ThisNext Blog

Gluten-free is the new vegetarian. Only, whereas vegetarians are generally driven by pesky ethical concerns (I kid the vegetarians; I used to be one!), the gluten-intolerant are forced out of self-preservation into a dietary lifestyle few would choose. Sure, it’s hard enough at first pale — no bread, no pizza, no pasta, no cakes and cookies. But do you know how far-reaching gluten is in your diet? There’s gluten in soy sauce, rice cakes and even beer.

Gulp.

OK, OK, don’t panic. While more and more people are evidently becoming sensitized to gluten, the upside is that the marketplace is becoming sensitized to the afflicted, and adapting to meet their needs. Why, even Anheuser-Busch has announced plans to release a gluten-free beer, made from sorghum instead of wheat or barley. Gluten-free has made the bigtime.

That’s not to say that all the major food producers have come to the rescue of our wheatless wards. It’s still a challenge to navigate through a normal day’s diet without at least accidentally stumbling across a bit of gluten here and there. Of course, this is exactly what the blogosphere is perfect for — an arena where people can share facts and information, and bond over shared interests and issues.

Elise of Simply Recipes herself is mildly sensitive to gluten, and is therefore keenly aware of the resources out there. She highlights several gluten-free bloggers who handily demonstrate that you can eliminate wheat, barley and rye without sacrificing flavorful food, culinary flair and a certain joie de vivre.

Shauna James, the Gluten-Free Girl, is perhaps the most famous of the bunch. The success of her blog has brought her fame, exposure and now even a book deal. To look at Shauna’s baked goods, including muffins and hearty breads, restore hope that gluten-free living can be satisfying and even easy. Gluten-Free by the Bay works up her own recipes, and regularly rounds up others to form a compendium of great gluten-free grub. And there are many others; check out Elise’s roundup for more.

Gluten-free goodies are all over ThisNext, with users calling out their favorites. Let’s see … how about some delicious dark chocolate truffles? Or a hearty Mexican casserole? And drool-worthy gluten-free glazed donuts? Gee, maybe this gluten-free thing isn’t so bad after all.