The Gluten Free Phenomenon

 

When it comes to eating clean, there are hundreds of varying opinions on what is best. The newest craze these days has been eating the gluten free diet. What is Gluten you ask? Gluten is a storage protein found in the grains of wheat, barley, and rye. Some people develop a sensitivity to this protein which leads to a variety of health issues (mainly digestive). For people with this gluten sensitivity, turning to a gluten free diet works tremendously in improving their overall health. This is where problems arise as food companies have twisted the gluten free idea and turned it into the latest lose weight fast diet.

Food companies are very smart. Why not just start taking gluten out of everything and start marketing it as “gluten free”. It doesn’t matter if the food happens to be a box of cookies or a bag of potato chips, as long as its gluten free, people will think its good for them. I see it all the time from people on social media posting recipes for their nutritious “gluten free” cupcakes or other deserts. A cupcake is still a cupcake, whether there is gluten or not and this should not be misconstrued as healthy eating.

I am not saying I  think gluten free is a bad idea. On the contrary, I see a lot of potential benefits from cutting down the amount of gluten in your diet. I get asked all the time by clients if going gluten free will help them lose weight.  The simple answer is yes, cutting out gluten from your diet will help you lose fat, but you need to look at the bigger picture of what being gluten free means. We as a society need to be careful not be caught in the marketing trap food companies put out there just to make a profit. Our society is just now realizing that the more fiber and more whole grain marketing tactics are inaccurate, lets not get sucked into another one.

If you are trying to lose fat and are unsure whether to be gluten free or not here is a great tip to help you get started, Stop worrying about whether something has or doesn’t have gluten just cut out as many processed sugary foods as you can from your diet. Eliminating or limiting these foods will dramatically improve your overall health and well being and you will be surprised at how “gluten free” you are actually being.

 

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