Larson 1

Hunter Larson
Professor Porter-Leon
DIT 121 D01B
21 November 2015
The Drawbacks of a Gluten-Free Diet
When we step foot into a food market we cant help but notice the
abundance of product labels marketing towards gluten free consumers.
Even many restaurants are hopping on board with gluten-free menus. The
market for a gluten-free lifestyle is currently exploding, and its a rare
occurrence that an autoimmune condition begins a nationwide diet fad.
People diagnosed with celiac disease are to completely avoid foods
containing gluten in their diets, but it has been twisted into a nationwide
fad by non-celiac disease suffers claiming it promotes a cleaner lifestyle,
weight loss, and better health. However, it does not necessarily in fact do
any of these things. This expansion of gluten-free products is extremely
beneficial for Americans with celiac disease, but for those who are
considering choosing a gluten-free lifestyle, before you drop your pasta
bowl lets analyze what gluten and celiac disease are, and look at the
drawbacks of a gluten-free diet for a non-celiac sufferer.
I. What Is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein commonly found in wheat, barley, and rye. It is a
combination of two separate classes of proteins called gliadin and glutenin,
which pair with starch in many grains. Gliadin is what enables bread to rise

Larson 2
properly while glutenin is the major protein in wheat flour, making up 47%
of the total protein content (Zuckerbrot 1). Gluten is found in many of the
following food products; breads, baked goods, soups, pasta, cereals, sauces,
and even salad dressings.
II. Why Do People Go Gluten-Free?
The major reason for a gluten-free diet is celiac disease. Celiac
disease is categorized as an autoimmune disease. The condition itself is
caused by an abnormal immune response to the gluten protein, and can
damage the lining of the small intestine. That, in turn, can prevent
important nutrients from being absorbed (Jaret 1). Symptoms of celiac
disease include diarrhea, anemia, severe skin rash, and bone pain. The
University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center states, Celiac disease affects
1% of healthy, average Americans (Celiac Disease Facts and Figures 1). To
put that into perspective, that means roughly 3 million out of the 318
million people in the US are diagnosed with celiac disease. Seems like a
slim sample of the population to be marketing so many gluten-free
products, and thats where the fad dieting is making up most of the market.
A gluten-free diet as far as fad-dieting goes is certainly not the worst. Fad
diets are most known for promising to cut a dramatic amount of weight in
such a short amount of time, and usually are very restrictive to the diet.
Though a gluten-free diet may be restrictive as far as carbohydrates, it does
not necessarily lead to weight loss or healthier eating, and can actually
result in weight gain.

Larson 3
III. Drawbacks of a Gluten-Free Diet
Eating gluten-free of course makes sense to anyone with celiac
disease, or people with gluten sensitivity, but does it actually benefit people
without celiac disease? The answer is simply, not necessarily. Because
gluten is so ubiquitous in the American diet, switching to a gluten-free diet
can be a rough transition to taking on a completely new diet. When
switching to a gluten-free diet, you are required to sacrifice most bread,
cereals, pastas, baked goods, as well as many other processed food
products containing gluten, a major staple in the American diet. Peter Jaret
from Web MD states, and any time you eliminate whole categories of food
youve been used to eating, you run the risk of nutritional deficiencies (Jaret
2). Because gluten itself is simply a protein it does not provide significant
nutritional benefits. However, the whole grains in which they are packaged,
contain a rich amount of vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, zinc,
iron, and calcium. Alternatives like gluten free breads and pastas have their
drawbacks as well. Gluten-free bread leaves out the wheat, rye, or barley
and uses four different starches; rice flour, cornstarch, potato flour, and
tapioca starch. The downside to this transition from whole grains to
starches as Dr. William Davis states in Time Magazine, They have the
highest glycemic indexes (an index of how high blood sugar rises over the
90 minutes after consumption) of all foods. So high, in fact, that, gram for
gram, ounce for ounce, such gluten-free foods raise blood sugar
substantially higher than table sugar and higher than wheat products

Larson 4
(Oaklander 1). Its not even just the glycemic index; many gluten-free
breads are likely to be low in fiber due to the replacement of whole grains
with processed starches. While fruits and vegetables contain fiber, the most
common sources of dietary fiber are whole-grain bread and cereals. This is
where theres a misunderstanding between gluten-free and healthy. Many
gluten-free dieters make the truth claim that it has caused weight loss or
increased energy, but neither have significant correlation with eliminating
gluten from the diet. As far as increased energy goes, no research has
found significant evidence of increased energy from the elimination of
gluten from the diet. The only plausible explanation for increased energy is
the people making the claim have eliminated gluten, and began eating a
diet more rich in fruits and vegetables leading to a more balanced diet, and
in turn providing more efficient energy to the body, and promoting a better
sense of well-being. However, a healthy and balanced diet can be achieved
with gluten regardless, thereby making gluten-free dieting a non-necessity
in that sense. Some make the truth claim that after beginning a gluten-free
diet they noticed weight loss, but there are way too many variables to even
begin to conclude that a gluten-free diet leads to weight loss. Initiating a
gluten-free diet can lead to healthier food choices, and it can to lead to bad
food choices. For example, it can lead to weight loss if one is replacing a
highly processed gluten-containing product like white bread with quinoa as
a grain food group, but if one were to substitute white flour with potato
starch it would not promote weight loss. That being said, when switching to

Larson 5
a gluten-free diet, the dieter needs to be conscientious of nutrition labels to
compare to products with gluten.
IV. Conclusion
All in all the only benefit I see in adopting a gluten-free diet is that it
promotes nutrition label awareness. I have come to the conclusion that it is
unnecessary and not physically beneficial to switch to a gluten-free diet if
youre not a celiac disease sufferer. It is expensive, can lack dietary fiber,
lead to high blood sugar, is overall restrictive to a major food group which
may or may not cause nutritional deficiencies. Weight loss and increased
energy can easily be achieved through regular physical activity, and a
balanced diet. That being said, if you want to begin a gluten-free diet, I
highly recommend becoming well read up on it before cutting a major food
group out of the diet. It is not a smooth changed, and requires time and
dedication to ensure you are receiving optimum nutrition.
Works Cited
"Celiac Disease Facts and Figures" The University of Chicago Celiac Disease
Center.
Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Jaret, Peter. "The Truth About Gluten." WebMD. WebMD. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Oaklander, Mandy. "Should I Eat Gluten-Free Bread?" Time. Time, 13 Nov.
2014.
Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Zuckerbrot, Tanya. "Should You Go Gluten-Free?" Prevention. 2 Jan. 2013.
Web. 18
Nov. 2015.