Sometimes people with celiac disease or other gluten-related medical conditions need to omit gluten from their lives. A gluten-free diet is exempt from foods containing gluten and contains other healthy substitutes. Gluten is a protein found in wheat and some other grains like barley and rye. You can also opt for a gluten-free diet to help in weight loss, improving health and energy levels. However, there is a scope for further investigations on whether a gluten free diet works better?
Things to Eat
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Low-fat dairy products
Beans, seeds, legumes, and unprocessed nuts
Eggs
Unprocessed meat, fish, and poultry
Grains or flour such as amaranth, buckwheat, arrowroot, cornmeal, flax, millet, soy, rice, and bean flours
Things to Avoid
Wheat
Barley
Rye
Triticale (a cross of wheat and rye)
Oats in some cases
Perks Of a Gluten-Free Diet
1. High Energy Levels
Mostly, gluten intolerance leads to chronic fatigue. Gluten consumption in celiac patients might damage their intestines. As a consequence, there is poor absorption of essential nutrients like iron. Iron deficiency leads to more fatigue. A gluten-free diet can help heal your intestines to restore nutrient absorption to energize the body.
2. Promotes Gut Health
The celiac disease comes with nasty symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, and gas. A delayed treatment might result in nutritional deficiencies or unhealthy weight loss. A gluten-free diet helps to maintain a healthy weight and cope with nutrient deficiencies, bloating, and digestive stress.
3. Reduction in Pain
Patients with Celiac disease usually complain of joint pain especially in the knees, back, and wrists. It is because their bodies are prone to inflammation. A gluten-free diet is effective for preventing such pains. Besides, it could also reduce the frequency of migraines or headaches in people with gluten sensitivity.
4. Cures Lactose Tolerance
People with gluten intolerance usually suffer from lactose intolerance too. This is probably because of the damage to their gut lining. An unhealthy gut fails to produce lactase, an enzyme that helps to break down dairy products. A gluten-free diet helps to cure the symptoms of lactose intolerance as well.
5. Improves Bone Health
The untreated celiac disease leads to calcium deficiency due to poor nutrient absorption. Later, it can increase the chances of bone health issues such as osteoporosis and osteopenia. Following a gluten-free diet could help to optimize bone mineral density.
Flip Side of a Gluten-Free Diet
1. Nutrients Deficiency
Whole-grain wheat, bread, and other products are enriched sources of iron, calcium, fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate. For a gluten-free diet; if you do not find the right substitutes; your body may become deficient in these nutrients.
2. High Fat and Sugar Content
Sometimes gluten-free replacements may contain a varied nutrient profile. These may be high in sugar and fat. So checking the gluten-free label only is not sufficient; rather you should check the complete nutrient level. How many calories come from sugar or fat? Which salts are present? Which kind of additives or taste enhancers are present? And other things like this.
3. High Costs
Generally, prepared gluten-free foods are more costly than what you want to substitute. Following a gluten-free diet can cost you an arm and a leg; especially, if you are not consuming natural gluten-free foods.
Conclusion A gluten-free diet is popular nowadays for its health benefits. It is a must for people with gluten intolerance. Other people too, can adopt a gluten-free diet routine for different reasons. However, careless implementation could result in nutrient deficiencies.
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