Editor's note: Dr. Arthur Agatston is the medical director of wellness and prevention for Baptist Health South Florida. Creator of the best-selling South Beach Diet series, he is the author of the new book, "The South Beach Diet Gluten Solution."

If you're confused by the gluten-free diet craze, you're not alone.

Like many people, you've probably heard about the phenomenon but really don't understand what gluten is or what, if anything, you should be doing about it. Yet millions of people in this country are turning their lives upside-down trying to avoid it.

Here are five things you need to know about gluten:
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Ashton Kutcher might think twice before trying method acting again.

While preparing to play Steve Jobs in Joshua Michael Stern’s biopic, “Jobs,” the actor said he adopted the late Apple co-founder’s fruit-only diet.
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An English-language magazine in Dubai has been accused of disrespecting Islam by recommending places to drink during Ramadan.

Time Out Dubai, a popular city guide in the Emirate, published the offending article in its Ramadan issue, which promised to help readers "make the most of the Holy Month."
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During the month of Ramadan, which began July 19 and continues through August 18, from dawn to dusk observant Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex in order to purify themselves, learn humility, pray and concentrate on Allah's teachings.
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The largest kosher food brand in the United States, Hebrew National, known for its tagline "We Answer to a Higher Authority," is being sued in federal court for allegedly not meeting the kosher standards it famously advertises.

The lawsuit, which was first filed by 11 plaintiffs in May, alleges that the popular brand has been negligent and violated several consumer fraud laws when it failed to follow its own standards for kosher meat.
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Domino’s Pizza is delivering some good news to gluten-free eaters, but not everyone with sensitivity to the stuff is happy with the move.

The pie chain announced that it will be offering gluten free crust at all of its nearly 5,000 stores in the US beginning this week, and claims to be the first delivery chain to do that nationwide.

"The prevalence of gluten sensitivity has become a real issue with significant impact on consumer choice, and we want to be a part of the solution,” said J. Patrick Doyle, Domino's Pizza president and CEO. “Now, the whole group can enjoy Domino's with the addition of our new Gluten Free Crust."

But Domino’s has a big caveat in its announcement: the crust is only appropriate for people with “mild gluten sensitivity.” That has some that suffer from Celiac disease scratching their heads and angered that they are left out and potentially put at risk.
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When it came time for Sivan Pardo, 31, to plan her wedding to her 28-year-old fiancé Scott Renwick, she knew she wanted a “big fat vegan wedding.”

“As Scott and I are both vegans for ethical reasons, it was very clear to us that we wanted our wedding, and everything around it, to reflect our ethics and values,” said Pardo, the founder and director of “The Vegan Woman” website.

Pardo has been vegan for one year and a vegetarian since she was 12. There will be no animal-derived products served at her reception on June 1.
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When 33-year-old Ashoo Mongia visits the supermarket it's rarely for stocking up his fridge for the week. As head of a cow protection enforcement team, he regularly scours Delhi grocery stores and outdoor markets for food products containing cow beef.

For the last 15 years, Mongia and his team of 120 Delhi-based volunteers have thrown themselves in a battle that pits India's billon-dollar meat industry and growing underground beef trade against Hindu traditionalists keen on preserving the holy status of cows.
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Elizabeth Gordon is the author of 'The Complete Allergy-Free Comfort Foods Cookbook and Allergy-Free Desserts'. She was diagnosed with multiple food allergies in 2007 after the birth of her first child and decided to combine her social work background with her love of the culinary arts to help people just like her. She cooks up new treats, weekly, on her blog allergyfreedelights.com

The United States is home to 9 million adults and 6 million children coping with food allergies ranging from annoying rashes to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Millions of other families are taking note of government-funded initiatives like Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move project and reaching for less processed and more natural fare.

While healthy and safe eating is the common denominator between these groups, there is likely another: sticker shock when the checkout person hands over the grocery receipt.
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Food brings people together. A great deal of bonding can happen over a pot of soup, but when one person wants chicken noodle while the other wants vegetable, it can turn into a food fight - and not of the John Belushi variety.

Couples expect the normal relationship woes – sex, money, respect – but with the growing prevalence of dietary restrictions and interfaith marriages, the kitchen is increasingly turning into an all out turf war.

This shouldn't be a surprise, says psychotherapist Karen Koenig – food is an "anything-but-simple subject."
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