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Is the Gluten-Free Craze Here to Stay?

Health and fitness trends come and go like the wind. While gluten is a staple in almost every diet, with a whopping ten billion dollar retail-market that is expected to grow approximately 50% by 2016, it's hard to argue that gluten-free products are just more of your typical come and go, briefly en-vogue fitness fads. Ranging from beer, to bread, to soy sauce, to imitation beef, pork, fish and chicken, to our pet's chow, and a ton of other stuff, gluten (a protein composite found in rye, barley and wheat) is everywhere. Why? Well, gluten gives elasticity to dough, helping it rise and helping with the texture of baked goods, which makes it a very popular ingredient. However, it's not entirely ubiquitous; meat, potatoes, vegetables, fruit and rice are generally free of gluten. While gluten-free beer is an aberration, other alcoholic drinks are naturally gluten-free such as tequila, rum, wine, sherry, brandy, all-corn bourbons and corn whiskeys. From a medicinal standpoint, a glute