The Honest Truth About Gluten for Canadians Without Celiac Disease

Gluten-free food is a $2B industry in Canada. Most of that market is people without celiac disease who simply feel better without gluten. Here is what the research shows — and what it doesn’t.

Who actually needs to avoid gluten

People with biopsy-confirmed celiac disease (roughly 1% of Canadians) and people with diagnosed wheat allergy must avoid gluten. For them, gluten-free is medically essential.

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity

A real but poorly-understood condition affecting an estimated 6% of adults. Symptoms resemble IBS. Current research suggests many cases may actually be FODMAP sensitivity rather than gluten itself.

How to test whether gluten is your problem

Before you self-diagnose, ask your family doctor for the celiac blood panel (tTG-IgA). Cutting gluten first makes diagnosis harder.

The bottom line

If bread doesn’t agree with you, see your doctor first. Going gluten-free without a diagnosis risks missing celiac disease and costs you 30% more at the grocery store for no confirmed benefit.

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