"CeliacDisease" news and stories

In 2004, Congress gave the FDA until 2008 to create a definition for what a gluten-free product actually means. Three years after that deadline, we're still waiting.

The Washington Post reports that as celiac disease rates are rising, the government still has no set definition for gluten-free products.

Although the U.S. gluten-free product industry is booming (revenues were $2.6 billion last year, up from $100 million in 2003), they still have quite a bit of wiggle room. The Washington Post explains that some companies "might fail to test their products or might allow small amounts of gluten but still label their foods as gluten-free."

Other countries including Canada, Brazil and Australia have defined gluten-free foods as containing no more than 0.0007 of an ounce of gluten for every 2.2 pounds of food. Though the FDA has no set definition, it does offer a FAQ page about gluten-free labeling.

On May 4, the world's largest gluten-free cake will be brought to Capitol Hill to call attention to the issue. Currently, at least three million Americans have celiac disease, and 18 million have gluten sensitivity.

These days, more and more people are discovering that they are either gluten-intolerant or have Celiac Disease, which means that their bodies cannot handle even a tiny bit of gluten. There were tons of products at the Fancy Food Show that were designed to be totally gluten-free in an attempt to respond to the newly realized need. However, if you're more of a do-it-yourself kind of person and want to make your own gluten-free foods at home, then you should check out the growing category of gluten-free cookbooks.

One such cookbook is You Won't Believe it's Gluten-Free was written by Roben Ryberg (who also penned The Gluten-Free Kitchen) and is a hefty volume that spans every meal, as well as holiday and special event food (there's an entire section devoted to wedding cakes). The introduction dedicates space to tips and techniques as to how to keep your food gluten-free and avoid cross-contamination (if you're working in a kitchen that is shared with gluten eaters) as well as a primer on the different types of gluten-free flours available on the market.

I think that this is the type of book that could become a bible for those who are newly diagnosed with gluten issues. Ryberg includes five different recipes for pizza crust, a multitude of cake recipes and even a couple of variations on chicken nuggets, so that you can experiment until you find ones that tastes good to you. The feeling this book gives me, a casual user who has no gluten limitations, is that avoiding gluten is not a hardship and there are many ways to make all the foods you love so that you can eat happily.

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