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Everywhere you go, you can find gluten free foods and you can hear and read about gluten free eating. While this diet has been around for quite some time now, and while it can benefit those who suffer from an intolerance to gluten, there are also reasons why gluten free eating may not really be the healthiest diet option for you. Keep reading so you can learn more and make the wisest dietary choices for your body.
One of the things that you need to consider when going on a gluten free diet is the fact that, because baked items like muffins, breads, and cakes will not have any gluten to hold them together, manufactures (as well as home bakers) will need to add other ingredients to make these foods.
Additives include stabilizing gums like guar gum and xanthan gum, as well as fibers like carboxymethylcellulose. And the flours that are used as substitutes for wheat based flours also tend to be highly refined.
What does this mean? Well, you may not be eating as healthy as you think if you adopt gluten free eating. You will be ingesting less fiber on a whole, while consuming foods that are processed and refined, as well as filled with additives. On top of all of that, gluten free foods are pricey!
Basically, if you have not been diagnosed with a sensitivity or intolerance to gluten, it is not worth the cost and effort of going on a gluten free diet. A study even found that gluten free products do not provide health benefits to those who do not have an intolerance.
In other words, it likely will not have any big effect on your health if you go on a gluten free diet. A better route to take would be to focus on consuming more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as well as fiber-rich beans and legumes, to reap the nutritional benefits of a diet that consists of whole food ingredients.
There are a host of foods that are naturally gluten free, so you do not have to load your diet up with processed foods if you do decide that you need to follow this diet. Focus on consuming low GI foods, less refined flour, and more fiber. Read labels to ensure gluten free packaged goods are really healthy for you. And stick with gluten free substitutes like almond meal and quinoa.
