Some experts believe that shunning foods with gluten—a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley—helps with weight loss. And celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow and Oprah have reportedly gone on gluten-free detox diets for just that reason.
But does going gluten-free really work? We asked Dee Sandquist, MS, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Her take:
You might lose a few pounds by cutting out high-gluten baked goods that contain lots of fat …
- But any weight loss is probably because you’re reducing your overall calorie-and-fat intake—not because you‘re cutting out gluten. What‘s more, there’s currently no science that indicates you’ll lose weight by replacing a gluten-filled food with a nongluten food that has the same number of calories.
You may eat more filling whole grains that don’t have gluten, such as corn, rice, amaranth, and buckwheat …
- But some of those non-gluten whole grains actually have less fiber than their gluten-containing counterparts.
Some people feel more energetic on a gluten-free diet …
- But it may simply be because they’re cutting back on their total food intake.
The bottom line: Going on a gluten-free diet for a few days may do no harm and may even give your diet a jump-start if it helps you limit calories. But it’s not a long-term weight-loss strategy, Sandquist says. And, in spite of rosy forecasts for the gluten-free-product industry, crafting a whole meal plan around the limited number of products available would be a challenge, she says.
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Comments (16)
Well, that explains why I am a fat Celiac! (Or maybe it is because I keep trying out new recipes for my blog :)
Very interesting article – thank you
lol hey, have you ever heard of or tried DePuma’s Gluten Free Pasta? I’ve heard really good things about it but haven’t tried it yet.
I use Bio Naturae gluten free pasta, and I really like it. I’ve found it online and some stores, like Whole Foods, carry it, too.
I have not been diagnosed with Celiac but my body makes antibodies to gluten. I’ve been primarily on a gluten free diet for abt 7 years…..
Several years ago, I reintroduced gluten into my diet prior to GI blood testing and biopsy. I gained a whopping 25 pounds in abt 6 weeks… I was miserable. Loose stools, cramping, brain fog and general malaise.
I eat gluten free grains in bread, cakes, pies, pasta etc and I feel 100% better. I don’t gain pounds like when I eat gluten.
The Gluten-free thing for regular people was a healthscam, if you don’t have celiac’s you don’t need it.
This article is completely not true. People that are sensitive to gluten, or allergic, being celiac, can not process the protein gluten. This phenomenon occurs in 1 in every 100 people. And 97% of cases remain undiagnosed. The gluten is then ‘not processed’ by the body and then stored as fat, or does not get absorbed by the intestines at all and it comes out as waste. Being gluten free, I know first hand that I don’t have to worry about every calorie that goes into my body, because naturally occurring gluten free foods are healthy for my body and are ‘used as fuel’ in my body. I just tell people if you shouldn’t eat a lot of it when it had gluten in it, then you shouldn’t eat a lot of it, even if it does not have gluten! ie. cookies, cakes, donuts, breads and chips. But gluten free living is something I recommend to all my friends, especially those addicted to food. Wheat is an addictive substance and getting it out of your diet can’t hurt!
“Limited number or products available”???
Meat is gluten free. Eggs are gluten free. 99% of the cheeses of the world are gluten free. Vegetables are gluten free. Fruits are gluten free. Nuts are gluten free. Corn, buckwheat, rice, tapioca, teff and potato flour are gluten free. In short most WHOLE FOODS are gluten free. You’re only limited if you’re living out of the frozen foods section of the supermarket. The rest of us on gluten free diets are eating just fine on WHOLE FOODS.
your right Peganmn. but I was diagnosed as celiacs two weeks before my freshman year of college. And regardless of all the whole foods that are gluten free, when you have know way to cook on your own in a dorm, and the dinning halls don’t label gluten (which is popular in sauces, marinades etc.) you need to be able to find food sold in stores that is label gluten-free.
I agree! I was tested for celiac disease and it came back negative but I have been feeling so much better since beginning a gluten free diet. It’s not that hard when you just stay away from processed foods! Whole foods are healthier for you anyways.
Gluten absolutely tortures my intestines!! I was diagnosed 7 years ago with Celiac and lost weight down to 78 pounds. After doing a GI and being diagnosed with Celiac, I gave up anything with gluten and gained almost 10 pounds back in a month. Its a daily struggle!
