Hello, my name is Dave, and I like gluten. There, I said it.
Gluten supplies structure to sourdough, delivers a satisfying snap to Neapolitan pizza, and lends that alluring al dente bite to pasta. I have the luxury of enjoying products made from this plant protein, but according to the Mayo Clinic and the National Institutes of Health, about 0.7 percent of the population experiences a dangerous immune reaction to gluten. For sufferers of celiac disease, even trace amounts of the stuff can cause serious health problems.
Not long ago, a diagnosis of celiac disease meant navigating a minefield of potential triggers, from such clear culprits as bread and cake to less obvious cereal offenders such as soy sauce and even prescription medications. But now celiac sufferers have options as gluten-free and gluten-reduced products increasingly find shelf space alongside their conventional counterparts.
