The gluten free craze is just that, a craze. People are jumping on any bandwagon that might help them finally reach their weight loss goals and the hot, gluten-free diet is on the top of the list. Thanks to the American public’s desperation and obesity epidemic, sales of gluten-free products have surged 68% in the last two years even though other studies have shown that only 1% of the U.S. population actually has celiac disease or about 1 in 133 Americans. I am one of those statistics.
Being in the nutrition field, I have seen amazing health and weight loss improvements with a gluten-free diet. But, my recommendations don’t include a full grocery cart of gluten free products. The key word is “products.” Whether you’re eating gluten-free crackers or regular crackers, you are not receiving any nutritional benefits whatsoever. It’s still a cracker. Furthermore, these gluten-free convenience foods, are laced with the same preservatives and additives plus others to make up for the removal of gluten. Many gluten-free specialty foods are made with starchy replacement flours like tapioca starch, potato starch and rice flour. What does mean to us? It means that when you consume gluten-free bread, made with tapioca starch, you can expect an increase in your blood sugar that is higher than when you consume whole wheat! Ultimately the outcome will be weight gain, specifically belly fat. Weight gain isn’t the only issue lurking in your body. Every time your body has to control the over consumption of carbohydrates by pumping out insulin, you are increasing your chances of Type 2 diabetes. And, lastly, you aren’t giving your body the critical nutrients required for maintaining health.
Ignore the gluten-free product craze and go back to the basics: animal protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Consuming any convenience food, gluten-free or not, once and a while won’t kill you today but it is affecting your body the moment you consume it. Before you know it, you’re eating the majority of your calories from products instead of food and getting fatter. It is a vicious cycle. What’s worse, grocery stores are constantly enticing us to buy these products as quick and healthy alternatives. Keep in mind, grocery store shopping is the consumers’ way of voting for the foods we want to see in our grocery stores. The more processed food you but, gluten-free free or not, the more they produce.
So, what are you supposed to eat if you are want to be on a gluten-free diet? It’s simple…FOOD! Eat 90% of your diet from whole food sources and use 10% of your calories for “convenience foods.” Whole foods are your very best defense against weight loss and health. Here are few alternative to gluten-free foods:
- Instead of gluten-free bread or tortillas, use Romaine lettuce for wraps.
- Instead of gluten-free pasta, try spaghetti squash or zucchini for noodles.
- Instead of rice, try quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah).
- Instead of using rice flours or tapioca starch, try coconut flour, almond meal, quinoa flour or chickpea flour.
- Bake your own gluten-free bread.
- Cauliflower, steamed and mashed, makes a delicious pizza crust.
- Use fresh veggies instead of gluten-free crackers for dipping into salsas, hummus and guacamole.
- Eating gluten-free isn’t difficult at all. Give your body what is needs and that is food, not products.
Now go eat some food!
Lisa