Should you be eating gluten-free foods?
Honestly, no…unless of course if you have celiac disease, then you have two choices. Either make your own gluten free recipes at home or purchase what you can that is gluten free. Check www.celiac.com for a trusted list of foods that are gluten free.
The problem with gluten-free products is that they’re even more refined than their gluten-containing counterparts, eliminating a great deal of nutrients. Manufacturers use the most inexpensive flours such as corn, tapioca and potato starch, all of which are high glycemic.
These ingredients can cause a spike in blood sugar higher than that of their whole grain counterparts. So indulging on gluten free baked products will cause you to gain weight perhaps faster than with whole grain baked products. Excessive amounts of sugar can contribute to insulin resistance and weight gain, and ultimately suppress your immune system. In addition, too much sugar can feed gut infections like Candida and SIBO, and lead to many more health concerns.
In fact, gluten-free products are often very low in certain vitamins and minerals:
- Iron
- Folate
- Niacin
- Thiamine
- Calcium
- Vitamin B12
- Phosphorus
- Zinc
While gluten-free foods can certainly bring some relief, you may notice little to no improvement in your symptoms. In this case, the underlying issue is not the gluten-free diet itself, but with the poor quality of these gluten-free packaged foods.
