When Gluten-Free Can be Bad For Your Health

Gluten-free diets have definitely gained popularity in the last few years and for many good reasons. People that ditch gluten report improvements in areas such as mood, memory, and energy, even when they’re not coping with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, has been linked to inflammation in the body and research shows that a gluten-free diet reduces inflammation and insulin resistance. I personally support a gluten-free diet only when done correctly. When deciding to embark on this gluten-free journey, keep these 3 tips in mind:

1. Gluten free cookies are still cookies

Remember when low-fat diets were all the rage? Suddenly, food companies began creating low-fat cookies, donuts, and other junk foods low in fat, but high in sugar, sodium, and refined carbohydrates. This is just replacing one problem with another. Yet, the very same thing is happening today. Many gluten-free products are just as high in sugar and sodium as their gluten-containing counterparts.

They also often contain high-glycemic refined ingredients, such as rice flour, tapioca starch, or potato flour, which spikes your blood sugar. Elevated blood sugar can lead to type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Gluten-free alternatives might even cause a bigger spike in blood sugar than wheat-based products. So don’t kid yourself; a gluten-free cookie is a still a cookie!

2. Not All Gluten-Free Products Are Created Equal

The attractiveness of a gluten-free diet has given rise to an industry of gluten-free convenience foods that contain added sugars, inflammatory oils, questionable additives, and other nutrient-void ingredients. Check the ingredient list to make sure these products do not contain any added fillers, refined sugars, or inflammatory oils such as corn, canola, or soybean oil. And always choose organic or non-GMO project certified when possible.

3. Nature Created It’s Own Gluten-Free Menu

Fill your plate with whole foods! This means foods not out of a packet – but freshly grown and prepared. Vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, wild fish, lean protein, nuts and seeds, are all naturally gluten-free. Whole foods should make up 85-95% of your diet.

Now that you know how to navigate some of the common mistakes of going gluten-free, this diet is an excellent diet that contributes to overall health. The rules are quite simple: Decrease the amount of gluten-free processed foods and increase the amount of whole foods in the diet.

Francesca is a certified holistic health coach, cooking instructor and author of the health and wellness blog Sprouting From The Soul. Based in New York, Francesca features a mix of her plant-based recipes, wellness, and nutrition tips on her blog. Francesca is on a mission to bring more whole foods to your plate and nourishment to your soul by providing you with the right tools and knowledge to prove eating healthy can be simple and satisfying. She graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and is currently working on her Masters in Clinical Nutrition at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

Main Photo Credit: ChameleonsEye/shutterstock.com; Second Photo Credit: HandmadePictures/shutterstock.com; Third Photo Credit: Africa Studio/shutterstock.com