Busting the gluten free weight loss myth

With more and more people eliminating gluten from their diets, gluten free awareness is starting to grow. In fact, those of us with coeliac disease or gluten intolerances have never had it so good. It’s getting easier for us to find restaurants to eat in and we can choose from a wider selection of foods in the supermarket. However, with a growing number of people banishing gluten from their diets in a bid to lose weight, many of us also find that a large percentage of people think we’re simply following a fad!

Thanks to lots of publicity from celebs who say they swear by gluten free diets, a lot of people think that by dodging gluten-filled foods, they can shed the pounds. But what are the benefits of a gluten free diet? Is a gluten free diet really the key to weight loss? In short, no. There is no evidence whatsoever to say that gluten free diets lead to weight loss. Let me explain…

What is gluten?

Basically, gluten is a mixture of two proteins and can be present in cereal grains such as wheat, barley and rye. You’re most likely to find these grains in bread, pasta, pastry, flour, cakes, and biscuits. Oh how I miss this stuff!

What is coeliac disease?

Thanks to a lot of misinformation out there (I’m looking at you Daily Mail), a lot of people think that coeliac disease is an allergy, but in fact it’s an auto-immune disorder. When a person with coeliac disease eats gluten, the body’s immune system responds and in the process attacks the lining of the small intestine. This can result in abdominal pain, bloating, nausea and diahorrea. For coeliacs, short term exposure to gluten can lead to the above symptoms, in the long term more serious conditions and diseases can develop. Some sufferers can develop cancer or become infertile. It’s serious.

Not everyone who feels ill after eating gluten has coeliac disease. Some people are simply sensitive to gluten and can suffer from sickness, bloating and diahorrea after exposure to this type of protein.

If you’re diagnosed with coeliac disease, the only solution is to completely give up gluten.

Can you lose weight if you cut out gluten?

For those that don’t have coeliac disease or a gluten intolerance, there really is no need to give up gluten.

Many people find that by slashing gluten from their diets, they lose weight. But this is purely incidental.

When a person decides to stop eating gluten, they’re probably no longer going to be able to eat breakfast butties from the local café, takeaways on a Friday night, or enjoy a few pints down the pub. As a result of ditching these simple pleasures, they’re likely to see a change in their weight, providing they eat plenty of healthy food instead.

And it just so happens that most naturally healthy food is gluten free anyway. For example, meat, fish, salad, fruit, and vegetables are usually free from gluten. So if you eat a diet rich in the above foods while cutting back on cakes, biscuits, and takeaways (which often contain gluten), of course you’re going to see a difference.

But gluten itself is not responsible. In fact, there are plenty of foods that naturally contain gluten such as pasta and couscous that can easily be integrated into a healthy diet.

Some dieters also make the mistake of thinking that all gluten free foods are good for them and as a result turn to gluten free loaves of bread or bags of pasta from the supermarket. However, in reality these options can in fact be higher in calories and sugar than gluten-filled grub.

What’s the answer?

If you’re struggling to lose weight and think that going gluten free is the answer, please don’t! Don’t unnecessarily deprive yourself of all the lovely gluten-filled foods out there! You don’t need to. Gluten isn’t to blame and it isn’t always unhealthy. Instead of ditching it completely, adopt a diet that is rich in meat (pack in that protein), fish, vegetables, fruit, salads, and nuts. Give yourself the occasional treat, and if that involves a slice of gluten filled cake, so be it! The only reason for giving up gluten is if you have coeliac disease or a gluten intolerance/sensitivity.