A gluten-free diet is a must for people with celiac disease or an allergy to products containing wheat. It's not so easy being gluten free. Not only is gluten found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye, it's also added to many foods as a thickening agent. For example, some ice creams and even ketchup contain gluten.

The latest issue of Women's Health gives us a list of some of the tastiest gluten-free products on the market. Even if you don't require a gluten-free diet, give some gluten-free foods a chance. They're often made from different grains -- like quinoa -- and it's a good idea to incorporate new whole grains into your diet.

Check out the gallery for the Women's Health top gluten-free picks.

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A dear friend of mine has just been diagnosed with myriad food allergies. Eggs and gluten are among them. As a result, the thought of her future in the kitchen, let alone in restaurants and at dinner parties, has become somewhat daunting.

But there's a resource that might ease her transition. Cooking Allergy Free is an online community of food allergy sufferers and catalog of information and recipes just for them. We introduced readers to the site before. But a recent site redesign makes it easier to find recipes tailored to specific allergy-diets and allows users to create their own profile. Administrators have also added to the vast library of recipes.

Those who create their own profile can include personal information and a photo, allow others to see their allergies, and allow people to privately contact them. And those who create profiles during the month of May will be entered in a raffle for a free cookbook of their choice.

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Rheumatoid arthritis played a big role in my house growing up -- my dad suffered from it and when I say suffered, I mean suffered. Horribly. He struggled with everyday things--writing, chores, walking down the stairs--and just couldn't do many of the physical activities he used to. So if you have the disease, I really feel for you.

However, here's some potentially hopeful news: Recent studies are showing that adopting a vegan, non-gluten diet can help ease the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. It can also help prevent heart disease and strokes in those with arthritis. According to the findings, arthritis sufferers on a vegan diet had lower levels of C reactive protein, a compound that is related to levels of inflammation in the body.

The bad news is that a vegan, non-gluten diet involved cutting out all animal products (including meat and dairy) and many common grains. What can you eat? Lots of nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies.

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Having spent time as a fitness trainer, added with the time I have spent in the gym over the years for my own personal workouts, I can safely say that I have seen people of all shapes and sizes. I've worked out at gyms ranging from Gold's Gym, Bally Total Fitness, World Gym and Powerhouse Gym, down to YMCAs and independent gym chains. Hell, I've worked out in a gym that looked like a prison yard. And in the course of my workout travels, I've come across people with a wide range of workout styles. Some go hard and then go home, others spend most of their time working their jaw than they do their muscles, and others who work out like it's their job (and in some cases it is). Still, of all these people -- as interesting as each and every one of them truly are -- I have always been fascinated by the guy or girl that trains quite hard, but for some reason never seems to reap any benefits of their workout.

First of all, the key word here is "seem." At first blush, you can't tell whether someone feels better emotionally, whether their amount of vigor is at an all-time high, or even if they've lost five or ten pounds. All you can usually tell is what "seems" to be the case; they workout hard, but they look the same. "Look," therefore, is yet another operative term. But, when you spend time talking with these people, and they too confirm that they just can't seem to lose the weight or tone their muscles, one of two things springs to mind: 1) These people are what are typically referred to as "Hard Gainers"; a term that pretty much means what it sounds like, or 2) They may have a medical condition such as a thyroid issue or a gluten intolerance, either of which being a reason why losing weight could be inordinately difficult.

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The GF-CF diet can change the world, according to experts at the recent Asian Autism Conference in Hong Kong. But what is it, and how can it change your life? GF-CF is short for gluten-free, casein-free diet. Gluten is a major ingredient in many breads, pastas and wheat products, while casein is present in many dairy items.

But why is it so revolutionary? Apparently, adopting a GF-CF diet can rid children of many symptoms, including physical symptoms like diarrhea and insomnia, plus behavioural problems like agitation and hyperactivity. And it's thought that gluten and casein play a role in Autism as well, and a GF-CF diet can help treat the condition.

But implementing a GF-CF might be harder than it sounds. Cut out all wheat and dairy? It would be difficult for me ... how about you?

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Gluten is the talk of the town. The six-letter word is no stranger here at That's Fit and now that Hollywood's Jenny McCarthy has revealed that removing gluten from her autistic son's diet is helping him emerge from his disease, gluten-free diets may become all the rage.

The whole gluten topic really has me thinking -- I admit, I was a bit in the dark about the whole topic prior to just now -- and what I'm thinking is this: Do I really need to be eating wheat?

Gluten -- the protein found in wheat products such as breads, pastas, pastries, rye, barley, and some oats -- isn't a problem for many people. But for those sensitive to it, gluten can cause a sickening reaction. In fact, experts believe an underlying allergy to gluten may be to blame for some neurological disorders. It may also be connected to problems like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Celiac sprue.

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Most of us can eat gluten with few problems, but for people who have a gluten sensitivity or who suffer from celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is a way of life. If you're having trouble figuring out how to cut gluten out of your diet, here's a helpful article that can guide the way for you.

The main thing to remember when avoiding gluten is to avoid wheat-based products. This isn't the easiest thing to do, since bread and pasta are such a staple of our diets these days, but many grocery stores and restaurants are starting to cater to the gluten-free lifestyle. How do you follow a gluten-free diet?

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Now that trans fats are widely recognized and on their way out (ever so slowly, however), gluten seems to be the latest dietary "fall guy." Many people are beginning to swear that when they cut out gluten they feel more energetic, less irritable, and have better skin. Some even claim a gluten-free diet helps lessen anxiety and help solve infertility problems.

Up until recently, most of the people bothering to avoid gluten were those diagnosed with celiac disease or a gluten allergy. Going on a gluten-free diet is hardly easy, as gluten is found in so many foods. Avoiding wheat, rye, and barley might not sound that daunting until you consider just how many products have some form of one or the other. Besides bread and bread products, even foods like soy sauce, malt vinegar, and treats like Twinkies and Ho Hos have gluten (well, you should really be avoiding those two anyway!).

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