The Good Life: The Gluten Free Glow-Up

Newsweek

29-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The Gluten Free Glow-Up
I remember the first time I walked into a Raley's to buy gluten free food. It was 15 years ago and there were maybe half a dozen items on the shelf labeled "gluten free." And they sure tasted like they were missing something.
The first ingredient listed in the bread I picked up was tapioca flour; it was dense, stale and flavorless. The little loaf was also three times the price of regular bread and about half the size.
Eating at restaurants became risky, stressful—and often sad. There was little knowledge about celiac disease or gluten allergies at that time, and certainly less about cross-contamination. I recall ordering the "most safe" choice, salads, and still getting sick from a sneaky dressing or a stray crouton. Days of being "glutened" would follow. I felt annoying and sometimes dramatic for having to ask servers so many questions. I often ate beforehand and just ordered a drink at the table. It was easier.
Finding Safe Options
Today, there are three 100% gluten free bakeries within a 10-minute walk around my neighborhood on Manhattan's Upper East Side. And it's good gluten free—scones, croissants, bagels, donuts—which I hadn't had for years. That's a big deal for people with celiac, since a strict gluten-free diet is the only treatment. Many menus now list "GF" next to items, or have knowledge of "safe" foods. This obviously varies with location, but the overall awareness, education and offerings have come a long way.
There are promising developments on the horizon in terms of less invasive testing and more global collaboration, too. As we wrap up Celiac Disease Awareness Month, Newsweek spoke with the Celiac Disease Foundation about the progress being made in this space.
CLOSE X
Improving Diagnosis Through Education
In recent years, more awareness and education has resulted in a higher number of proper diagnosis—this runs the spectrum from gluten sensitivity to celiac disease.
The Celiac Disease Foundation has been working to educate primary care physicians, pediatricians, and gastroenterologists about the autoimmune disease, aiming to improve diagnosis and patient care.
"Two decades ago, there was like one paragraph in medical textbooks about celiac disease," Vanessa Weisbrod, the Celiac Disease Foundation's Chief Education and Community Engagement Officer told Newsweek. "Today, we're seeing it as part of the curriculum, and so they're learning about it early on."
A Less Invasive Path to Diagnosis
Promising new tests are in development to make celiac diagnosis easier and less invasive. One involves a single-dose gluten challenge—ingesting gluten—followed by a blood draw four hours later. Another skips the gluten entirely by mixing gluten with your blood sample in the lab.
"So for people who are already on a gluten free diet, this is really a great thing that could be coming down the pipeline," Weisbrod said.
The current gold standard to diagnose celiac disease in the U.S. remains a blood test followed by a biopsy via endoscopy. In Europe, new guidelines now allow diagnosis without the biopsy, under certain criteria.
Testing matters here because the disease is still often misdiagnosed. While 1 in 100 people worldwide have celiac, only about 30% are properly diagnosed.
There are more than 200 known celiac symptoms, and many often learn they have the disease while seeking help for a reoccuring side effect, such as chronic stomach issues, skin rashes and infertility.
Global Collaboration
One of the biggest challenges in the celiac community has been a lack of global coordination, Weisbrod explains. The foundation recently brought together leaders and groups from around the world—including Europe, Latin America, India, Australia, and Canada—to align on food labeling, testing standards, and patient support.
"And so I think that's probably the most exciting thing happening is that we're starting to see global collaboration, and I'm really excited to see where that goes and how the world is gonna come together for celiac disease," Weisbrod said.
While there is still work to do, the progress is validating for many who have struggled over the years to find answers and safe food.
Tap here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
New Airline Rules as Summer Travel Takes Off
Wouldn't it be nice to wake up to this? That's Villefranche-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera. Trés magnifique!
As we head into the busy summer travel season, there are a few more changes in air travel.
Bags no longer fly "free" on Southwest. The airline's decades-old policy—allowing passengers two checked bags for free—is officially over. The first checked bag will now cost $35, a second will cost $45.
If you tend to run late, a stricter check-in policy for United Airlines begins next week. If you're flying domestic, you must check in at least 45 minutes before your flight's scheduled departure. This applies whether or not you are checking in a bag. The policy takes effect June 3.
And don't forget... TSA now wants to see your REAL ID, or other acceptable forms of identification, like a passport.
The 8:15 a.m. scene in front of the school that sits on a dusty, sun-soaked residential street in Brownsville, Texas, just across the border with Mexico, looks much like any other elementary or middle school in that chaotic period before the morning bell.
Groups of tousled boys and girls trickle, saunter and dawdle into a nondescript building where they will spend the next few hours, in theory, learning. These kids, though, seem more jubilant than might be expected for a Tuesday morning.
The days of dodging class or suffering from a lack of motivation appear to be a thing of the past at Alpha School, a private pre-K through eighth grade institution that utilizes personalized artificial intelligence to teach an entire day of core academic lessons in just two hours.
Read more from Newsweek's Joshua Rhett Miller.
In other news...
Changes to COVID vaccine policy: The CDC is no longer encouraging the vaccines for pregnant women and healthy children, marking a shift in federal public health guidance. Read more.
The CDC is no longer encouraging the vaccines for pregnant women and healthy children, marking a shift in federal public health guidance. Read more. Working extreme hours may change your brain: Working long hours may change the structure of your brain, including regions associated with emotional regulation and executive function—such as problem solving and working memory—new research shows. Here's how.
This is a preview of The Good Life—Tap here to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.