In Focus: Gluten-Free

Going gluten-free (avoiding foods that contain this certain type of protein) has become a popular trend over the last few years. While many who cut gluten out of their diets do so because of sensitivities or because they’ve been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, others have begun to do so because they think it will help them cut calories and lose weight, or even get healthier. The popularity of “The G-Free Diet” by The View co-anchor and GMA contributor Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and the estimated $2.6 billion in sales of ‘G-Free’ foods in the U.S.Read more

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and sometimes, through cross-contamination, oats that provide elasticity in bread products. Gluten flour is often mixed into flours that have less protein content in order to make better quality bread. Wheat gluten isn’t bad – in fact, it’s essential to making many of the great wheat products available today. However, an estimated 1 percent of the population has celiac disease, which is also known as gluten intolerance, and an additional 6 percent are thought to be gluten-sensitive.Read more

Here's a topic that was suggested to me by my cousin, a speech therapist in Sacramento. She says, "I'd like to hear your thoughts on the gluten-free diet. The latest trend it seems-here in CA. And I keep hearing that some parents whose kids have autism are putting them on a gluten-free diet." A good question! It seems that a lot of people have decided that eating a gluten-free diet is going to be the cure to all their problems. Or maybe just some of their problems! So you might wonder, should I follow a gluten-free diet too? Here are the basics on eating gluten-free and if it's for you.