But… it’s Gluten Free?

I frequently hear from patients and friends that they are surprised they aren’t losing weight even though they’ve “gone gluten-free.” It’s at that point that I ask for a little bit of clarification in terms of what they think being gluten-free really means. I often learn, surprisingly, that people often say that they only shop from the gluten-free aisle in the grocery store as if that’s some kind of feather in their cap.

Many grocery stores do in fact have gluten-free sections. And what is so disenchanting is the realization that what they are selling includes gluten-free pastas, cakes, cookies, breads, etc. that, while they maybe gluten-free, are nonetheless huge sources of carbohydrates and simple sugars.

So eating on the gluten-free aisle, while it may be a good choice in terms of reducing your gluten exposure, nonetheless will likely prove to be a source of lots and lots of carbohydrate calories which stimulate your body to make insulin, sending a  powerful signal from head to toe to make and store body fat.

So beware. There’s nothing vindicating about high carbohydrate foods that happen to be gluten-free.