Wheat and Barley and Rye, OH MY!

…Or maybe not “OH MY.”

Don’t be too ready to give up your Wheaties just yet despite the new craze in the dieting community.  Most everyone has heard about this new advancement called “gluten-free.”  It’s almost impossible now to walk through the store without seeing at least one product with those words plastered on its box in massive lettering.  Heck, even Susanne Summers is promoting it!

But what does it mean and why give it up?

Well, gluten is a protein and is in anything with wheat in it, basically.  This includes breads, pastas, etc. and the initial cause of this is Celiac disease.  Having this is like taking acid to a sponge, the acid being gluten, and the sponge being the inner lining of your small intestine.  Without that part, it is impossible to soak up the vital nutrients.  This can lead to all sorts of symptoms from malnutrition such as:

• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Fatigue

(For a bigger list of symptoms and more information on Celiac disease, click here.

People also may have sensitivity to it, in which case, the symptoms would not be either recognizable at all or minor.  So it is obvious now that a person with this disease must run far away from eating foods with gluten.  But this diet is being used by another category of people; dieters.  The truth is putting gluten on the “Can’t Have List” may prove to be a bit disappointing for those who try it in hopes of dropping poundage.  Many experts agree and no studies show that removing gluten causes weight loss. 

It is a bit ironic that a diet that usually causes those who need it to GAIN weight is being used to LOSE weight.

There could be other reasons for losing weight on the diet, since some have.  Perhaps it’s the limiting of carbs and calories or the small variety of foods available or even that fruits and vegetables don’t have gluten so people are eating more of them.  Maybe this is just another name for eating healthy.