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Eating gluten-free has become a trend in recent years, although people did not know exactly what gluten was before.
People choose to eat gluten-free for several reasons: they want to lose weight, to feel more energetic, they have celiac disease and because of misconceptions about the conditions that gluten can cause. Although many of these can be excellent reasons to have a gluten-free diet, the only reason to eliminate gluten is to treat celiac disease.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition in which the consumption of gluten in any form can cause serious problems for the body.
When someone without celiac disease decides to switch to a gluten-free diet, not only will they not enjoy the benefits they are looking for, but it can also be harmful. Reducing gluten in your diet can make it difficult to get the essential vitamins and nutrients your body needs.
Here are some of the risks people take when they switch to a gluten-free diet unnecessarily:
1. Whole wheat is an excellent source of fiber. Other foods can provide these fibers, but in general, none are as rich in fiber as whole wheat and more effort would be needed to make up for the lack of these fibers in the diet.
If you have had or are having stomach problems, you know how uncomfortable this can be. Unfortunately, eliminating gluten from your diet may not solve your gastrointestinal problems.
Make sure you eat plenty of fiber, and your gut will be healthier due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These benefits can help reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
2. In a study involving men and women, research showed that people who ate gluten were less likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Eliminating gluten can also increase the risk of heart disease. Fiber, other vitamins, and nutrients found in healthy foods that contain gluten have been shown to be beneficial to the overall health of these people.
3. Celiac disease affects the ability of the intestine to absorb nutrients. If you choose to have a gluten-free diet without having a medical problem, you may be deficient in vitamins and nutrients. Gluten-free foods can be an excellent source of B vitamins, folic acid, iron, zinc, niacin, thiamine, calcium, phosphorus.
Many people with celiac disease take multivitamins to compensate for this deficiency.
4. Many people voluntarily switch to a gluten-free diet because they want to lose weight and be healthier. However, just because something is gluten-free does not mean it is healthy.
In fact, many brands of gluten-free foods improve taste by adding sugar, fat, and unhealthy creams.
If you want to find out if a gluten-free diet can help you lose weight, check out our article on this topic: Can you lose weight on gluten-free diet?
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