Gluten Free vs. Low Carb?

gdengler

So, looking to change up the diet a bit. In your opinion and experiences what is better for weight loss and overall health - a gluten free diet or low carb diet? Thanks!

mvandommelen

I would say low carbs is better bc if you go low carbs you cut out so much gluten as it is! I have gone gluten free and lost NO weight and went low carb and started to see a difference

MissMaryMac33

Not being on a diet is better.... unless you have medical reasons to do so, make healthy choices and watch what you eat.
Exercise and get plenty of fluids.... its a lifetime way of life ---- being on a diet is not.

To answer more specifically, carbs (the wrong kind, bread/donuts/fried crap) make me feel awful. I get tired and sluggish and often have hypoglycemic incidents so I avoid them. Some people don't.

Jillian

I have done the Atkins diet before and lost 40lbs in less than 3 mos. It didn't last though. 3 days ago I started a gluten free diet. and have lost 3 lbs. Water of course. I think the gluten free is easier for me because I can have rice and corn products. I don't feel like I have to cut out some of my favorite foods. But, I think both work. Good luck!

gdengler

Not being on a diet is better.... unless you have medical reasons to do so, make healthy choices and watch what you eat.
Exercise and get plenty of fluids.... its a lifetime way of life ---- being on a diet is not.

To answer more specifically, carbs (the wrong kind, bread/donuts/fried crap) make me feel awful. I get tired and sluggish and often have hypoglycemic incidents so I avoid them. Some people don't.

We generally eat healthy, but I think there are too many carbohydrates. Diet was referring to the daily way of eating, not necessarily a "diet" :-)

Thanks for your input!

End6ame

Considering you personally know me and my position, I will post this for other’s benefit.

We have been consistently told (as a nation) to eat more grains and less fat, yet we kept getting fatter. So then the recommendation was to eat even more grains and even less fat. Yet we are still getting fatter. As a result of the standard America diet (high carb) lifestyle, many (most) people have some type of carb intolerance to varying degrees. These most commonly manifest in weight gain (or lack of weight loss), diabetes, GI problems, and other inflammatory conditions. Reversing or preventing these conditions is achieved through managing your carb intake (keeping in mind that all carbs are sugar eventually). Robb Wolfe has great information on this.

That being said, here is my experience. I currently follow a paleo lifestyle, but previously I was in the majority group of high carb, moderate protein, low fat diets. After stalling in my weight loss, I switched to a slightly less carb, slightly higher fat diet and started losing again. Then I developed gallbladder problems (mind you I know now that this problem previously existed, I just didn’t know it). Since I am immediately skeptical when a doctor tells me I don’t “need” an organ, I started doing significant amounts of research, which lead me to my current paleo lifestyle.

It turns out that grains and legumes can casus inflammation in your tissue, organs, arteries, etc; as well as the obvious blood sugar and insulin spikes since carbs are the same as sugar in your body. So take a population that eats too many carbs and you get people that develop carb intolerances, insulin resistance, gain weight and then develop inflammatory conditions like diabeties, CHD, CVD, etc… and how is it explained… we eat too much fat? WHAT?!?! (I know there are more variables than carbs to CHD and CVD but I am not going to go into omage3:6 rations right now)

Since I switched to a paleo lifestyle, I broke my weight loss plateau (even though I am eating 120g of fat per day) and my gallbladder symptoms completely disappeared (reduced inflammation and higher gallbladder functionality, contrary to the low fat advise my doctor gave me). I also get plenty of fiber and calcium in a day without any grains or milk. I truly believe (based upon my experience and research) that a paleo or low carb lifestyle is significantly healthier.

Side note: Every time someone talks about eliminating carbs, someone comments about how you shouldn’t eliminate anything from your diet, yet they don’t give the same flack to vegans. I don’t understand the obsession with eating carbs.

gdengler

Considering you personally know me and my position, I will post this for other’s benefit.

We have been consistently told (as a nation) to eat more grains and less fat, yet we kept getting fatter. So then the recommendation was to eat even more grains and even less fat. Yet we are still getting fatter. As a result of the standard America diet (high carb) lifestyle, many (most) people have some type of carb intolerance to varying degrees. These most commonly manifest in weight gain (or lack of weight loss), diabetes, GI problems, and other inflammatory conditions. Reversing or preventing these conditions is achieved through managing your carb intake (keeping in mind that all carbs are sugar eventually). Robb Wolfe has great information on this.

