Food Sadhana

Going gluten-free has been all the rage for quite some time primarily because of the perceived notion it can induce weight loss. The funny thing is a gluten-free diet was never meant to be a weight loss diet. A gluten-free diet is a specialized way of eating for people with celiac disease, a hereditary condition, to prevent their body from responding to a protein called gluten. Gluten which is found in grains of wheat, barley, and rye, can lead to significant damage to the small intestine. People’s immune system who have celiac disease respond to gluten by attacking the small intestine leading to damage on the villi, small fingerlike projections lining the small intestine that promote nutrient absorption. The only way they can avoid this situation is to follow a strict, gluten-free diet. “Following a gluten-free diet, expecting it to be a form of a weight loss diet, is not the recommended way to go about this,” said Dr. David Samadi, Chairman of Urology and Chief of Robotic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “Anytime a person follows a restricted diet or way of eating they often will lose weight but the gluten-free diet is only meant for those with celiac disease or gluten-sensitivity.” Only one percent of the American population has celiac disease truly needing to be following a gluten-free diet and about another six percent who have a condition called gluten-sensitivity who can benefit from it also. Otherwise, if you do not have celiac disease or gluten-sensitivity, you do not need to follow a gluten-free diet – particularly for weight loss. Here’s why: • There is no evidence a gluten-free diet results in weight loss. If it does, it’s because the diet is restrictive on what a person is allowed to eat, therefore there typically is a reduction in calories. Otherwise, there is nothing inherently special to induce weight loss by going gluten-free. • Gluten-free foods tend to be more expensive. There is an excess cost associated for food manufacturers in producing gluten-free foods and that cost gets passed on to the consumer. • Gluten-free diets can be low in vitamins, mineral, and fiber. This can result in possible nutrient deficiencies of iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folate in addition to increased constipation. • A self-prescribed gluten withdrawal may undermine the ability to detect celiac disease in someone who has the condition. To diagnosis celiac disease is to look for inflammation caused by gluten but if they haven’t been eating much gluten, then they may not get diagnosed. It’s important to get a correct diagnosis of celiac disease as it is a genetic disease and therefore, the rest of the family should be tested. • Some gluten-free followers claim they notice increased energy. An explanation for this could be that they are eating more fruits and vegetables, rather than high-calorie and high-fat processed foods. When a person starts eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, they often do feel more energy, no matter if they are eliminating gluten or not. Besides, no studies have shown that eliminating gluten leads to increased energy levels. • Following a gluten-free diet may potentially cause a decrease in the amount of beneficial bacteria in the gut negatively impacting the immune system.

Yoga Awareness supports those who seek for transformation. 

Yoga Studio: Honolulu downtown near Kakaako and Ala Moana

Masumi Muramatsu
Honolulu, USA
Posted Date : 02-10-2016
Credited to: The Osage County Herald-Chronicle
Website: http://www.och-c.com/?q=article/eat-well-be-well-go-gluten-free-weight-loss-think-again