What’s the fuss about Gluten?

Orange First, let me define what gluten actually is. Gluten is a protein found in many grains like, oat, wheat, rye, and barley to name a few. Hopefully after this post I will be able to debunk a few myths that are floating around out there. If you still have questions after this feel free to contact me

Is it actually healthier to eat gluten-free?

lays-classic This is a question that I hear quite often in conversation with people. I would as a first instinct tell my clients no it is not. Eating gluten-free doesn’t equal a healthy diet. In fact many people who eating gluten free often become deficient in some vitamins and minerals because they aren’t eating a balanced diet. These chips right here are gluten free, and they sure aren’t healthy and/or good for you. There are many foods that are just marketed as gluten free to pull you in and make you think that they are better for you, when in all actuality all they are going to do is drain your bank account faster. Gluten free food is much more expensive due to the ingredients that have to be use to make.

“But my friend who went gluten-free lost so much weight, so it has to be good for me right?”

This is a something that I’m sure my dietitian friends have also heard. If you remember gluten is in oat, wheat, rye, and barley. This cuts out almost

pizza-meme — *I couldn’t resist, I love pizza and this is how I would act too in this situation*

all desserts, pizza, pasta, and beer. Before I go any farther I will say that yes I am a dietitian and I’m human, I eat dessert, pasta, beer, and definitely pizza (check the about me section for my favorite foods and such). I believe you can eat what you want but you must have some discipline. Now back to the topic, all those foods are very calorie dense and not nutrient dense. It’s not those food items that make people overweight, it is the over indulgence of these items on a regular basis that cause these issues. Gluten free foods generally don’t taste good so that forces people who strictly follow a gluten-free diet to eat fruits, vegetables, meat, beans, and legumes. I do make some hella delicious black bean brownies that are gluten-free and are amazing. Those will have to be a post for another day.

“So then why is there even gluten-free food if it isn’t healthier for you?”

There are some circumstance in which people should be gluten-free. The most popular is Celiac disease. Celiac disease is literally an allergy to gluten. Your body’s immune system reac certified_gluten_free_logo ts to the consumption of gluten and damages your small intestine which is where many of your nutrients are absorbed. Some people are just gluten intolerant and their body just can’t tolerate too much. All foods that have this logo to the left are 100% gluten-free and safe for people with these conditions to eat.