That being said, here is my experience. I currently follow a paleo lifestyle, but previously I was in the majority group of high carb, moderate protein, low fat diets. After stalling in my weight loss, I switched to a slightly less carb, slightly higher fat diet and started losing again. Then I developed gallbladder problems (mind you I know now that this problem previously existed, I just didn’t know it). Since I am immediately skeptical when a doctor tells me I don’t “need” an organ, I started doing significant amounts of research, which lead me to my current paleo lifestyle.

It turns out that grains and legumes can casus inflammation in your tissue, organs, arteries, etc; as well as the obvious blood sugar and insulin spikes since carbs are the same as sugar in your body. So take a population that eats too many carbs and you get people that develop carb intolerances, insulin resistance, gain weight and then develop inflammatory conditions like diabeties, CHD, CVD, etc… and how is it explained… we eat too much fat? WHAT?!?! (I know there are more variables than carbs to CHD and CVD but I am not going to go into omage3:6 rations right now)

Since I switched to a paleo lifestyle, I broke my weight loss plateau (even though I am eating 120g of fat per day) and my gallbladder symptoms completely disappeared (reduced inflammation and higher gallbladder functionality, contrary to the low fat advise my doctor gave me). I also get plenty of fiber and calcium in a day without any grains or milk. I truly believe (based upon my experience and research) that a paleo or low carb lifestyle is significantly healthier.

Side note: Every time someone talks about eliminating carbs, someone comments about how you shouldn’t eliminate anything from your diet, yet they don’t give the same flack to vegans. I don’t understand the obsession with eating carbs.

Thanks Greg! Great post! I would like to eventually try Paleo later, but as a stepping stone which do you think is better - gluten free or low carb?

End6ame

Thanks Greg! Great post! I would like to eventually try Paleo later, but as a stepping stone which do you think is better - gluten free or low carb?

Gluten free would be a smaller step, since you will only be eliminating wheat, but still allowing things like rice. If you want to baby step your way in I would do the following in this order.

- Remove wheat
- Remove dairy (should be pretty easy for you guys)
- Remove all other grains
- Remove legumes

brandiuntz

Unless you have a problem digesting gluten, go lower carb. Gluten-free doesn't necessarily mean low carb. Other grains can be substituted for gluten containing ones. So, why would you want to go gluten-free if you think carbs are too much?

I say this as someone who eats gluten-free and low diary due to intolerance's.

If you think you're eating too many grains, reduce them. No need to change which ones you eat.

End6ame

Unless you have a problem digesting gluten, go lower carb. Gluten-free doesn't necessarily mean low carb. Other grains can be substituted for gluten containing ones. So, why would you want to go gluten-free if you think carbs are too much?

I say this as someone who eats gluten-free and low diary due to intolerance's.

If you think you're eating too many grains, reduce them. No need to change which ones you eat.

Very valid point as well. If you are going to replace one for another, it would be very little benefit.

sneezles

Depends on what type of gluten free items you're talking about. Brown rice and quinoa would be the only grain-based carbs that I would eat. Gluten free products are not whole grain,for the most part though there are some whole grain rice pastas.

Though I am gluten intolerant I don't eat carbs from grains.

brandiuntz

Depends on what type of gluten free items you're talking about. Brown rice and quinoa would be the only grain-based carbs that I would eat. Gluten free products are not whole grain,for the most part though there are some whole grain rice pastas.

Though I am gluten intolerant I don't eat carbs from grains.

I avoid a lot of the "gluten-free" replacement-type products. It all has the same issue of being processed, etc. I don't eat a lot of grains; like you, I eat brown rice and quinoa when I do eat grains (and some corn).

I don't think there's a reason for the OP to go gluten-free. She's describing a concern about carb intake. Gluten-free can be low-carb, but you can be low-carb with gluten.

gdengler

Thanks Greg! Great post! I would like to eventually try Paleo later, but as a stepping stone which do you think is better - gluten free or low carb?

Gluten free would be a smaller step, since you will only be eliminating wheat, but still allowing things like rice. If you want to baby step your way in I would do the following in this order.

- Remove wheat
- Remove dairy (should be pretty easy for you guys)
- Remove all other grains
- Remove legumes

After the baby comes in November, I think this is what we are going to do!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

My son and I are allergic to gluten. Because of this I lost weight when I went gluten free, as my body was reacting to the gluten. This has also made me relatively low carb, but just as a sort of aside.