The Truth About Eating Gluten Free

Of all the recent nutrition trends, going gluten free has probably been then biggest. Unfortunately, its popular has largely been founded on people’s misunderstanding of gluten and how eating gluten free really affects your body. Most people think that as long as you eat something that is gluten free, it is good for you in the sense that it will help you lose weight. This is not always true, and this misconception can really hurt your weight loss.

Let’s start with the definition of gluten: a mixture of proteins found in wheat and related grains including barley, oat, rye, spelt and other varieties. Many additives and processed foods contain gluten as well, such as some flavors, canned soups, and even some condiments, dairy and meat. Its purpose is to help foods maintain their shape, acting like a glue to hold it together. People with Celiac Disease, an auto immune disorder, have a negative reaction when they consume gluten – their bodies attack their small intestines, causing short term and long term damage. While millions of people eat gluten free, it is estimated that only 1% of Americans have this disease.

So why is eating gluten free such a trend when only 1 in 100 people have the disorder? When trying to lose weight, people fear carbs or foods they associate with carbs (bread, bagels, cake, pizza, pasta, anything made with flour), and think that they are the worst and they will make you gain weight. And while it is true that these foods won’t always help you lose weight, gluten free foods still contain carbs and calories and should still be monitored. Just because something doesn’t have white flour, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have flour at all. Alternatives like rice flour, buckwheat flour, bean flours, coconut flour, nut flours, potato flour, quinoa flour, corn flour and all other varieties contain the same or higher amounts of calories and can be just as bad as white flour for your weight loss. Some may be healthier than others, but healthy doesn’t automatically mean weight loss. Flour is still flour.

The reality is that the only key to weight loss is “clean” – not “gluten-free”, not “low-carb”, not “cleansing”, not “paleo”, not “vegan”, not “raw”. Going gluten free won’t offer you any additional health benefits and gluten free foods aren’t always better. Gluten isn’t the enemy – in fact, it is found in many whole-grain foods that provide healthy carbs, vitamins, minerals and fiber that are essential to eating healthy and won’t hurt your weight loss.

Eliminating one ingredient or food group isn’t the answer, especially when this element can actually offer health benefits. Finding a healthy balance is vital to all things in life, including weight loss.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

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