Imagine suffering from painful bloating and digestive problems your whole life, to the point where you can’t go out with friends, have sleepovers growing up, or get through a romantic weekend away without frequent, awkward runs to the bathroom—and have no idea why. This is life for Shauna Sampson, who, due to an autoimmune disorder called celiac disease, can’t process wheat and other common grains. The worst part? For the first twenty-five years of her life, she didn’t realize she had it.
“The crazy thing is, no one had heard of it back then,” she says. “Now, everyone’s talking about being gluten-intolerant.”
Sampson is right—from segments on the Today show to entire Whole Foods aisles dedicated to gluten-free goods, this food sensitivity seems to be on the rise across the United States. (Heck, Chelsea Clinton even had a gluten-free wedding cake.)
For around 1 percent of the U.S. population, gluten (the protein found in wheat, rye, barley, bulgur, matzo meal, semolina, spelt, and a handful of other grains) harms sufferers’ ability to absorb nutrients—often resulting in severe pain and discomfort.
Then there’s the newer contingent of gluten avoiders. Rose Copperman, a twenty-four-year-old teacher, cut gluten out of her diet just a little over a year ago, at the advice of a trainer helping her lose weight.
“Right away, I started dropping pounds,” she says. “I cut the cake lying around the office, downing beers with coworkers, and chowing down on bread with my meals.” Though it was challenging at first, Copperman says her diet still resembles her previous one, just with healthier carbohydrates. She can find gluten-free bread, cereal, and even cookies at most markets.
All the buzz brings up a number of questions: Is gluten intolerance really on the rise? Or are more people, like Copperman, just giving the lifestyle a try? And how practical, really, is leading a gluten-free life?
The Symptoms
“‘Celiac disease,’ ‘wheat allergy,’ and ‘gluten intolerance’ are often used interchangeably,” says Suzanne Girard Eberle, a certified sports dietician and nutrition therapist in Portland, Oregon. “However, there is a difference between these three medical issues.”
