Shannon Kreindel

Consumer Paper Draft 1

Nutr 439

Will You Lose

Weight on a
Gluten-Free
Diet?
Why Does This Matter to You?

Shannon Kreindel
Consumer Paper Draft 1
Nutr 439
The issue is whether a Gluten-free diet will help with weight loss or not.
This matters because a lot of people have decided to go gluten-free; it has
become a new diet fad made popular by celebrities. The downside is that
removing gluten from your diet is unnecessary, and processed gluten-free
options can be more expensive. Foods containing gluten include things with
whole wheat and insoluble fiber. Your body needs insoluble fiber to feed the
healthy bacteria living in your gut.1

The picture above is a zoomed in shot to show that gluten is a protein that is
found in wheat kernels. It is also found in rye and barley. Wheat is a grain
that is grown all over the world and used to make many different foods.
Foods include things like breads, beer, cake, cookies, and a lot of other
processed foods. But, if you drink less beer, eat less cake, cookies and

Shannon Kreindel
Consumer Paper Draft 1
Nutr 439
processed foods and instead eat more whole foods like fruits and vegetables,
you will probably lose weight. This may be the key reason why going glutenfree has become very popular lately. So, rather than going gluten-free to lose
weight, swap eating processed foods for whole foods like fruits and
vegetables.
You may even gain weight while eating a gluten-free diet, if you
replace processed foods that contain gluten with processed food that are
gluten-free.2 Processed gluten-free foods have a higher fat, sugar and salt
content than foods without gluten: switching to these foods would cause you
to gain weight. They add the extra fat, sugar and salt to make up for the
taste and texture of the foods so people still want to eat them.3
Gluten-free diets are only necessary for people with gluten insensitivity
or Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is very rare. Only about 1% of the
population of the U.S. have it. When a person with Celiac Disease eats
gluten-containing foods, their intestines cant absorb any of the nutrients.
They often have diarrhea and other more serious health problems like
malnutrition. Meaning, they are not absorbing the key nutrients from food
that they need to be healthy.

The only thing that helps people with Celiac

Disease is to go on a gluten-free diet. So, no need for you to eat gluten-free if

you dont have to. Just because celebrities endorse something like using a
gluten-free diet for weight loss, does not mean that it is really a good thing
for weight loss.

Shannon Kreindel
Consumer Paper Draft 1
Nutr 439
So what does that mean for you? Eat gluten containing foods like whole
wheat bread and pasta! Your tummy will thank you! If you are looking to lose
weight, choose whole grains over any other options. 6 Replace processed foods like
cakes and cookies with fruits and vegetables. Drink more water. Cook your meals at
home so you can control how much salt is added and youll save money compared
to eating out at fast-food or other restaurants.

If you make a real effort to change your lifestyle instead of just dieting, youll
be much happier with your results. The reason a lot of diets dont work is
because you diet for a period of time and then you stop and go back to
eating like you did before. So, any weight you lose on a diet will just be
gained back because you stop the diet. If you want to lose weight, be healthy
and feel better then you need to change your lifestyle. Again, replace

Shannon Kreindel
Consumer Paper Draft 1
Nutr 439
processed foods with fruits and vegetables. Drink more water. Choose whole
grain options. If you can add in exercise into your daily life, that will also
help. Good luck and good eats!

References:
1

Bhadada, Sanjay Kumar, Rakesh Kochhar, Anil Bhansali, Usha Dutta, Padala R
Kumar, Kuchhangi S Poornachandra, Kim Vaiphei, Chander K Nain, and Kartar
Singh. Prevalence and Clinical Profile of Celiac Disease in Type 1 Diabetes
Mellitus in North India. Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology 26, no. 2
(February 2011): 37881. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1746.2010.06508.x.

Geddes, Linda. THE BLAME GRAIN. (Cover Story). New Scientist 223, no. 2977
(July 12, 2014): 2831.
3

Turner, Lisa. Path of Least Resistance. Better Nutrition 77, no. 3 (March
2015): 6868.

Carroccio, Antonio, Giuseppe Ambrosiano, Lidia Di Prima, Giuseppe Pirrone,

Giuseppe Iacono, Ada M. Florena, Rossana Porcasi, et al. Clinical Symptoms
in Celiac Patients on a Gluten-Free Diet. Scandinavian Journal of
Gastroenterology 43, no. 11 (November 2008): 131521.
doi:10.1080/00365520802200044.

Gaesser, Glenn A., and Siddhartha S. Angadi. Gluten-Free Diet: Imprudent

Dietary Advice for the General Population? Journal of the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics 112, no. 9 (September 2012): 133033.
doi:10.1016/j.jand.2012.06.009.

Marcason, Wendy. Is There Evidence to Support the Claim That a Gluten-Free

Diet Should Be Used for Weight Loss? Journal of the American Dietetic
Association 111, no. 11 (November 2011): 1786.
doi:10.1016/j.jada.2011.09.030.

Shannon Kreindel
Consumer Paper Draft 1
Nutr 439