Gluten-Free Could be a Smart Choice for Your Body, or Just a Dietary Hassle

What’s the deal with gluten?

Gluten-free foods have increased in popularity as you may have noticed by the expanding number of gluten-free products on the market. Unlike twenty years ago, it is quite easy today to get your hands on gluten-free pasta, waffles, sauces, cereals, and even frozen foods. Additionally, many restaurants have designated gluten-free items on their menus or will have gluten-free options on hand for special requests.

Perhaps you have a friend who has decided to go “gluten-free,” or maybe you have heard alternative health practitioners and celebrities touting what they believe to be the numerous advantages of a gluten-free lifestyle.  In any case, what’s the bottom line—who actually needs a gluten-free diet? 

Let’s start with the basics: What is gluten and when can consuming it be a bad thing? Gluten is the protein in wheat, barley, and rye. In individuals with celiac disease, a chronic digestive disorder, exposure to gluten triggers an immune response. Because this immune response damages the small intestine walls, food and nutrients are unable to be absorbed. Abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea are common symptoms with the potential for subsequent nutrition deficiencies, weight loss, and even cancer to develop over time. 

Some people with the condition experience no signs or symptoms after eating gluten; however, this does not mean it is not harmful. Even trace amounts of gluten can be damaging, whether or not they cause signs or symptoms. For someone with celiac disease, the only treatment is a lifelong avoidance of gluten. 

But for the first time, experts are entertaining the idea that a similar non-celiac gluten sensitivity may exist. This theory could explain why more and more people of late are declaring themselves gluten intolerant and seem to find relief once they banish gluten from their diets. A non-celiac gluten sensitivity may cause similar symptoms to celiac disease like bloating, cramps, and diarrhea, but without causing damage to the small intestine.    

As gluten-free foods, sensitivities, and celiac disease become more commonplace in our vocabulary, it makes sense that people searching for symptom relief for such things as chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine headaches, or fibromyalgia, may also try avoiding gluten. 

So should you go gluten-free?  Always talk with your doctor, but only if you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity should it be imperative. Otherwise, giving up gluten can be an unnecessary hassle—gluten is in everything from salad dressings to sandwich bread to soups. Most people who adhere to a gluten-free diet for reasons other than celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity tend to fall back eventually to foods containing gluten.

There is no benefit to avoiding gluten for weight loss because “gluten-free” does not mean calorie-free. Some people have latched onto the notion that eating a gluten-free diet will bring about quick weight loss. Do not be fooled. Remember, only by creating a calorie deficit will you lose weight.

There are also some risks associated with an unbalanced gluten-free diet.    

Because many gluten-free foods are lacking fiber, B vitamins, and iron you may end up with a nutrition deficiency. Additionally, “gluten-free” does not translate to “healthy.”  Swapping out a gluten-containing cake mix for a gluten-free cake mix should not leave you with a sense of pride. Indeed, manufacturers often use more sugar and fat to bind foods together when gluten is missing. While the added sugar and fat may make food more palatable, that does not translate to healthy.