While a gluten-free diet is crucial for those with Celiac disease, experts are cautioning that excluding gluten from your diet if you don’t have Celiac disease can be harmful, according to an article in the NY Daily News
Gluten-free diets are all the rage among some celebrity circles right now. They supposedly assume that avoiding gluten will help them stay slender or lose weight. However, there is no evidence to suggest that eliminating gluten from your diet causes weight loss.
Also, many products that are labeled gluten-free are high in sugar, fat, and salt. It pays to read the label.
The message seems to be that avoiding gluten if you don’t have Celiac disease is not only unnecessary but it could potentially backfire if your ultimate goal in doing so is to lose weight or improve your health.
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I’ve gone gluten free to control my migraines and it has helped. I have, however, gained weight. I don’t understand that, but anything is worth cutting down on migraines!
Well, I’d rather have a few extra pounds than a migraine any day! :)
Wow. I think this article is very irresponsible. Really? You think there are THAT many people who are eliminating gluten(an enormous undertaking) so that they can cut back on calories, but then they are unwittingly replacing those calories with more calories by way of sugar and fat. Really?
I think rather… people don’t feel good and their bodies suggest that the cause of their issues is gluten. When they experiment and find they feel better without gluten then they have the motivation necessary to eliminate this ubiquitous food. The fact that science can’t always explain why gluten causes health problems should not discount a person’s experience. And spreading the notion that gf is a fad is simply silly and ciunter productive when supposedly one in 100 Americans has celiac and a fraction are aware– and DOCTORS estimate that between 7-15% of Americans have idiopathic gluten sensitivity.
So… rather than suggesting that people ought not trust their gut for fear of being a far-follower, why don’t you try to something useful.
Colleen, I’m simply reporting on an article that came out in the NY Daily news.
The above comment was typed on my android phone… hence the odd typos.
I agree Colleen. The article is BS. Not only does losing weight have everything to do with calories in/calories out, but packaged food in general is typically higher in salt, sugar and fat. It’s not limited to a gluten free diet.
Eating a gluten free diet is just as innocuous as being vegetarian, following Paleo, the Zone or the yo yo diet. You can get fat, be fatigued and have headaches on whatever diet you follow if it isn’t BALANCED, regardless of what you do or don’t put in your body.
I’m 57 years old & had all kinds of problems since my late teens. I was a skinny kid & ate like a horse. I’ve had extream menstral cramps, suicidal depression on & off, my abdomin has always been sore, tendonitis, bursitis, terrible migrains, chronic fatigue at times, anxiety, moodiness brain fog, lack of concentration, some intense itching on my shins but no vivible rash & many other things wrong. Been to doctors for years, never any help. Now I have plantar fasciitis that is claiming my ankles & calves, my back is cramping really bad. My cousin has been pestering me about getting tested for Celiac Disease, because she was & changed her life through diet. I know this will help because I went on a diet for 2 years “The Carbohydrate Addicts Diet” by Heller & Heller & though that diet did not target Gluten, the fact that my carbs were so low led me to feeling wonderful. Been eating poorly for several years now & the pains are piling up like never before. Just started to go gluten free, will have to do more research, but eating rice & taters. I don’t need no doctor test, it is real simple. If I don’t eat gluten & I get well, it is a no brainer.
This article fails to include those allergic to wheat. I was diagnosed last year through skin scratch test at an allergists that I am allergic to both wheat and yeast (giving up the yeast has improved my migraines).
I don’t like the angle of these articles or how Dr’s are addressing those who go gluten-free without celiac’s or a sensitivity. Bottom line, not eating things with gluten is probably healthier in that we are avoiding bad carbs. I would presume people gain weight because they are not educated about going gluten free and that yes, often gluten free products pack on higher salt and fat contents. But those who don’t eat gluten for whatever reason are being forced to eat more vegetables, fruits, and natural items that don’t contain gluten. How could that ever be a bad thing? I think this is more about the food industry scrambling to find Dr’s who will contribute to these bogus articles so we can keep everyone on the processed food bandwagon.
WOW!!! What a crock o’ gluten!!!! This is so ridiculous I can’t even believe that it got published. Yeah, right, like eating less bread, crackers, pasta, cookies and cakes is going to harm people.
Doctors may have the motive of spreading this kind of nonsense because they don’t want people to get well and stay well.
Just tooo stupid for words. Sheeesh
Well, I think it’s pretty ridiculous too Mel. ;)
I most definitely agree with Colleen and Mel!! This article is ridiculous and should never have been published. I was just recently tested for Celiac Disease after struggling with GI problems my whole life. I had all the symptoms for Celiac Disease, however I tested negative. A few weeks prior to the test results I started eating gluten free. Now 2 months gluten free I feel like a new person, after 26 years of throwing up, bloat, constipation, stomach pains etc. Celiac Disease took a while to come out and for doctors to understand. Gluten Sensitivity is now in that process of being recognized. Although it’s not as harmful as Celiac, it is an important issue that deserves just as much attention.
If you stop eating gluten before you test it will give a false negative. I’m not getting tested because it’s so inaccurate,. Going gluten free cleared up all my problems, and if I even get an invisible amount I am sick for days. Good enough for me.
I find this article is not informative at all. It just makes a few very general statements that are unsupported by any details. Anyone could have written this. You don’t have to rely on packaged food to go gluten free, although grocery stores stock mostly packaged gluten free cookies, mixes, and breads. There is a huge profit margin on these items, which is why the stores carry so much of it. Like all other processed, packaged, and ready to eat food, these are unhealthy even if they are gluten free. With just a little bit of effort you can buy gluten free raw ingredients such as buckwheat, rice, and millet flours and make your own breads at home. What is unhealthy is eliminating an entire category of food, such as carbohydrates. This is fad dieting that does not work in the long run.
Just because an article appears in the NY Daily news, doesn’t mean it worth republishing on the internet. I don’t care where it appeared, this article unhelpful and misleading. I don’t have Celiac disease, but I do have a gluten sensitivity that causes excema for me. It may be causing other slowly progressive problems too (like osteoperosis, or low iron) which are not as easily apparent. I have cut out gluten from my diet with no negative effects. There are many other things to eat in place of wheat, rye, and oats. It just takes a little effort and research.
I totally agree with what Yola said in her post. This is all about encouraging people to stay on the packaged food and prescription drug band wagon. It’s all about marketing towards higher profits for huge companies. These companies don’t give a crap about human health or the environment. All they care about is shareholder profits and executive bonuses. Wouldn’t it be great for big pharma if everyone had diabetes and had to take insulin shots for the rest of their lives. Think for yourselves people, don’t believe all the fear mongering pumped out by the media!!
I think the article is still relevant. The point the article is trying to make is that some people are eating gluten-free products for the wrong reasons and may have unrealistic expectations.
I have been gluten free for three weeks including eating nothing white. I can bend my fingers in the morning without any pain. This article is truly irresponsible.