It’s that time again, Gluten Free News time! Before I dive right into some news from this week here is a big reminder: There is still time to enter my giveaway sponsored by Rudi’s for some soft and fluffy goodies. I’ll be picking the winner on Monday! I love all the ideas everyone is sharing, there are just so many ways to think about staying cozy for the winter! And now for your gluten free and nutrition news. This week was a bit light on new gluten free news:

What Really Causes Celiac Disease? Or Who Has the Guts for Gluten?
Celiac Disease and gluten free living is really making it big in the New York Times these days. This article take an aerial view of the causes behind celiac disease looking at everything from the hygiene/microbe theory to genetics, infant diet, exposure to gluten rich ‘super foods’ and more. Overall, it’s a good read if you want to catch up on where research stands as to the causes.

The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food
Also from the New York times, this article looks at the science behind what makes us buy and eat junk food, even when we know we shouldn’t. From focus groups which help marketers pin point the ‘bliss point’ in taste, to assessing for what is the most appealing color to a customer, to focusing on the ‘needs’ of the purchaser this science is influencing the way we eat. It is a long read, but well worth it in my opinion.

Big Bird Launches Nutrition and Fitness Campaign with Michelle Obama
Famous children’s characters are often used to advertise junk foods, so I love when one is coming to good use! Big Bird has partnered up with the First Lady in support of improving children’s healthy habits. Read the article for more details, and to see one of the videos.

5 Ways to Make Nutritional Labeling More Effective
In this straight forward article author Meghan Hall suggests 5 ways towards better food labeling. She suggests improvements to: emphasizing serving sizes and calories, highlight added sugar, clarifying the ingredients list, finding a solution to front of package labeling, and expanding the scope of labeling to include currently unlabeled products. Each section is discussed in more detail in the article. In respect to clarifying the ingredients list larger font size and adding the percentages of each ingredient in the entire product are stressed. I would obviously also stress the importance of labeling for allergens.