"Gluten-free foods have swept across America. Millions of consumers are convinced that a diet devoid of gluten—a protein found in wheat, barley and rye—is the cure-all for everything from dementia and schizophrenia to diabetes and obesity.
This fear has become so widespread that the market for gluten-free foods is estimated to hit $15 billion by the end of this year, according to the research firm Mintel.
Food marketers have even slapped the gluten-free label on products that never would have contained it:
No kidding.
Countless nutritionists and health reporters have called out the gluten-bashing for what it is: overblown.
Yet the fad speaks to a long-held American tendency to value foods based on what they lack, rather than on, say, their taste, seasonality or overall nutritional value.
That mind-set took hold during the fat-free frenzy of the 1980s and ’90s.
Over time, being bombarded by nutritional claims on labels has taught Americans to reduce foods to tallies, loading up on or avoiding grams of this or that specific nutrient or ingredient.
Gluten is only today’s demon.
Let’s get some numbers out on the table.
According to the National Institutes of Health, about 1% of Americans have celiac disease, a serious immune reaction triggered by gluten that damages the small intestine.
About 6% are estimated to have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, a far less severe condition that is not yet well understood but appears to be associated with symptoms such as diarrhea and constipation, headaches and fatigue, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation.
One more number: Almost a third of Americans are trying to avoid gluten..."
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