The global market for gluten-free food products is growing at 9.1% per year. According to industry estimates, the market is predicted to reach 29.12bn by 2025.<\/p>\n
It is understood that such impressive market growth is, in part, linked to the perception that gluten-free products are healthier than their gluten-containing counterparts. Advocacy of gluten-free diets by celebrities and health influencers may also be a contributing factor.<\/p>\n
This begs the question: from a nutritional profile standpoint, are gluten-free products healthier? Fresh research from Irish non-government organisation (NGO) SafeFood suggests a number of misconceptions about gluten-free products exist, particularly related to health.<\/p>\n
The island of Ireland (IOI) boasts a strong gluten-free market. In the UK, the gluten-free market was valued at 438m in 2016 up 36% from 2015. And in the Republic of Ireland (ROI), the market was estimated to be worth 66m in 2017 similarly up by 36% year-on-year.<\/p>\n
SafeFoods research focused on products and consumers in both Northern Ireland and the ROI. The NGO surveyed nutritional information displayed on 67 gluten-free snack foods available for sale in four retailers: Dunnes Stores, Tesco, SuperValu, and Aldi.<\/p>\n
Gluten-free snack foods included nut products, savoury snacks, cereal and baked products, and confectionery.<\/p>\n
SafeFood also commissioned a survey of 2,018 consumers on the IOI between January and March 2019 to gather data on attitudes, behaviours, and perceptions of gluten-free diets.<\/p>\n
Gluten is a mixture of proteins gliadins and glutelins that is found in wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, kamut, and spelt.<\/p>\n
As SafeFood notes in its report, gluten is used for many different technological purposes in the processing of food, such as:<\/p>\n
The product survey revealed that 75% of all gluten-free snack products analysed were high in fat, 69% were high in sugar, and their calorie levels were deemed similar to that of a standard chocolate bar.<\/p>\n
Consumer survey results found that one in five people (23%) buy gluten-free foods. Yet, 92% of those people did not have a gluten-related disorder, nor had been diagnosed with coeliac disease.<\/p>\n
A misperception of the health benefits of gluten-free products was also observed, with more than one in five respondents (23%) deeming gluten-free products to be lower in fat than gluten counterparts.<\/p>\n
Twenty-one percent thought gluten-free products were lower in sugar, and 19% believed a gluten-free diet to be a healthy way to lose weight.<\/p>\n
SafeFood stressed that for people with gluten-related ailments, avoiding gluten is non-negotiable. <\/p>\n
For those people who have a diagnosis of coeliac disease or those with a gluten-related disorder, avoiding gluten in their daily diet is an absolute must, said SafeFood dietician Joana Da Silva.<\/p>\n
Addressing all consumers, the NGO noted a number of recommendations, including not to assume that gluten-free products are healthy by default. SafeFood also urged consumers to read the front and back-of-pack nutrition information on product labels to identify options lower in fat and sugar.<\/p>\n
The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), which similarly acknowledged the rise in the number of people avoiding gluten as part of a healthy lifestyle, stressed that a gluten-free diet is only vital for people with gluten-related disorders, such as coeliac disease.<\/p>\n
However, for people without a medical reason to avoid glucose, there is no consistent evidence that eating a gluten-free diet will provide any health benefit, BNF assistant nutrition scientist Alex White told FoodNavigator.<\/p>\n
Where unnecessary to do so, cutting out gluten can potentially have adverse effects, he continued. Gluten-containing foods like wholegrain products provide many nutrientssuch as fibre and some vitamins and minerals, which may not be equally abundant in gluten-free foods and products.<\/p>\n
A diet rich in fibre contributes for example to the maintenance of a healthy gut microbiota. In addition, products that are gluten-free can still be high in saturated fat, sugars and salt.<\/p>\n
Both SafeFood and BNF highlighted that above all, a healthy diet is key. Select snacks that are naturally lower in fat, sugar and salt, and are a better source of fibre, such as fruit and vegetables, rather than heavily processed snack foods, advised SafeFood.<\/p>\n
BNFs White told this publication that regardless of the dietary pattern chosen, a healthy, varied and balanced diet should be followed, based on wholegrains and fruit and vegetables, some good quality protein such as oily fish, pulses, eggs and lean meat.<\/p>\n
The assistant nutrition scientist also recommended limiting intake of sugar and salt, and replacing foods high in saturated fat with some foods rich in unsaturated fat.<\/p>\n
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Continued here: The global market for gluten-free food products is growing at 9.1% per year. According to industry estimates, the market is predicted to reach 29.12bn by 2025. Continue reading
\nUnveiling gluten-free misperceptions: 'Don't assume gluten-free products are healthy by default' - FoodNavigator.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"