Does following a gluten free diet have any positive or negative effects on weight loss? There have been some arguments it is an advantage for losing weight while others have stated that the diet is detrimental to weight loss and makes it harder for one to control their weight. Here I will give you some idea of what the advantages of the diet are towards weight loss and what the disadvantages of the diet are towards weight loss.
Advantages
Many people believe that eating a diet free of gluten may be very beneficial to long term weight loss and weight control. One part of this argument is that many fatty desserts such as cookies and brownies are basically eliminated from the diet. Many other refined wheat products that you avoid while on the gluten free diet are common weight gaining foods such as pasta and pizza.
The diet is also much higher in protein and many nutrients than eating gluten products. This is also beneficial to weight loss because when you eat high protein and low-glycemic-load foods your body absorbs sugar much slower. This means that your blood sugar rises and falls much slower than normal which reduces cravings, a key to lowering your food intake in general.
A high protein gluten-free diet is also beneficial because protein increases your metabolism to burn calories. High protein diets also make you feel fuller so you tend to eat less.
Disadvantages
The gluten-free diet does not have a completely positive reception when discussing it in conjunction with weight loss. Many people increase their dairy intake while on the diet which can cause a large increase in fats intake. This can have a very negative effect on weight loss and controlling your weight.
Packaged foods free of gluten are also becoming more and more common in the marketplace. This has a positive effect on the range of foods that you can consume on the diet but many of these packaged foods are ripe with fats and preservatives so try your best to avoid them if you are trying to lose weight on the gluten-free diet.
Finally, before people eat gluten-free
they are accustomed to eating larger than normal quantities of food because their bodies don’t process it correctly. When they start the diet they may continue this large quantity consumption which can lead to quick weight gain. Should You Go On A Gluten Weight Free Diet It turns out, that gluten is found in most if not all processed foods which are unhealthy because they have high levels of sugar, fat and refined flour. These foods also lack the essential nutrients for a healthy body.
The fact is, cutting out these types of foods, whether they contain gluten or not, will enable you to lose weight anyway. Furthermore, most gluten-free foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are the healthiest and lowest-calorie foods you can eat. Just because famous celebrities have found success using this diet is not a good reason to follow suit. From what I’ve read it’s not the actual gluten that makes you lose weight.
Today there are many foods available to eat that don’t contain gluten. For example, instead of grains and pasta, you can choose corn, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, or arrowroot. Although I have heard the gluten-free bread does not taste as good as ‘normal’ bread. However, the amount of gluten in our food is increasing. According to Dr. David Brownstein – the author of “The Guide To A Gluten-Free Diet” genetically modified crops has increased the amount of gluten in our diets by as much as 50% – more than it was just 20 years ago.
He also suggests that people who don’t have a sensitivity to protein would still benefit from a gluten-free diet.
Conclusion
I would say that it is still inconclusive whether there is more of a positive or negative effect on weight loss in general.If you watch what you are eating and the amount that you eat then you can still control your weight fine while on the diet.