Meeting the Market Demands for Gluten Free Products

Gluten food products have become very popular today than ever before. There may be a fad aspect to it, but many food companies have responded to this need by providing huge selections of food items compatible with the gluten-free lifestyle. What is gluten and why are more people keeping it off their diet?

Gluten is a type of protein commonly found in grains specifically wheat (including different types i.e. einkorn, durum, faro, graham, kamut, semolina, spelt) rye, triticale and barley and their derivative products such as bread, pasta, cereal snacks, and other convenience foods. It is a fact that gluten has adverse effects on glucose intolerant people specifically those who are diagnosed with celiac disease, so they are medically advised to have a strict gluten-free diet for life. If they consume any food product with gluten, it triggers their immune system to react and cause symptoms such as bloating, skin rashes, diarrhea, nausea, unexplained weight loss, fatigue and anemia.

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, one out of 133 persons has celiac disease. That is a conservative estimate because 97% of them are undiagnosed. Many are actually misdiagnosed because of the similarity of its symptoms to irritable bowel syndrome and spastic colon. Researchers from the Maryland Center for Celiac Research state that if everyone with celiac disease is correctly diagnosed, then the number of Americans with this gluten intolerance disorder would increase to about 1% of the population or 3 million Americans.

Not only people with celiac disease are interested in going gluten-free. Many who experience bloating and rashes, symptoms similar to celiac disease, go for a gluten-free diet because it makes them feel better and healthier. Marketers say that at least 15% of consumers prefer to have gluten-free foods.

With this increase in the demand for the gluten-free diet came the increase in number of gluten this food store. Though people can eat foods that are naturally devoid of gluten such as fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, beef, chicken, lamb, pork and dairy products, many people still want the bread, pasta, and other food products minus the gluten. So, they look for cooking ingredient substitutes in the gluten food store so they can cook or bake their own version of gluten-free meals and products at home. Others who do not wish to go into this trouble buy the ready-made versions of breads, pastas and other convenience foods in gluten food grocery stores or eat them in restaurants serving gluten-free meals. Even in ordinary supermarkets and convenience stores, it is quite common now to find gluten food counterparts of food products as well.

To make it more convenient for people, many gluten food online stores can now accept orders for gluten food products and ship them to the buyer. Gluten-free products are usually more expensive than the ordinary items but celiac patients can save on the shipping cost by ordering them in bulk and they can also save on these specialty products which are tax deductible.