Gluten-free goes mainstream

Six years ago a good teacher friend was diagnosed with Celiac disease. I had never heard of the disease and certainly never heard of gluten, the protein which wreaks havoc on the intestines of the person with Celiac. Finding gluten-free food was tricky and expensive. It is still expensive, but not so difficult. Many main stream grocery stores have special labels marking gluten-free products or special sections. Some chain restaurants like PF Chang's, Unos, and Outback and Lonestar all have gluten-free menus or specialty items. Chex cereal in the last year has made Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Honey Nut Chex, Cinnamon Chex, and Strawberry Chex all gluten-free (be careful though some of the flavors are so newly gluten free that stores still have the old boxes, make certain the front says "gluten free". And now, now Betty Crocker is selling gluten free baking mixes: chocolate chip cookie, devil's food cake, yellow cake, and brownie mixes. They came out this summer and cost about $2.00 more than other baking mixes. And by fall, all their frosting will be gluten free. I haven't tried them yet, but I am thrilled to see the effort. I try not to think about how the effort, like all things American, is mostly motivated by marketing (a big name like Betty can make gluten-free products without much advertising and the gluten-free community will spread the word for them--like me). Whatever the motivations--it's not a bad time to be gluten free.

And for what's it worth. I tried a new gluten-free pancake recipe this morning and did a little dance of joy when they rose into perfect pancakes, not the usual flat lifeless things. Let me know if you want the recipe.