National Gluten-Free Day Date in the current year: January 8, 2024

The term gluten refers to a group of structural proteins found in some cereal grains such as wheat, barley, rye, and some oat cultivars. It is gluten that gives dough its elasticity, helps it rise, and gives baked goods a chewy texture. Baked goods aren’t the only products that contain gluten though. It is present in pasta, some vegetarian meat substitutes, soy sauce, beer, and a variety of processed foods where it is used as a stabilizer.

Unfortunately, quite a lot of people are intolerant to gluten. Celiac disease is probably the best known gluten-related disorder. It is an autoimmune condition that affects the small intestine. Exposure to gluten in people with celiac disease causes inflammation in the small intestine and may result in severe damage to its mucous membrane.

Celiac disease isn’t the only disorder triggered by exposure to gluten. Other disorders that cause people to go gluten-free include non-celiac gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy, gluten ataxia, and dermatitis herpetiformis (a blistering rash associated with celiac disease). Symptoms of gluten sensitivity can range from bloating and abdominal pain to non-gastrointestinal symptoms like chronic fatigue, headaches, and fibromyalgia.

A gluten-free diet is the only reliable way to treat gluten-related disorders. It strictly excludes any products that contain gluten, be it baked goods or processed foods that use gluten as a stabilizing agent. The list of permitted products includes pseudocereals such as buckwheat and quinoa, corn, rice, potatoes, legumes, nuts, fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy products, eggs, fish, meat, and processed foods that don’t contain gluten.

National Gluten-Free Day was launched in 2014 by Cassy Joy Garcia, a certified holistic nutritionist, author, and the creative force behind the food blog Fed & Fit that she started in 2011. It is observed on the second Monday of January, although some sources mistakenly claim that the date of National Gluten-Free Day is January 13 because it was first observed on January 13, 2014.

The main goal of National Gluten-Free Day is to raise awareness of the gluten-free lifestyle and the reasons that make people go gluten-free. It aims to show that the gluten-free diet is not just another fad diet: gluten intolerance is a big deal, and most people who go gluten-free do it for legitimate medical reasons.

How can you celebrate National Gluten-Free Day? You can learn more about gluten-related disorders and the gluten-free diet, try to go gluten-free for a day to understand what it is like, attend a gluten-free cooking workshop, etc. If you’re already living the gluten-free lifestyle, celebrate the holiday by educating others about it, sharing your favorite gluten-free products and recipes, or inviting your friends over for a gluten-free meal. And don’t forget to spread the word about the holiday on social media using the hashtag #NationalGlutenFreeDay.