Any disadvantages to gluten-free diet?

titanium feather

A friend of mine recently decided to cut out gluten - she's not coeliac, just did it as a bit of an experiment. She says that after being off it a couple of months, her energy levels are much higher, her skin is clearer, she's lost weight, and feels much healthier overall. I'm considering cutting it out as well to see how I get on, as I feel a bit sluggish and lethargic at times even though my diet is quite good overall. Just wondering if there's any reason I shouldn't cut it out for a while?

Adelie

It's pretty inconvenient for eating out, especially abroad. You'll probably have to spend more time cooking or preparing your own food. But if you mean health disadvantages, I really can't think of any. Anything you can get from wheat you can get from other foods.

corkcomp

by completely cutting anything out of ones diet (in this case gluten) a lot of the processed / pre packed foods that people consume are removed. if you think about it id say 80% of processed crap / convenience foods contain gluten so eliminating it will remove these and most people will agree this will lead to feeling better, more energy and loosing weight etc. Personally id start with a clean whole food diet and see how you get on before cutting out gluten

titanium feather

corkcomp wrote: »

by completely cutting anything out of ones diet (in this case gluten) a lot of the processed / pre packed foods that people consume are removed. if you think about it id say 80% of processed crap / convenience foods contain gluten so eliminating it will remove these and most people will agree this will lead to feeling better, more energy and loosing weight etc. Personally id start with a clean whole food diet and see how you get on before cutting out gluten

Well I don't really eat any processed or convenience foods as it is? Not in any big volumes anyways. My usual diet basically consists of porridge or eggs/ham for breakfast, salad with tuna and olive oil for lunch and maybe some brown bread, then for dinner I have chicken/fish and lots of veg/salad with a little brown pasta or rice, and for snacks it's mostly fruit, nuts or cottage cheese. I mostly only drink water or milk.

So I think the only big change I'd be making is substituting the brown bread/pasta/rice with gluten-free versions. Slightly more expensive, but what I'm wondering is if I'm be missing out on any important nutrients etc by doing this?

Adelie wrote: »

It's pretty inconvenient for eating out, especially abroad. You'll probably have to spend more time cooking or preparing your own food. But if you mean health disadvantages, I really can't think of any. Anything you can get from wheat you can get from other foods.

I presume I wouldn't have to go 100% gluten-free to feel the benefits (if any) though? I mean, if I ate out, I wouldn't go out of my way to find gluten-free stuff, but I'm sure once or twice a month wouldn't make a big difference ...

Adelie

titanium feather wrote: »

So I think the only big change I'd be making is substituting the brown bread/pasta/rice with gluten-free versions. Slightly more expensive, but what I'm wondering is if I'm be missing out on any important nutrients etc by doing this?

Rice is gluten free, you don't need to replace that with anything. As for replacing the bread/pasta with gluten-free versions, I would recommend just eating something else like potatoes/sweet potatoes, at least they are nutritious. Most speciality gluten-free food is processed convenience stuff so I would avoid it. It's up to you though, but really you're not going to get any nutrition out of typical shop bought gluten free bread.

I presume I wouldn't have to go 100% gluten-free to feel the benefits (if any) though? I mean, if I ate out, I wouldn't go out of my way to find gluten-free stuff, but I'm sure once or twice a month wouldn't make a big difference ...

It's impossible to say really... but I'd suggest at the beginning that you would need to go a month gluten-free to see if there is any difference at all or not. It is very possible to find gluten-free stuff when you eat out, it just limits your choices.

corkcomp

your diet looks excellent to me tbh and probably a lot better than most peoples so I wouldnt bother going to the expense of buying gluten free foods unless you feel you have some symptom that would point to gluten intolerance...

El_Dangeroso

Possibly a lack of betaine as wheat is a major source in the diet.

Betaine and choline can sort of do the same thing in the body, so increase consumption of eggs and liver if reducing wheat.

As regards the benefits of gluten free, I'd largely say it's down to being wheat-free. Rye and barley don't seem to be as troublesome.

I would recommend anyone try it properly for 30 days to see what improves - don't eat out if you can help it. Then eat some wholewheat bread and see what the reaction is. Even supposedly 'healthy' forms of wheat gives me bad stomach cramps and brain fog.