By Kathleen Furey

One of the biggest diet crazes right now is the gluten-free diet. Some see it as just a fad, but for others, it’s a lifestyle if they are gluten-intolerant or have Celiac disease. What exactly is gluten? “Gluten is a group of proteins found in grain such as wheat, rye, spelt, kamut, bulgur, barley, etc.,” says Holistic Health & Nutrition Coach Katrine van Wyk. “It's what makes bagels so chewy and sponge cake spongy—that's exactly why wheat in particular is the chosen grain for breads and pastries.” Gluten can become an issue even though it’s in stuff from the earth. “Industrialization of our food system has led to breeding of a specific strain of wheat that has a much, much higher content of gluten.” says van Wyk.  “Today's wheat is not the same as our ancestors ate. Gluten shows up in a lot more foods and we’re eating a lot more of it.”

So, for couples who are gluten-free, how does one go about getting a delicious wedding cake that doesn’t taste dry? We have a few tips:

Do Your Research: Being gluten-free isn’t as terrible as it was even five years ago. There are many dedicated gluten-free bakeries such as BabyCakes NYC, which recently started making multiple allergen-friendly wedding cakes and other specialty pastries.

Talk to Your Baker/Caterer: There are some companies that use "allergen-friendly" as a marketing gimmick, and the allergen-friendly element is they don’t use peanut butter icing. It's also possible that they don’t know exactly what gluten-free entails. Schedule time to talk to the baker or caterer, so you and other allergic guests will be safe.

Seek Other Options: When in doubt with gluten-free cakes, think outside the cake box! A wide variety of cake alternatives, such as ice cream bars and fruit pops, have grown in popularity. As long as the presentation is beautiful, nobody will complain.

Photo: babycakesnyc.com; pop-bar.com