The gluten-free market is expected to reach $4.89 billion by 2021. Interestingly, only a fraction of this amount will be spent by people with an actual gluten intolerance. While only 1% of people have been diagnosed with gluten intolerance, up to 30% of customers are opting for gluten-free products easily available at online stores like Square Root.The reasons seem to be varied and include things like nutritional health and weight loss – with only 5% doing it for what they perceive as a gluten intolerance.

Before you consider going gluten-free you should weigh the pros and the cons. If you think you may be gluten intolerant you should check with your doctor. Remember that going gluten-free is challenging as so many foods contain it, and gluten-free products are

These days, a gluten-free lifestyle has become one of the most popular diet trends in the U.S. One in five people now reduce or eliminate gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley or rye, in their diet, according to a 2015 Gallup poll.

Avoiding gluten is crucial for people with celiac disease. That’s because in them, gluten damages the small intestine and nutrients can’t be absorbed. Its symptoms include diarrhea, constipation, bloating, and pain.

But only about 1% of the population has celiac disease, and that number hasn’t changed in recent years, says Hyun-seok Kim, MD, a doctor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark. In a study released earlier this month, he looked at a national survey taken from 2009 to 2014. Although celiac disease numbers remained stable during that time, the number of people following a gluten-free diet tripled, from 0.5% of the population to nearly 2%.

The study’s researchers say that some who follow a gluten-free diet without a diagnosis of celiac disease may have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. People with non-celiac gluten sensitivity have similar symptoms but don’t have celiac disease. People with a wheat allergy may also follow the diet to prevent an allergic reaction.

But do others need to go gluten-free?

 more expensive than regular products on average. Get more information about going gluten-free in this infographic from Lakeshore Convention Centre.