I have Celiac, gluten intollerance, and honestly I lost 30 pounds going gluten free…I had more energy and ate less and more “left” the system.
I think we are allergic to it…God did say as punishment you shall eat bread.
If you lose weight going gluten free, you were probably one who reacted to it by swelling intestinally so not much got out.
If you gained weight going gluten free, you were probably one who reacted to it by evacuating it and everything else so not much stuck with you.
That is why some gain and some lose weight going gluten free.
This article infuriated me when I first read it in the magazine and now it appears here. It’s not some fad diet that people should do just because Oprah or Gwyneth is doing it. I would love to eat gluten and all the old foods that I used to love. I can’t though unless I want to be incredibly sick afterwards.
It’s not a weight loss diet. If you want to lose weight, eat properly and exercise.
I don’t need to tell any celiacs what happens to my body when I eat gluten. You guys know. Maybe the rest of the world needs to hear about the intestinal side effects that can happen because it’s not pretty.
This article wasn’t aimed at people with celiac disease. Most people have no problem with gluten and shouldn’t avoid it just because some celebrities say it will help you lose weight. That was the point, not telling people with celiac that they should disregard their doctor’s advice and eat gluten filled foods.
To take another example: Peanuts are perfectly healthy and a good source of protein for most people so if I wrote an article about the benefits of peanuts I wouldn’t be recommending that people who are allergic eat them.
Perhaps Oprah had luck on a gluten free diet because she needed to be on one. She admits she suffers from depression and digestive problems. She may have been tested and found negative for celiac disease, but like so many of us, feels better on a gf diet. My daughter was diagnosed with benign rolandic epilepsy, and after reading numerous books and articles I decided to try a gf diet with her. So far, in three months she has had two seizures – once after I accidentally fed her corn flakes with malt syrup and another time after she ate potato chips that had wheat flour in the seasoning. Her pediatrician would not test her, because he thinks it is a coincidence. I don’t know why the nutritionist in the article says that people shouldn’t stay on a gf diet. It isn’t that difficult and makes you rely on home prepared and whole foods instead of processed garbage. I know I feel much better on this diet and I eat far less because I don’t crave snacks and bread products all the time. I only lost about four pounds, but it all came off of my stomach and hips – places that I could never lose it before no matter how much I exercised or how little I ate. I think the worst part of switching to gluten free is the first three or four days when the body goes through withdrawal from wheat. After that, when you start to feel good for the first time and you aren’t hungry and bloated (or hungry and emaciated, depending on your symptoms) you never want to touch wheat or gluten products again. My daughter used to want pretzels, bagels, cereal, bread, cookies etc. all the time, but now she asks for apples, carrots, chicken and yogurt for snacks. As a bonus with her, her personality has also changed. She is calmer, happier, and able to focus on her school work more.
Does anyone else wonder if perhaps for some people, especially those who test negative, it isn’t the gluten, but some other contaminant such as a mold, or maybe a pesticide or fungicide that is applied to the grain? Why such an increase in people with gluten intolerance? Here is a link to an article
that takes a more positive look at going gluten free. http://generalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/gluten_free_diet_not_just_for_celiac_disease
I would not go gluten free just for dieting purposes only- I was 88 lbs before going gluten free and now I weight 105 and I have to still work hard (working out everyday) to make sure I do not gain anymore- I’m a sucker for gluten free cookies/cakes…chocolate…all the bad stuff you should not eat…so it still takes will power to lose weight, not just going gluten free!
- Jessika : Celiac Speaks – Symptoms, Recipes, Restaurants and Daily Life
I have been a Coeliac since i was 5, i am now 17. I have personally found that the Gluten Free food causes me to gain weight rather then loose it, as i am not intaking a balanced diet, missing out the obvious Wheat Grain in Bread, Pasta etc, which should be 1/3 of a healthy persons average intake. I actually found this blog by looking for ways to loose weight, although i am not big i feel like most average eating people are alot healthier and smaller in size stereotypically. I try to eat as little Gluten free products as i can, substituing in vegetable pastas and hardly eating the bread, biscuits and cakes. I also feel that my metabolism is slower and it takes much harder workouts of excercise, also longer periods of time to loose weight. I have tried continously, but loose interest when it takes me so much effort excercising so much and how long it takes. If anyone has any advice, maybe things that have worked for them in this situation, dont hesitate to let me know :) its just all a bit confusing for me.