Good Question

DENVER (CBS4) ― Call it a fad, a diet, a lifestyle or a cure to a disease, the gluten-free trend is rising like bread in the oven. CBS4's Alan Gionet asks what is driving this gluten-free trend?

Retailers like Whole Foods have increased sales. At the store on Colorado Blvd. in Denver they have plans to double shelf space.

"We do gluten-free tours at this store just to educate the community on what their options are," said Whole Foods spokesperson Heather Larrabee.

A lot of people have found relief. "I feel horrible when I eat it," said Terri Murphy. She claims she lost weight when she dropped the gluten found in wheat and rye and barley. Murphy also said her energy level went up and she lost about 15 pounds.

UC Denver School of Medicine dietitian Bonnie Jortberg knows how bad gluten problems can get. Years ago, her doctor diagnosed her with celiac disease, a condition that results in digestive problems if gluten is ingested.

Jortberg recognizes the increase in people dealing with gluten issues. "It's actually more than what you would think," said Jortberg. "And it's hard to know the reason why. Is it because our way of diagnosing and we're more aware or are there truly more people that either have celiac or they have either a gluten or wheat intolerance?"

About one percent of the population has been diagnosed with celiac disease. Those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease can see improvement in days if they stop eating gluten. But it's not easy. Wheat and wheat by-products are in just about everything.

Peter Bonaker suffers from celiac disease. "I would say I've lost 15 to 20 pounds, permanently." But ask why and he will tell you, "There's so much that you really cannot eat."

That may explain weight loss in many patients, said Jortberg. She too lost weight when she changed her diet. "It's not that it's a weight loss diet, it's just that that will cause weight loss."

Why? Jortberg said it may be the junk people ate before changing their diet to gluten-free. "I really didn't think I ate a lot of junk food until I had to cut out the wheat gluten in my diet and realized I eat a lot more junk food than I thought," said Jortberg. "It's not that gluten causes you to gain weight if you ingest it, it just has to do with the fact that if you eliminate it from your diet you eliminate a whole bunch of food."

Former gluten-free eater Kimberly told us at Beau Jo's gluten-free pizza night that she had lost weight, "Eating less junk and eating the gluten free because it was healthier too."

As for the increased energy levels, "I didn't think I changed that much in energy," Kimberly said.

Jortberg said reports about energy gains may have more to do with the fact that people who are having problems with gluten free, have upset stomachs. Eliminate the diarrhea and you feel better and have more energy. Not much else has been proven.

Gionet found Murphy at the Rheinelander bakery in Arvada, which has found a market niche selling gluten-free baked goods. The options for gluten-free eaters have increased dramatically and the taste has improved a great deal.

Murphy likes the "chocolate freedom" dessert. "It has sort of a gooey cake and a chocolate coating around it." It is sugar-free as well as gluten-free.

But not all gluten-free foods have a low carb or sugar content, cautioned Rheinelander owner Maro Dimmer. "A lot of what I call the old gluten-free items are full of potato starch corn starch, rice flour, simple rice flour is very high carb," said Dimmer.

They experiment with other ingredients to help replace the gluten that acts to bind things.

Bonaker is happy for the changes he's seen since he was first diagnosed with celiac disease. At Beau Jo's he was ordering two things he's missed a lot since his diagnosis, pizza and beer – both gluten-free.

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