Is Gluten Free The Way To Go?
Going gluten free is a very hot topic in nutrition right now. It’s one of the questions I receive the most in my Instagram DM’s.
Before we nail Gluten to the cross, what the heck is it? Most people do not realize that gluten is not a carbohydrate, it’s actually a protein composed of two other proteins called glutenin and gliadin.
Gluten is NOT wheat, carbs, starch, (I hear this all the time.)
Gluten has been vilified and demonized by “clean eating gurus” for the longest time but the truth is, unless you have Celiacs Disease you can consume gluten and be fine.
Celiacs Disease is a serious condition where the body rejects gluten and causes very violent reactions. This is a medical condition where the small intestine can’t process gluten. This is something that would require a medical doctor to diagnosis and statistically impacts less than 1% of the population. So, why do people “lose weight” when they remove gluten from their diets?
When people remove gluten from their diet, they also remove large quantities of energy dense carbohydrates foods (breads, pasta, cereals, etc) which reduces their overall calories.
The problem is most people are consuming too many overall calories and lacking awareness on their daily intake.
So, when they decide to go gluten free, and remove hundreds of calories per day from their diet, they assume gluten was the magical substances preventing them from seeing results all along.
Unfortunately, correlation does NOT equal causation.
What I mean by that is just because two things are RELATED does not mean one CAUSED the other. For example:
In 2018 men in their 20’s bought more Nike shoes than ever before.
Also, men in their 20’s had a higher rate of marriage then ever before in 2018.
This is called a correlation.
Now, does that mean if a man in his 20’s buys a pair of Nike’s he is AUTOMATICALLY getting married in the same year too?
No, of course not.
Correlation does NOT equal causation.
So, it’s safe to say that GLUTEN isn’t some magical silver bullet for weight loss.
EXCESS calories cause weight gain. Gluten by itself does not.
At the end of the day I always respect my clients personal preferences and I will give the same advice to you.
You should eat the foods you enjoy, and remove the ones you do not. Am I saying someone can’t feel better removing gluten if they don’t have celiacs disease, no of course not. I’ve experienced some clients who omit gluten from their diet due to the fact that they subjectively feel better – and I am A-OK with that!
If you feel better without gluten and enjoy not consuming it, GREAT! If grains don’t suit your personal preference, feel free to omit them.
My issue is the “nutrition gurus” who advise universal banning of an innocuous substance without conclusive evidence to support these claims.
The moral of the story: Let PERSONAL PREFERENCE dictate your food choices.
Eat the foods YOU personally enjoy and feel best with.
Do you follow a gluten free lifestyle? Why or why not? Let me know in the comment section below!
