Improvements in Gluten Free Foods Found in Ancient Grains?

2009-09-24T13:42:00.003-04:00

Twenty years ago, if you’d asked a person what a gluten free diet was, you may have been met with a blank stare. Now, chances are pretty good that almost anyone you ask has heard of the diet and perhaps will even know someone who must adhere to it.

Maintaining a gluten free diet means the strict avoidance of any product containing wheat, rye or barley. It’s not an easy diet to maintain, but as the market for these foods has grown, more options have become available. Creating products with good taste and texture has been challenging, but manufacturers large and small are making strong headway in improving the quality of foods available.

Texture has always been a problem for gluten free products. Gluten, among other things, provides the elasticity that holds bread together, and makes it chewy. Attaining these properties in a gluten free product has proven difficult. Manufacturers are making advancements in this quest and new products are coming out almost daily that are improvements upon past options.

One area that has been of particular concern, however, is the nutritional content of gluten free foods. Most of the traditional flours used are not fortified, lack substantial levels of fiber and, thus, offer little nutritionally. Manufacturers are now looking more carefully at many ancient grains like quinoa, teff and amaranth in hopes that these will help to improve the nutrient and fiber levels, as well as the taste and texture of gluten free foods. The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, a leader in research and treatment of celiac disease, recently reported that the gluten free diet could be made substantially more nutritious with the use of certain alternative and ancient grains (Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics).

The ranks of people who follow a gluten free diet are growing. It is estimated that there are more than 2.2 million people with celiac disease in the United States. Remarkably, only approximately 3% have been diagnosed. In the coming years, many more will be diagnosed as the medical profession becomes better educated and aware of the disease and its many and diverse symptoms. Many follow the diet for other reasons as well. There are parents of autistic children who report improvement in their children’s symptoms when they place them on a gluten free and casein free diet. Some with other diseases like multiple sclerosis, ADD (attention deficit disorder) and rheumatoid arthritis report some improvement when they follow a gluten free diet, despite there not yet being medical proof to show that the diet helps these patients. Finally, there are many without any medical problems at all who report feeling better when eating gluten free and, thus, follow the diet. As such, the market has been growing quickly and, according to research firm Packaged Facts, will continue to do so well into the next decade.

Manufacturers are responding to this growing market with additional and improved products. It’s nice to see and we look forward to further advancements. Stay tuned!

Let Us Introduce Ourselves . . .

2009-09-17T12:52:00.000-04:00

Hi and welcome!

I, along with Diane Goodman, am the co-owner of I Can Have That! Gluten Free and Allergy Friendly Gift Baskets.

This year has been an exciting one for Diane and me. After a great deal of thinking, planning and doing, we started I Can Have That! in January 2009. We’re pretty excited about the response we've had to our company and the products we offer.

My son, Noah, and I have celiac, an autoimmune disorder that makes it unsafe for us to eat products containing wheat, rye or barley. Shortly after he and I were diagnosed, my sister came to visit and she thought a gift basket would be a perfect way to say thank you. Since my household was gluten free, my sister wanted a basket that was entirely gluten free and she couldn't find one.

My friend, Diane, and I decided it was time to create a company that sold gift baskets that were full of good foods that were safe for people with celiac, people who maintained a gluten free diet. And we decided not to stop there. We decided to also address the needs of the many people with food allergies. And so, I Can Have That! was born.

You may ask, "Why the name?" Well, we sell gift baskets for people who most often have to say, "No, thank you. I can't have that." We wanted to change that. We wanted to make sure that when someone receives one of our gift baskets they’ll say, “Wow, I CAN have that!”

We’ll be posting information on all sorts of related topics. We hope you’ll let us know what topics interest you, what you want to know more about, and how we’re doing!

Thanks for joining us!