At the Whole Foods Market in El Segundo, two women stand scanning a refrigerator case filled with packages of gluten-free food -- carrot cake, rice flour bread, scones, ginger cookies, pecan pie and chocolate chip muffins.
Judy Beckett, a retired educator, was diagnosed with celiac disease two years ago: Her gut cannot tolerate gluten, and switching to these foods has improved her digestion and quality of life. Claudia Lopez, a housekeeper and mother of four, is looking for gluten-free food for herself and her family. She recently switched to it at the urging of a health expert she heard on Spanish radio.
Beckett and Lopez have plenty of company as more and more consumers embrace the gluten-free trend. Users run the gamut: There are people like Beckett with celiac disease who must be on the diet; others who believe the diet can alleviate chronic intestinal complaints and boost energy; still others who believe the gluten-free diet may help in the treatment of autism and a host of other disorders, including schizophrenia, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, attention deficit disorder, migraine and even fertility problems.
And some people are trying the diet simply because they've heard it is healthful.
"A lot of people are going gluten-free . . . but they really don't know why," says Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides, a company that forecasts food trends. "It's just like, "Quick, it's gluten-free, it must be good!' "
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A hit at food expo
It was full-speed ahead for gluten-free foods at this year's Natural Products Expo West, held in March at the Anaheim Convention Center. Attendees at the event -- truly the Super Bowl of natural food shows -- swarmed around counters featuring gluten-free breads, pasta, steaming pot pies, brownies, warm muffins, cosmetics and even dog treats.
(One exhibitor even advertised a flavored water as gluten-free -- cheerfully admitting that, yes, water is naturally gluten-free, but what the heck.)
According to a March 2007 survey by the market research company Mintel, 8% of the U.S. population look for gluten-free products when they shop. Nielsen Co., which tracks gluten-free food in U.S. grocery, drug and mass merchandiser stores (excluding Wal-Mart), reports that the gluten-free sector increased 20% in the 12-month period ending June 14, to $1.75 billion from $1.46 billion a year ago.
