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2. food allergies & intolerancesapproximately 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies, with 6.9 million allergic to seafood and 3.3 million allergic to peanuts or tree nuts. eight foods account for 90% of all reactions in the U.S. milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. approximately 2.2 million school-aged children have food allergies. one in every 17 children under the age of 3 has food allergies.statistics from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

3. celiac diseasewhat is it?celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disorder that affects the digestive process of the small intestine.when a person who has celiac disease consumes gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, the individual’s immune system responds by attacking the small intestine and inhibiting the absorption of important nutrients into the body.

4. in the united states, 1 in 133 healthy people have celiac diseaseit affects nearly 3 million americansthe average length it takes for a symptomatic person to be diagnosed with celiac disease in the u.s. is 11 yearsstatistics from the university of chicago celiac disease program

5. companies that have jumped on the bandwagoninclude whole foods, trader joe’s, babycakes, risotteria and large restaurant chains like pf changs and outback steakhouse.according to bakingbusiness.com, from 2004 to 2005, sales of gluten free foods increased by 77.8 million dollars (a growth of 14.6%)

6. even here at mslo,the allergy freecooking segment on the martha stewart show generated over 5000 messages!