Allaine Mark

Gluten-Free Luxury Foods Allaine Mark

A strict gluten-free diet (GFD) for life is the only treatment for celiac disease (CD). Changing lifelong eating habits and adapting to the new gluten-free (GF) lifestyle can be a huge challenge for most people with CD for a variety of reasons. Wheat and wheat-based products are major staples in the North American diet. Also, hectic lifestyles have resulted in more meals eaten away from home and reliance on packaged, convenience foods, which often contain wheat. Another major challenge is that gluten is a hidden ingredient in many foods. American and Canadian labeling regulations do not require manufacturers to declare all components of ingredients on the food label (e.g, seasonings, flavorings, modified food starch). People with CD may be unaware of these exceptions, as well as other foods that contain gluten and terms used to denote gluten. In addition, the cost of GF specialty foods is significantly higher than gluten-containing foods, and obtaining these specialty foods is difficult for some patients.