symptoms when adhering to a strict GFD, but continued to suffer from others. “12.6% (n=118) attributed their symptoms to other food allergies and 26.0% (n=243) to hidden sources of gluten” (Sharp et al., 2014, p. 224). Patients also had trouble with ensuring the