The gluten lie: And other myths about what you eat by Alan Levinovitz

Abstract

What nutrition buzzword is on the tip of more tongues than gluten? Today’s popular obsession with gluten, or gluten avoidance more precisely, has spurred a bevy of gluten-free products and cookbooks with recipes for items such as cauliflower pizza crust. The Canadian market for gluten free products grew 26% between 2008 and 2012, and the sales for gluten-free foods in Canada has been estimated at upwards of $460 million despite the relatively low numbers of Canadians who require gluten free foods due to a diagnosis of Celiac disease (1%) or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (6%) (Agriculture and Agri-foods Canada, 2014). The most common reasons to avoid gluten given by those without a medical need to do so include “digestive health,” “nutritional concerns,” and “weight loss” (Agriculture and Agri-foods Canada, 2014). Calling Alan Levinovitz’s book, The Gluten Lie: And Other Myths About What You Eat timely is an understatement.

Keywords

• gluten
• nutritionism