One of the many benefits of Lipscomb's dietetic internship is the opportunity to attend the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo. This year the conference was held in Boston, MA. Dietitians and food vendors from all over the U.S. come together to learn more about latest information in nutrition as well as sample new healthy products.
There were several meetings on the gluten free diet in the treatment of celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, schizophrenia, leaky gut, and autism. There still needs to be more research on the gluten free/ casein free diet for those with autism but many individuals are seeing improvements in behavior and digestion from removal of these proteins. The gluten sensitive or those who have a negative biopsy and negative blood work but symptoms respond to the diet, is a group I think we will hear more about in the next few years. It is estimated that 20,000,000 people are gluten sensitive according to one of the presentations that I attended.
With the increase of those needing a gluten free diet comes an increase in manufactures creating gluten free products.The market for gluten free products is currently 1.6 billion and is projected to be 2.6 billion by 2012. The food expo at the conference was heaven for a those needing a gluten free diet. A whole row was dedicated to the gluten free diet. Samples were given from
Udi's,
Ian's,
Food Should Taste Good,
Mary's Gone Crackers,
Lara Bars,
Kind Bar,
Kettle Cuisine,
La Tortilla Factory,
Stonyfield Farms,
Chobani,
Chex,
Bakery On Main,
Glutino,
Yo Cream,
Cabot Cheese,
Lundberg Family Farms and
Nu Life Foods. Needless to I did not starve at this convention from all the yummy samples.
I also had the privilege to attend a gluten free cooking demonstration given by Marlisa Brown, RD, CDE on easy gluten free cooking, focusing on delicious gluten free recipes with a whole grain flair. Marlisa Brown did an excelent job showing creative ways to incorporate more whole grain nutritious flours like quinoa, teff, and oats into the diet. She is a very entertaining speaker, I could see her on the Food Network with gluten free cooking show! I'd watch it for sure. I also received a copy of her new book
Gluten- Free, Hassle Free. This is an excellent book that explains the diet, how to cope, recipes, meal plans, product recommendations, traveling tips, and restaurant guidelines. I can see this book being very helpful for a newly diagnosed client.
