With surging gas prices deepening those ever gaping holes in our fraying, blue jean pockets, it’s comforting to know that the economy retains some bright patches.

According to the news site, eNews 2.0, the market for food allergy and intolerance products is enjoying an uptick, with gluten-free items contributing to the rising tide.

The market might exceed $3.9 billion this year with gluten-free beverages and munchies topping off at $1.3 billion before decade’s end. This figure is up from $700 million in 2006.

New York based National Association for the Specialty Food Trade predicts that more than 250 of its 2,800 participants provide at least 7,000 no-allergenic products. Five short years go only about 50 members did.

So, while this news brief might do little to solve your gas woes, it garners yet another gold star for gluten-free living.

The temptation waits for you. It’s there. It’s ready. It’s hungry. Fast food chains, which offer what none of us needs, whether we live gluten-free or not, advertise celiac untouchables. Smells, chock full of cholesterol, waif through Pizza Hutand Subway sandwich doors. Rightly, you ignore these scents because you know alternatives exist, some as good or even better than what the fast food chains offer.

Just take a second to imagine a different scenario. See yourself eating such grain filled, white flour containing treats as deep dish pizza and double fudge brownies without fear of stomach cramps, weight loss or bloating.

According to a recent article published on ABC’s Phoenix affiliate’s website, an experimental new drug seeks to halt celiac symptoms before they begin. The pill, developed by Dr. Alessio Fasano, inhibits Zonulin, a protein that regulates the absorption of nutrients in the gut. It simultaneously widens and tightens spaces between closely packed cells that line the small intestine, thus admitting vital nutrients while effectively shunning harmful proteins like gluten.

Doctor Anthony DiMarino, M.D, currently heads a study on the new drug, which is tentatively titled a-t-1001.

The study’s results have been largely positive.

“It seems to be blocking the things you want it to block,” Dr. DiMarino notes in the article. “Patients seem to be able to tolerate the gluten with minimal or no side effects.”

If successful, the new pill might effectively replace the gluten-free diet as the number one solvent for celiac disease, or at least give it a little competition.

We’ll just have to wait and see, cause I don’t know about anyone else, but I quite like gluten-free munchies, and am not quite ready to say goodbye to Glutino pretzels.

Hopefully, Obama girl won’t begrudge us her most infamous line for a post or two. We’re using it for a larger good after all.

Unlike the mini-skirt, halter top clad YouTube sensation, author/blogger Shauna James Ahern (a.k.a Gluten-Free Girl) of Seattle applies her crush to a broader mission.

A 38-year-old celiac, she shares recipes and life experiences on her blog, glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com and in her 2007 memoir, Gluten-Free Girl .

Ahern’s blog features commentaries about food and everyday life. Her entries include slice-of-life senarios and carry a conversational tone. Each post tells an engaging story infused with information, humor and a twinge of self-deprication. She covers everything from an intricate Strawberries, Blue Cheese, and Balsamic Reduction Sauce to the excitement she feels when asparagus sprouts in Spring.

Ahern recently teamed with the staff at Ritrovo Italian Foods to help promote their gluten-free artisanal products, which include rice and corn pastas.

Ahern and Ritrovo’s co-founders gave their Seattle neighbors an opportunity to visit them at Metropolitan Market throughout the latter end of April (18 - 26), where they distributed samples and fielded questions about gluten-free cooking.

They rest atop an ivory liquid surface, like mini, window-tiled pillow cases kissing the shallow end of a pool full of white-out. Half soggy and half crunchy, they hasten to or away from your silver spoon.

“Gotcha!” You silently proclaim as you capture a few on your metallic scooper. Perhaps your eyes graze this product’s package as you chomp, taking note of the bright red and blue heading: Rice Chex Simply Nutritious.

Simply nutritious. Hmmm.

Well if you eat gluten-free, the word simple assumes an entirely different meaning. What some view as a perfectly innocuous snacking experience can translate into a crash course in Delightfully Dangerous Digestion for you.

General Mills, perhaps seeking to captialize on the free-from craze, now offers a gluten free version of this crispy favorite.

Gluten Free Rice Chex cereal is no joke. It is the real deal, the genuine article, and a whole slew of other nothing like the real thing baby cliches you can imagine. The barely-malt-filled Original Rice Chex, not to be confused with Rizchecks (Thank you, Miss Ringwald), of yesteryear now faces some mean competition. Gluten free Rice Checks cereal replaces barley malt syrup with molasses, a non-threat to celiac diets.

The brand still ensures 100 Calories per serving and promises no artificial flavors or colors. You can find the product at all major grocery store chains for a suggested retail price of $2.99.

