Many in Hollywood are now advocating the gluten free diet as a weight loss aid. Many in the medical profession are proclaiming that gluten free diets for weight loss are dangerous and can lead to nutrition deficits. Who is right and who is wrong?
Both Are…
The gluten free diet should not be perceived as the latest weight loss trend. The term trend implicates a transient phenomenon that will pass with the fickle notions of the media. Equally, a gluten free diet should not be considered as less nutritious. There is not one shred of scientific evidence pointing toward grain as a necessity in the human diet.
A gluten free diet can be very
helpful for weight loss. Think about it. If we want to fatten up cows, pigs, chickens, or other farm animals, what do we feed them? GRAIN. Look at the obesity trend in the U.S. It is most definitely on the rise. This increase parallels an increase in grain based foods in being used as staple foods in the U.S. Diet.
Let’s take a look at the common day of eating for most Americans:
Breakfast – cereal (with milk from animals fed grain based diets), bagels, toast, muffins, donuts, kolaches, granola bars, etc.
Lunch and Dinner – Sandwhich, pizza, breaded meats, spaghetti or some other form of pasta, rolls, rice, corn (considered a veggie).
Desert – Cake, cookies, ice cream (from cows on hormones and grain based diets).
Are you fat or overweight?
Excessive grain causes obesity in animals and in humans. Excessive grain causes inflammation and contributes to a host of different chronic degenerative diseases. Do you fit these categories? If so, it is time to
look at gluten as a potential culprit.
TRUE Gluten Free Diet for weight loss?
Don’t consider weight loss your goal. Consider good health as the goal instead. Eating the right diet is crucial to achieve good health. Weight loss and normalization is a natural side effect of a healthy lifestyle. All that being said, can a gluten free diet be used to lose weight? Damn right it can! Don’t let the media or any of the inadequately trained nutritionists and doctors, family members, etc tell you otherwise. Put the odds in your favor before you get frustrated with a lack of progress.
10 Responses
Great article Peter! I have many clients and friends who have greatly improved their health (and lost weight) by going gluten free.
I’m not celiac but I’m following a gluten-free and diary-free diet for 2 years, and I have lost 8 kilos. My daughters, that have the same diet because one of them have celiac disease, haven’t loose a single gramme, they have grown as normal for their age.
But not only it’s good for loosing weight, it’s also good for health. In our family, we are nearly never sick now. Before gluten-free diet I often suffered of back aches, digestive problems, itches, eyes infections, etc, and I got a rhinopharyngite at least every 2 months. Since I have a gluten-free diet, I have never had any more of these diseases. My only remaining problem is my dust and pollen hay fever allergy.
I’ve liked so much your article that I’ve included in my blog: http://www.tips4mums.com/news/en_US/2010/11/02/0001/gluten-free-diet-to-loose-weight
Thanks for posting and for sharing information with your audience. We have a new gluten free weight loss program coming out soon. Will keep you posted.
All the best…
I’m so worried about the direction our kids are headed in nowadays. Watching Jamie Olivers food revolution tv program scared the thingies out of me. I suggest we all start cooking some healthy recipes like these at home if we’re going to fix this horrible situation. The ones on that site seem pretty easy, I tried last night and it’s the first time my family has eaten well in ages, I just feel wonderful.
I’m losing 1-2 pounds per week by omitting Gluten.
I’ve been gluten and casein free for over two years and not lost any weight
If your goal is to lose weight, you might want to check out the Gluten Free Health Matrix –
http://www.glutenology.net/gluten-free-health-matrix/
Excellent article, thanks for posting and keeping the awareness alive.
I have lost 50 lbs however, I am not just gluten free. That did not do it for weight loss for me. I had to give up dairy and sugar. I have now stopped losing weight. I need to lose another 50 pounds at least so I joined a strength/cardio class. I am also considering the GAP or SCD diet. I really think I am still having gut issues.