The food craze for going gluten-free continues to boom in New Zealand.
An expo in Auckland this weekend showcased a new test in pharmacies to see if you need to change your diet – demonstrating just how gluten-free has become big business.
Hannah Murray and her mother make most of her food. Dining out is difficult.
"I want to see every ingredient to make sure there is not a speck of gluten in it," says mother Catherine Murray. "Things like baking powder sometimes does and sometimes doesn't. I want to see their baking tray to see that there is not leftover pastry from other bacon and egg pies they have made."
Hannah has coeliac disease, thought to affect around 65,000 Kiwis. It is caused by a reaction to gluten, which is found in many foods.
"Being coeliac is quite different to being gluten-free," says Ms Murray, "[different to] being 'trendy' gluten-free."
The Gluten Free Food and Allergy Show in Auckland this weekend shows just how fashionable it is cut gluten out of the diet.
People have minor symptoms like bloating and tiredness and think gluten might be the cause.
To cater for this, one pharmacy group is offering a $63 test to find out if you actually have coeliac disease.
The test, which takes a pin prick of blood, gives a result in about 10 minutes.
"If you take this test and it is negative, 99.1 percent of the time that is accurate," says Alison Van Wyk of Green Cross Health. "However, it is still very important that if you are displaying certain symptoms, those are referred on."
That leaves Coeliac NZ unconvinced that it is worth the money.
"Our recommendation [is] just go and see your GP," says Carl Sunderland of Coeliac NZ. "For one, it will be cheaper, and two, you will get the result you will actually need.
A proper diagnosis is needed. You may be able to go back to eating the foods you love, or you may need to make a permanent diet change. Although coeliac disease is rare, 80 percent of sufferers go undiagnosed, and if left untreated it can be serious.
"The effects are significant," says Ms Murray. "There is cancer, there is infertility [and] there is osteoarthritis. It is not something that I want to inflict on my child. I want to be a grandma one day."
"Sometimes I dream about my own little candy shop, and everything is gluten-free," says Hannah.
As this expo shows, it is a dream shared by many.
3 News
source: newshub archive
