This dietary shift has been attributed to studies that claim avoiding gluten can have significant benefits for the average person, such as weight loss and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The gluten-free diet has even been touted by celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Jenny McCarthy.

Why is the gluten-free diet popular?

Purpose. A gluten-free diet is essential for managing signs and symptoms of celiac disease and other medical conditions associated with gluten. A gluten-free diet is also popular among people who havent been diagnosed with a gluten-related medical condition.

When did gluten free food become popular?

1940s: The gluten-free diet is discovered Dr. Willem-Karel Dicke, a Dutch pediatrician, noticed that fewer children with celiac disease were suffering symptoms during wartime than before the war, when the disease had a mortality rate of about 30%, Fasano said.

What is the point of a gluten-free diet?

A gluten-free diet can provide many health benefits, especially for those with celiac disease. It may help ease digestive symptoms, reduce chronic inflammation, boost energy and promote weight loss.

Why is everything gluten-free now?

“A gluten-free diet is one that excludes the protein gluten, which is found in wheat, barely and rye. The purpose of a gluten-free diet is to treat celiac disease,” says Komar, “People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, which causes inflammation in their small intestines.