Christina wrote us a note and asked “why someone would eat gluten free other than to relieve celiac sprue?”.  She asked if I might address this on our blog.   For me, this could be a trick question, with a tricky answer.  There seems to be some benefit to eating less flour and I’ve always been a fan of rotating grains (not just eating wheat and corn).  There’s no doubt in my mind that some individuals feel better with less carbohydrates in their diet while others gain energy keeping protein (particularly animal protein) to a minimum.  No one-size-fits-all healing diet exists.  Gluten-free eating is no exception.

That said, there are a growing number of people with Celiac Sprue Disease.  These folks must completely avoid gluten to be healthy and stay nourished.  There has been a huge increase of Celiac patients: -  1 out of every 5,000 people in the 1950’s to 1:133 today.  Predictions agree these numbers will continue to rise.  The cause for the rise is unclear.

But diagnosed Celiacs only account for a small fraction of the current demand for gluten-free products. (more…)