When I was in high school I worked at a local mom-and-pop pizzeria in which both mom and pop were from Italy. One of the many things that I learned from that experience was that the (high) gluten content of the flour was important for developing the elasticity of the dough and the great texture of the pizza crust. Since that time, my own pizza dough recipe has included bread flour (which is higher in gluten than all-purpose or cake flour) with additional gluten added to the mix. To the surprise of some dinner guests, this will actually result in a homemade pizza dough that can be (and is) tossed by hand. The results are wonderful, but are they good for you?
One of the main reasons that different flavors of the paleo diet advise against consuming grains is due to gluten and gliadin. Gluten is difficult for the body to digest, and for people with celiac disease, gluten can cause serious medical problems. Independent of the growing popularity of paleo-style diets, however, it seems to me that “gluten-free” is in and of itself becoming a growing trend. This perception was validated by a recent article in The New York Times Magazine titled, “Should we all go gluten free?”
The article highlights a large epidemiological study that Dr. Alessio Fasano conducted out of the University of Maryland (link to the full text here). In that study, more than 13,000 people were screened for antibodies such as antibodies to gliadin. Those who tested positive underwent further screening to determine whether or not they had celiac disease. What did they find? One out of 133 people had celiac disease. Moreover, if you had a first-degree relative with celiac disease, the odds of you having celiac disease were as high as 1 in 22. According to Fasano, “the history of celiac disease as a public health problem in the United States started in 2003” and he estimates that 18 million Americans have some degree of gluten sensitivity.
So, it does appear that gluten-free products (and unfortunately, gluten sensitivities) are becoming more common. According to the NYT Magazine article, a recent Nielsen report on consumer trends showed that the volume of gluten-free products sold in the past year is up 37 percent and Spins, a market-research-and-consulting firm for the natural-products industry, says the gluten-free market is a $6.3 billion industry and growing, up 33 percent since 2009.
So, perhaps we can expect to not only see more gluten-free products, but also better quality gluten-free products in the near future. Do you have any gluten-free mixes or recipes that you love?
Have a great weekend!