Gluten-free 2.0: Where is the gluten-free trend going next?
If the first generation of gluten-free products was short on flavor and nutrients; the next generation - ‘gluten-free 2.0’ - is all about taste, health and convenience, and is infiltrating every food category and channel, Rachel Begun, a dietitian nutritionist living with celiac disease, said.
The explosion of interest in gluten-free foods has been something of a “double-edged sword”, meanwhile.
On the one hand, the perception that avoiding gluten will help you lose weight and improve your health or athletic performance even if you don’t have celiac disease (which is not supported by any credible evidence, said Begun), continues to gain momentum as more celebrities and athletes promote gluten-free diets.
On the other hand, however, the fact food manufacturers are now targeting an increasingly broad demographic of people that equate ‘gluten-free’ with ‘healthy’ means that many gluten-free products are in fact getting healthier, she said.
“We’re seeing more whole grains, more fortification. Not just empty starches and refined grains.”
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