Maybe it speaks to a preoccupation with Walter Conkrite, too many cameras and bright lights, or 15-minutes-of-Andy Warhol-look-at-me, look-at-me heaven, but rightly or wrongly, people sometimes look to entertainers and TV personalities for cues on everyday living. The meaty fanbase of The Late Show host David Letterman offers little exception to this rule.

During the intro for Letterman’s April 1st program, his late night talk show’s announcer proclaimed, “And now…wheat and gluten-free…David Letterman.”

The buzz around the blogosphere has largely coalesced around the fact that Letterman’s announcer made similar proclamations in the past and so viewers should take the announcement with a salty grain of tentative truth.

It remains unclear whether or not David Letterman maintains a gluten-free lifestyle. Still, the beautiful damage remains done. Celiac blogger Suzanne Mangini asks in her April 3rd, Is Letterman gluten-free? entry, “So, is Letterman gluten-free? Even if it was a joke, it was still a mention of GF and that’s always a good thing in my book!”

I think Mangini might be on to something here.

Letterman, like most celebs, even those with the smallest followings, can tip the least known concepts.

Perhaps he can pump interest into gluten-free living with this announcement the same way Oprah Winfrey renews excitement in reading with her book club selections. (Sorry Frey “but he lied, he lied” bashers, but even in light of the controversy, A Million Little Pieces still retains its awesomeness.)

Perhaps any publicity works better than no attention at all. Gluten-free diets yield so many health benefits, even for non-celiacs.

Whether or not Letterman lives gluten-free then becomes immaterial. He, in all his superstar wonderment, has helped spread the word.

Vanessa Maltin is a rising star in the Celiac world. She’s the author of Beyond Rice Cakes (a groundbreaking book that includes first-person perspective on handling Celiac Disease as a teenager), the host of cooking show Alternative Appetites, and the director of programming and communications for the NFCA (a national non-profit focused on raising awareness of Celiac Disease).

Vanessa recently reviewed the new edition of The Essential Gluten Free Restaurant Guide. Check out what Vanessa had to say about our Restaurant Guide and learn all about the great work Vanessa and the NFCA are doing to raise Celiac awareness at Vanessa’s blog, http://www.beyondricecakes.com/blog/.

We’ll be attending the NFCA’s sold out (!) Gluten Free Cooking Spree in Bethesda, MD this Friday, and will provide updates.

There is quite a bit of misinformation floating around about celiac living. One such piece of misinformation is that gluten-free and fun just can’t seem to get along. Fortunately, a new celiac-friendly product seeks to reverse that misconception. A recent report released by the TCL Asset Group details the rise of “Funsters”–individually quick GMO, gluten and wheat free frozen mashed potato alphabet letters. In addition to being gluten-free, “Funsters” lack preservatives, contain Omega 3 & 6 and exclude trans fats. You can grill, bake or toast them. And while you’re at it, you might also want to explore the spice spectrum and purchase these iced veggies in flavors Cheddar and BBQ Lite.

Edited to add: You can find “Funsters” at most general health and natural food stores and supermarkets. The retail price for an 18-oz. bag (about 80 letters) usually ranges anywhere from $2.99 to $3.49.

A recent article featured in the Health section of the Los Angeles Times discussed this year’s Natural Products Expo West. The annual Expo, which convened March 13 through 16 at the Anaheim Convention Center, showcases the hottest trends in organic cosmetics, pet food, meats and beer. Several vendors line the Convention Center, offering new food or personal-care products for tasting, sniffing and slathering. Among 2008’s items, gluten-free products proved most popular.

Midway through the Times article, Fresh Ideas Group’s Sylvia Tawse, a marketer for natural and organic foods, exclaims, “Gluten-free is just exploding!”

This explosion currently transcends the globe and includes an uptick in vegan foods and macaroons.

The Tri-County Celiac Support Group is hosting a Gluten Free Food Fair in Farmington Hills, MI on April 12th. TCCSG is charging admission - $5 per person/$10 per family for members, and $10 per person/$15 per family for non-members - though it seems that the money saved on shipping costs by buying in person should more than offset that.

For a complete list of vendors attending the Gluten Free Food Fair, please contact the TCCSG via their website at www.tccsg.org.

If there’s a local event you’d like to publicize through the Triumph Gluten Free! blog, please fill out this form to tell us about it.

In early February, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (sounds a little scary and evil, no?) ran a contest for the “next big idea” where readers of Martha’s blog voted from a list of candidates, including a magazine focused on allergy free living. Despite overwhelming reader support for the allergy free magazine (57% of the vote), Martha anointed the runner-up (a pet focused magazine) as the winner.

As you might expect, this caused quite a hubbub in the gluten free world. As of today, it looks like Martha may have reconsidered her initial rule, and may still be entering the allergy free space. Her blog now shows both the pet and allergy free magazines as “co-winners.”

See for yourself at Martha Stewart’s Blog.