Still eating gluten? Even if you are, one of your best friends probably isn’t. About one in three American adults say they’re cutting down on gluten or completely eliminating it from their diets, according to a new survey from The NPD Group.
The company, which conducts consumer market research, polls 1,000 adults every two weeks to ask if they’re at on a diet and, if so, what kind. In 2009, NPD added reduced-gluten and gluten-free diets to the survey for the first time. As of January 2013 (the most recent number for which stats are available), the number of adults who fall into one of the two categories was at an all-time high: 30 percent.
“This shows a huge shift in attitude,” says Harry Balzer, NPD chief industry analyst. “A third of the adult population is trying to cut back on something people had never heard of just five years ago.”
Why is the diet so popular? Eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, can cause serious health problems for the estimated 2.5 million Americans with celiac disease and the other 20 million with gluten sensitivities. For them, maintaining a gluten-free diet isn’t a trend—it’s the only way to avoid digestive distress or even intestinal damage and nutritional deficiencies. “Since the diet has its roots in medicine, many people feel their health would benefit from removing gluten from their diets,” says Heather Bauer, RD, CDN, founder of bestowed.com and author of Bread is the Devil.
If you don’t have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, though, gluten isn’t bad for you—and stripping good-for-you grains from your diet can actually result in nutritional deficiencies, says Bauer. So if you suspect that gluten is behind your stomach trouble, don’t self-diagnose. Talk to your doctor before you make any changes to your diet. Celiac disease shares many symptoms—such as chronic diarrhea or constipation, bloating, and fatigue—with tons of other health conditions. Plus, if you give up gluten before being screened by a specialist, your blood or endoscopy test results may come back negative even if you do suffer from celiac disease.
Still, as more celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Weisz, and Victoria Beckham tout the weight-loss benefits of a gluten-free diet, even more people are jumping on the bandwagon.
“Think about how much healthier a restaurant meal is when gluten is off the menu,” Bauer says. “Your options are a salad, vegetables, fruit, or protein—not a heaping bowl of white pasta.” On the other hand, loading up on gluten-free breads, pastas, and packaged foods—which can be high in fat, sugar, and calories—doesn’t have the same effect.
If you suffer from celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity (or just want to go gluten-free) make sure to eat healthy grains such as rice, quinoa, and sorghum to get enough iron, vitamin B, and fiber. And remember, a gluten-free cookie is still a cookie.
More from WH:
Is Gluten Bad For You?
Gluten-Free Recipes
The Best Gluten-Free Foods
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