What is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. A gluten-free diet would be devoid of all foods containing wheat, barely and rye. According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awarness, about 3 million Americans have celiac disease, which is an autoimmune digestive disorder; however, of the 3 million only 150,000 have been properly diagnosed. The only treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet. In addition to people with celiac, those with wheat allergies or non-celiac gluten sensitivity benefit from a gluten-free diet. There are still more people with inflammatory conditions that feel a benefit from limiting or limiting gluten from their diet.
For those who follow a gluten-free diet out of medical necessity, the abundance of gluten-free foods on the market are dreams come true; however, a market research firm Packaged Facts recently found only 10 percent of the people buying gluten-free foods have diagnosed reason to follow a gluten-free diet. So why is everyone eating gluten-free foods? Can gluten-free really result in weight loss?
Processed Food is Still Processed Food
Often gluten-free foods are thought to be healthier and are associated with weight loss. The current trend is to believe that a gluten-free bread or pasta is superior to the traditional gluten-containing product. The problem is that whether it is gluten-free or gluten containing, it is still a processed food. Breads, pastas, crackers, cookies, and pancakes are all made from flour and sugar; gluten-free refers only to the type of flour used.
When you compare gluten-free products to gluten-containing foods you will see that they could not promote weight loss or be healthier. Gluten-free processed foods tend to be higher in calories, fat, and sugar and lower in fiber.
Let's compare the most popular gluten-free bread with a 100 percent whole-wheat bread:
|
| Udi's (gluten-free) | Nature's Own (gluten-containing) |
| Calories | 70 calories | 55 calories |
| Fat | 2 g fat | 1 g fat |
| Fiber | .5 g fiber | 2 g fiber |
| Sugar | 1.5 g sugar | 1 g sugar |
| Protein | 1.5 g protein | 4 g protein |
Additionally, the gluten-free bread is denser, which means that you are getting more calories in a smaller piece of bread. This is the opposite of what you want for successful weight loss. In fact, it is for these reasons that those who must follow a gluten-free diet out of medical necessity often struggle with their weight when they rely on these processed foods.