Gluten is linked to a number of health problems. This is why a lot of modern diets and health advice systems vouch for the removal of foods that contain gluten in their diet. Gluten-free food is rising in popularity, with specialized gluten-free products and food services being a multi-billion dollar industry. There are a number of health benefits attached to going gluten-free, but which of them are true and which are not? Ultimately, should you go gluten-free? This article will educate you about the ins and out of the gluten-free diet and if it should work for you.
Gluten is a protein found in most grains that are cultivated for food. Grains that have gluten content include the likes of wheat, rye, and barley. While there is no significant nutritional value attached to gluten (even though it is a protein), gluten is actually linked to the characteristics of grains and their byproducts. For example, it is gluten that is responsible for making bread “rise”. Also, gluten is added as an ingredient to some food products, ranging from bread to ice cream. A lot of dishes commonly consumed worldwide contains gluten to some degree.
The most commonly linked health problem with gluten is celiac disease. This disease is mainly triggered by an autoimmune reaction to gluten. This leads to multiple acute and chronic symptoms that make it difficult or impossible for people with celiac disease to consume products that contain gluten. Symptoms of celiac disease include constipation, abdominal cramping, bloating, and indigestion. Another adverse effect of celiac disease is it compromises the intestines, leading to decreased absorption of nutrients. It can be so bad that people with (sometimes undiagnosed) gluten sensitivity have significant vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
It is for this reason why most proponents of the gluten-free diet are pushing the complete removal of gluten-containing food products in the diet. They believe that gluten also causes gastrointestinal abnormalities even to people without celiac disease.
1. It helps you avoid celiac disease
This is the main indication for avoiding gluten in the first place. If you are diagnosed with celiac disease or you are showing signs of it, it is imperative that you avoid consuming any food that contains gluten. For those who do not know, the symptoms and effects associated with this condition are serious enough to make you sick to your stomach, both literally and figuratively. If you are sensitive to gluten, it is your biggest reason why you should turn to a gluten-free diet.
2. It increases your awareness of food
A lot of people are not aware of what’s going into their plate (and later what’s going into their body) until they start feeling ill effects from it. One of the advantages of following a gluten-free diet (and following healthy diets in general) is it improve your awareness and knowledge of food. It opens you up to the idea of healthy food options (more on this later), as well as the ingredients being added to some of your favorite dishes. When you are more aware of what you eat, you end up making better diet decisions.
3. It opens you to healthier food options
When you start to follow diets such as a gluten-free diet, you open yourself up to healthier food options. You’ll be surprised to know that there are healthier carbohydrate options compared to wheat, rye, and barley. You will also be surprised that there are a lot of healthy (and tasty) food options that don’t use gluten as part of their ingredients. When you explore the gluten-free diet, you become more exposed and well-versed to healthier food options. For example, quinoa and buckwheat are gaining a reputation for being a healthy source of energy and nutrition.
4. Gluten is actually empty nutrition
While gluten is considered to be a protein, it does not benefit your body like how you think it should. It does not contribute to either muscle growth or metabolic function. It is not even digested properly by your body, and some of it can even stay in your gut, causing digestive problems and prolonged irritation. Not only you don’t gain anything from gluten in a nutritional standpoint, but it can also lead to digestive issues. Those reasons alone should be enough reason to cut gluten from your diet.
1. It doesn’t necessarily make you healthier
If you think that switching to a gluten-free diet will make you fitter and healthier, you are absolutely wrong on that one. This is because there is more to proper nutrition than just switching to a certain diet. While you can significantly improve your digestive function by cutting gluten from your diet, expecting that it would transform your health singlehandedly is a wrong assumption. Going gluten-free will not help you lose weight unless there’s a caloric deficit. You still got to follow other healthy practices to reach and maintain your dream physique, stave off aging, and prevent disease.
2. You still need to improve your eating habits
Even if you switch to a gluten-free diet, it’s not a guarantee that you will become healthier. A lot of fad diets work under the premise of making you healthy, with weight loss being their most common evidence. However, weight loss alone should not be your basis of saying that a diet works, as it’s possible that it’s only caused by creating a caloric deficit. Improving eating habits will ensure you get enough nutritional value at all times and your gastrointestinal tract is working like it should.
3. You might have shortage of dietary fiber
Deficiencies in daily dietary fiber consumption is seen as one of the biggest drawbacks of switching to a gluten-free diet. Wheat, especially in its whole-grain form, is one of the best sources of dietary fiber readily available in diets of most countries. Not getting enough fiber can result to poor gastrointestinal motility and even increase the risk for certain diseases. Removing that means you got to adjust your diet to compensate for those losses. This is where working with a nutritionist can possibly help as you embark on a diet change.
So should you go gluten-free? If you have signs or symptoms that you are sensitive to gluten, then by all means you should go for it. However, for the rest of the population, there is no solid evidence that retaining or removing gluten will improve or worsen your health. Overall, it’s a holistic approach to health that will ultimately help you achieve your health and fitness goals.
