Morris County Fitness Expert Says Gluen-Free Diet May Make You Fat

Gluten-free diet craze is riding the wave high these two years. Some experts swear by it that gluten-free will help you lose weight. Some experts debunked the myths. The American public is finding it difficult to take a stand. So who's right?

Dr Oz Gluten Diet

Dr Oz’s show today was called “The Gluten Myth: Is It Really Making Us Fat?”  Turns out, the answer might just be yes!  Is gluten the real enemy these days?  Millions of people currently think that gluten is the #1 thing that is preventing them from losing weight.  Is this a Gluten Myth?  Or is a Gluten-Free Diet a new way to lose weight?

Dr Oz Gluten-Free Products

Doctor Oz said that Gluten is what makes bagels chewy and dough elastic.  Gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye.  The scary thing is that 99% of people who have a Gluten Sensitivity do not even know it.  Gluten is actually a protein, not a carb, that is found in the center of a grain and is found in bread, cereals, pizza, pasta and countless other items. 

Only ten years ago, nobody was talking about Gluten-Free Diets, but now there are tons of Gluten-Free Products on the market because people have become more aware of Celiac Disease or Gluten Sensitivity (click here to read more about Celiac Disease & Gluten Intolerance).  But is it a good idea to go on a Gluten-Free Diet to help you lose weight if you do not have Celiac Disease or a Gluten Sensitivity?

Dr Oz: Gluten Sensitivity & Celiac Disease

Doctor Oz was joined by Dr Mark Hyman, a medical director at the Ultrawellness Center, to discuss Gluten-Free Diets.  Dr Oz said that first it was transfats, then corn syrup and now gluten is getting the blame for being overweight – but is Gluten really a bad guy?  Dr Hyman said that if you have a Gluten Sensitivity, then eating gluten can really hurt your body because it causes inflammation which is linked to 50 disease including Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Depression, Anemia, Arthritis, and even an increase in your risk of Heart Disease and Cancer.

Dr Oz: Celiac Disease

Dr Oz asked how many people think that a Gluten-Free Diet is the same thing as a Low Carb Diet?  If you think this, then you are wrong, because Gluten is actually a protein and not a carb.  A study was done on patients with Celiac Disease and found that 81% of them gained weight when they went on a Gluten-Free Diet, and most of this is due to the Gluten-Free Junk Food on the market. 

Even worse than gaining weight from these Gluten-Free Products is the fact that 20 million Americans have a Gluten Sensitivity and 99% do not even realize it, so they are causing inflammation in their bodies that can cause insulin resistance and a whole slew of other problems (click here to read about Celiac Disease Symptoms: Dr Oz Celiac Disease). 

However, if you do not have Gluten Sensitivity or Celiac Disease, then Dr Hyman and Dr Oz both seemed to agree that you should not go on a Gluten-Free Diet, and you should especially avoid Gluten-Free Junk Food because you are paying extra money for products that are just as bad for you if not worse.

Dr Oz: Gluten-Free Diet

Dr Oz brought onto his show Samantha Cassetty RD, a Nutrition Director of Good Housekeeping Research Institute, who said that there are three main problems with Gluten-Free Products:

1.  Gluten-Free Products have more calories.  Cassetty said that Good Housekeeping looked at dozens of regular foods vs Gluten-Free Foods and found that the Gluten-Free options had more calories.  For example, a Gluten-Free Waffle has 270 calories and a regular waffle has 140 calories.  Gluten-Free Crackers have 130 calories, whereas regular crackers have 70 calories.

2.  Gluten-Free Products are lower in fiber, and fiber helps to keep you full so that you do not eat more later on.  A Gluten-Free English Muffin has 1 gram of fiber, whereas a regular English Muffin has 3 grams of fiber.  There are 2 grams of fiber in Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread, compared to 4 grams of fiber in regular whole grain bread.  So by eating these Gluten-Free Products, you are actually eliminating something from your diet that could help you to lose weight!

3.  Gluten-Free Products generally have more Bad Carbs, which spike your blood sugar and make it harder to control cravings, and they may have less Good Carbs as well.

So what is the bottom line?  Dr Oz firmly believes that there is no reason that anyone should be on a Gluten-Free Diet unless there is a medical reason to be on it (such as Gluten Sensitivity or Celiac Disease).