Gluten Free Diet’s Popularity

I remember when my grandparents both went on a gluten free diet.  I thought that, at the time, these so called “gluten free diets” were for “old people” who couldn’t handle the digestion process as well in their older age, and that doctors prescribed these types of diets as a matter of precaution against difficulty digesting and also in any harm to the large and small intestine, since I guess this is where the disease takes place.

The disease I’m talking about is Celiacs, and it basically means the person has either lost the ability to digest gluten, which is found in wheat products, and virtually every processed food you can think of save for the specialty ones made without gluten, or were born without the ability to digest this epinomous food type.  I remember how restrictive their diet seemed.  I would look at their cupboards as they got older and see things like gluten free bread, crackers and baking mixes and thought wow, thank goodness this horrendous affliction hadn’t gotten ahold of me, because I was such a starchhound as a kid.

However, one thing you can eat is potatoes and you can also eat rice, because they do not contain any natural gluten, but what you can’t eat is much more numerous a list.  Some question whether the gluten allergy or disease really exists, or if the gluten free diet is really of as great a benefit as some doctors say it is, but there are those that swear they feel a hundred times better when they are on the gluten free diet than when they were off.

Many say that it improves their energy levels, relieves chronic constipation, and even can put them in a better, more balanced mental state.  Gluten free foods were sold by billions of dollars last year alone, so there’s definitely a market for these specially made types of foods.  Because so many common foods that are easy to make contain gluten, many find it hard to discover foods and baking items that actually taste good and also meet their no gluten requirements.