Pralines. Po’Boys. Shrimp and okra gumbo. Organic, grass-fed beef? Gluten-free bread? Sugar-free sugar?

Acadiana and Cajun country are known for some foods, but area grocery stores are beginning to sell more items catering to those who choose to or have to follow dietary restrictions.

Merlin Comeaux started Natural Nutrition Center in 1985.

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At first, he said, “it was like pulling teeth getting people convinced of the importance of organic foods.” Now people are requesting more organically grown vegetables.

He said conditions contributing to food restrictions can range from allergies to hypertension to diabetes. Gluten, for example, is a binding protein found in wheat and breads, and some people have difficulty digesting it, either due to an allergy or a condition called Celiac Sprue.

Wheat and corn, he said, usually contain some amount of mold, and “can cause an inflammatory condition in the blood.” Some parents keep their kids on a gluten-free diet on a regular basis because it can make children more hyper and contribute to ADD and attention problems.

Comeaux said autistic children can be more susceptible to wheat, but that for all people susceptibility depends on their immune systems. Some people are highly allergic and some have no problems at all.

He said demand for vegetarian and vegan products in the area is “definitely growing.” Some people do not want to eat corn-fed beef “because it’s laced with antibiotics and hormones.”

Many people consume grass-fed beef or vegetarian products instead. Organic meat is preferable, but hard to find locally because a lot of fields within a distance less than the FDA required 50-mile radius for the definition of “organic” are sprayed with chemicals.

Super-1 Manager Alton Batiste said another reason many consumers change their diets is to follow their doctor’s recommendations.

One of those doctors is New Iberia’s Dr. Andrew “Drew” Clark. He recommends everyone reduce their intake of not only junk food, but also of refined and processed food and starchy foods.

Those foods can help create insulin resistance and inflammation, which in turn lead to increased likelihood of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

He said  in recent years, people have slowly become more health conscious, although “it’s tough in South Louisiana.”

Toni Simoneaud of Simoneaud’s said many customers watch the fat content in their foods.

Batiste said there seems to be more of a demand for special products now. Most of the store’s requests, he said, are for sugar-free and salt-free products.

Sometimes customers ask for something they have seen on TV; sometimes for something they have heard of and want to try.

“I guess maybe society is getting more health-conscious,” he said.