There is always a discussion between gluten-free and gluten diets. Some say gluten-free is great for health, and some tag it as a fad. I have been on a gluten-free diet for almost 7 years now and i am here to give some insight into this topic and also I will share some learnings from my personal experience.
First of all, I have to admit that being on a gluten-free diet is not easy. It is an inconvenience, to say the least, mostly because the options are still not easily available and the packaged products that we do get are either too expensive or they taste odd. I switched to a gluten-free diet because I developed an allergy to gluten and I had to change my diet. Back then the options were very limited so I really had to struggle a lot. eating out was not an option because of cross-contamination so my kitchen became my experiment zone and I started cooking a LOT. I was developing recipes, i was finding ways to provide nutrition to my body with better food and better meals. Being on a gluten-free diet has helped me a lot in many ways. Listing down below what worked and what did not.
Myth busted 1: Gluten-free aids weight loss.
A lot of people switch to a gluten-free diet to lose weight. Yes gluten can cause issues with weight loss, it isn’t as light on your system when it comes to digestion also gluten leads to inflammation which is not good for the body. But if you switch to a gluten-free diet you have to be smart about it, if you are just going to replace wheat with starchy flour like white rice flour or potato flour then even these flour won’t help you with weight loss. Even the gluten-free packaged foods like cookies and cakes have a ton of butter and sugar to hide the strange gluten-free flavor. So unless you are eating whole grains and foods like quinoa, a lot of lentils, brown rice, and home-cooked meals, a gluten-free diet won’t help with weight loss. My weight remained the same, in fact I may have gained a kilo or two on a gluten-free diet.
Myth busted 2: Gluten-free is great for skin
Your skin health is greatly decided by your gut health, if you have inflammation in your gut, if you suffer from acidity or indigestion then your skin health will suffer. Eating a good balanced gluten-free diet reduces inflammation and thus it may help with skin health. We need to care about our gut health if we want great skin. A gluten-free diet just helps maintain good gut health.
Myth busted 3: Gluten-free grains are always healthier
I don’t agree with this statement, there are many gluten grains like barley, rye, that are great for health. They are loaded with minerals, fibers. Even a gluten diet can be made a lot more healthier if we use better grains.
Myth busted 4: Gluten-free diet is low carb
Oh no, this isn’t true atall. In fact a lot of gluten-free flour mix that you get in the market have so much carbs in it. Also a lot of times you end up using white rice flour or potato flour for cooking and they are loaded with carbs. There are many gluten grains that are low in carbs, so gluten-free doesn’t mean low carb atall. What you choose to eat decides your carb intake.
Myth busted 5: There is no difference between ‘wheat-free’ and ‘gluten-free’
Gluten is not only found in wheat but in many other grains, so by removing wheat from your diet you have not gone completely gluten-free. Barley, rye are wheat free but they do contain gluten. Some people are allergic to just wheat and they are okay with other gluten grains like rye and barley. So it is very important to know the difference, in fact it is very important to understand what you eat.
There are many other myths too, like gluten-free diet gives more energy, or a gluten-free diet is great for someone suffering from cancer. I have been on a gluten-free diet and i am still on it but i don’t feel this diet gives me more energy. The kind of food i eat on a daily basis gives me more energy- for example, I take sprouts, daal, a whole lot of salads and fruits, then i eat proper meals, consume a lot of fermented foods for my gut health- and all these help me with my energy levels and it has nothing to do with my gluten-free meals. If i am eating daal, roce, veggies, salad, i am eating what 100% of Indians eat , exactly the same meal so there is nothing special. If you wanna feel energetic, have a balanced meal.
