Observers note the increased popularity of gluten-free products in the US and other developed countries. At the same time, as an analyst of the popular American newspaper Chicago Tribune notes, people who do not suffer from celiac disease (according to various estimates, there are now about 30 million of them in the world – Vegetarian) do not receive any benefit from such products – except for the placebo effect.
According to sociologists, gluten-free nutrition has actually become the number one problem in the developed world these days (where people can afford to pay attention to their health). At the same time, the sale of gluten-free products has already become a very profitable business: during the current year, gluten-free products worth about seven billion dollars will be sold in the United States!
How much more expensive are gluten-free products than regular ones? According to Canadian doctors (from the Dalhousie Medical School), gluten-free products are on average 242% more expensive than regular ones. The results of another study are also impressive: British scientists calculated in 2011 that gluten-free products are at least 76% more expensive and up to 518% more expensive!
In August of this year, the U.S. Food Administration (FDA for short) introduced new, stricter rules for certifying foods that can be labeled “gluten-free” (gluten-free). Obviously, there are more and more companies willing to sell such products, and their prices will continue to rise.
At the same time, companies that sell gluten-free products include large-scale marketing campaigns in their price, which are not always distinguished by honesty and adequate coverage of the problem of celiac disease. Usually, gluten-free products are served under the “sauce” that they are allegedly needed not only by people with indigestion, but also in general are good for health. This is not true.
In 2012, Italian celiac experts Antonio Sabatini and Gino Roberto Corazza proved that there is no way to diagnose gluten sensitivity in people who do not have celiac disease – that is, simply put, gluten does not have any (harmful or beneficial) effect on people who do not suffer from celiac disease. this particular disease.
The medics emphasized in their study report that “the anti-gluten prejudice is evolving into the misconception that gluten is supposedly bad for most people.” Such a delusion is extremely beneficial to manufacturers of gluten-free cookies and other delicacies of questionable usefulness – and not at all beneficial or beneficial to the consumer, who is simply being fooled. Buying gluten-free products for a healthy person is even more useless than shopping in the diabetic food section (since sugar has been proven to be harmful, but gluten is not).
Thus, large corporations (like Wal-mart) that have long been involved in the game of a cloudless “gluten-free” future are already receiving their coveted superprofits. And ordinary consumers – many of whom are trying to build a healthy diet – often forget that it is not necessary to buy special “gluten-free” products – in most cases, simply abstaining from bread and pastries is enough.
The semi-mythical “gluten-free diet” is simply the rejection of wheat, rye and barley in any form (including as part of other products). Of course, this leaves a lot of wiggle room – including naturally vegan and raw foods are perfectly gluten-free! A person who has developed a gluten phobia is no smarter than a meat eater who is convinced that if he stops eating the flesh of dead animals, he will starve to death.
The list of foods that are gluten-free includes: all fruits and vegetables, milk and dairy products (including cheese), rice, beans, peas, corn, potatoes, soybeans, buckwheat, nuts, and more. A natural gluten-free diet can very easily be vegetarian, raw, vegan – and in these cases it is especially useful. Unlike expensive specialty foods—often limited to being gluten-free—such a diet can actually help build good health.