Why you should avoid "Gluten Free" products
shai74
Posts: 512 Member
Fair enough, you have celiac disease, and you need to cut out Gluten. Fine.
But if you are one of those posers who buys "gluten free" products because you don't really know what it means, and you think it's better for you (I mean "gluten" just sounds bad right?), think again.
9 Dangers of Mainstream Gluten-Free Products and Recipes:
1. Too little fiber:
Many highly processed gluten-free products and recipes are lower in fiber, and can leave you feeling hungry. Fiber is also essential for healthy bowel movements.
2. Too many carbs:
GF products generally add starch to make up for the gluten in the wheat flour. A sensitive digestive system is unable to digest the large load of carbs thus creating a digestive problem.
3. It is expensive:
I used to buy a very small loaf of bread for $8.50! On average, gluten-free products are 242% more expensive than regular products. US Nationa lLibrary of Medicine
4. Many Bad carbs:
The gluten-free ‘flours’ like tapioca starch, corn starch, rice starch, potato starch etc. also cause health issues in the gut and with their high Glycemic index. Also, they are often devoid of nutrients! They are certainly not a ‘smart carb‘.
5. Too many calories:
Processed gluten-free foods contain almost twice the calories as their counterparts and are more then double the price.
6. Low in whole grains:
The benefits of good carbs like brown rice, fruits or beans are often sacrificed for other ‘bad’ carbs. You need good carbs to regulate blood sugar and bowel movements.
7. Lacks important nutrients:
Avoiding grains means that you will be getting less iron, calcium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folate.
8. Often contains Xanthan Gum:
Some of the side effects from consuming x-gum are similar to the negative effects of gluten-sensitivity. Flu-like symptoms can occur, and since it used for a laxative, sometimes even a small amount might aggravate your guts according to WebMD.
9. Often full of unhealthy sugars:
Sugar is not an ingredient we want lots of if we have gut problems, as it is what will feed the unhealthy bacteria in our gut.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/9-dangers-of-gluten-free-products.html#ixzz3BfKZfjrH
But if you are one of those posers who buys "gluten free" products because you don't really know what it means, and you think it's better for you (I mean "gluten" just sounds bad right?), think again.
9 Dangers of Mainstream Gluten-Free Products and Recipes:
1. Too little fiber:
Many highly processed gluten-free products and recipes are lower in fiber, and can leave you feeling hungry. Fiber is also essential for healthy bowel movements.
2. Too many carbs:
GF products generally add starch to make up for the gluten in the wheat flour. A sensitive digestive system is unable to digest the large load of carbs thus creating a digestive problem.
3. It is expensive:
I used to buy a very small loaf of bread for $8.50! On average, gluten-free products are 242% more expensive than regular products. US Nationa lLibrary of Medicine
4. Many Bad carbs:
The gluten-free ‘flours’ like tapioca starch, corn starch, rice starch, potato starch etc. also cause health issues in the gut and with their high Glycemic index. Also, they are often devoid of nutrients! They are certainly not a ‘smart carb‘.
5. Too many calories:
Processed gluten-free foods contain almost twice the calories as their counterparts and are more then double the price.
6. Low in whole grains:
The benefits of good carbs like brown rice, fruits or beans are often sacrificed for other ‘bad’ carbs. You need good carbs to regulate blood sugar and bowel movements.
7. Lacks important nutrients:
Avoiding grains means that you will be getting less iron, calcium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folate.
8. Often contains Xanthan Gum:
Some of the side effects from consuming x-gum are similar to the negative effects of gluten-sensitivity. Flu-like symptoms can occur, and since it used for a laxative, sometimes even a small amount might aggravate your guts according to WebMD.
9. Often full of unhealthy sugars:
Sugar is not an ingredient we want lots of if we have gut problems, as it is what will feed the unhealthy bacteria in our gut.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/9-dangers-of-gluten-free-products.html#ixzz3BfKZfjrH
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Replies
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Mongolia may be the only place on earth where gluten free doesn't exist...........it's a powerful marketing campaign that is designed to herd and better than a border collie, people don't stand a chance........people learned to like tofu, right, enough said. j/k. lol0
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This is exactly right.
We should all eat foods that are naturally gluten free.0 -
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Funny you post that, I'm supposed to be avoiding gluten because I have an autoimmune disease so I was in the grocery store mulling over gluten free brownies yesterday because I was craving a treat. Just couldn't do it. Organic junk food. It was trying to tell me they were healthy on the box but...no.
Ended up making a concoction with an over ripe banana and some dark chocolate chips and nuts when I got home which was way healthier and did the trick.0 -
Meh, any list that has phrases like "bad carbs" and "unhealthy sugars" is bogus to me.This is exactly right.
We should all eat foods that are naturally gluten free.
Both of these. 95% of my "diet" is made up of naturally gluten-free things like ::gasp:: sweet potatoes, broccoli, raspberries that contain a lot of fiber. I don't think the gluten-free spaghetti I'm having tonight is going to be an issue.0 -
No one's disputing that naturally gluten free products are good for you. The article is more about those processed, packaged "gluten free" products in the supermarket.0
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No one's disputing that naturally gluten free products are good for you. The article is more about those processed, packaged "gluten free" products in the supermarket.
The point I was making was that, like any prepackaged foods, exercise moderation.0 -
1. Too little fiber:
Many highly processed gluten-free products and recipes are lower in fiber, and can leave you feeling hungry. Fiber is also essential for healthy bowel movements.
isn't fiber mostly just for creating more solid wastes?
fat makes for better bowel movements- I eat a fairly varied diet- and I never seek out fiber and I'm just fine- fat my friends- it does the dueces good.0 -
I know it's junk food. But man, sometimes it's so blissful to be able to have a treat, as long as I'm good most of the time. We have a bakery in Austin that makes GF cake balls. It's a quarter-diameter piece of ~heaven~.
And lots of people without celiac's find they feel better when they avoid wheat. You aren't a "poser" if it makes you feel better.
But processed food is processed food. And you should eat it in moderation and not base your diet on it. Gluten free or otherwise.0 -
Depending on what your definition of "gluten free" is, the market is projected to be $15.6bn by 2016. That's a lot of no-wheat/barley/rye protein bread. Big business lends itself to aggressive marketing. People who don't even need to be gluten free are jumping on the bandwagon. Buyer beware. You may be spending tons more money for no good reason.0
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Also, anything I have ever eaten that was gluten free has been gross.0
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No one's disputing that naturally gluten free products are good for you. The article is more about those processed, packaged "gluten free" products in the supermarket.
The point I was making was that, like any prepackaged foods, exercise moderation.
Prepackaged processed foods being the key words here. when I'm buying food at the grocery store I look for things with very very few Laboratory Chemical Words. Occasionally I go gluten free, because my body feels bloated when I eat foods with gluten in it. My mother is gluten sensitive, more so than I am, and can not handle any gluten and other foods. But I digress, my point, more real food, less processed prepackaged food.0 -
Ok.....
1) Just because you site the source doesn't make it a credible source. www.care2.com..... What they couldn't afford www.care1.com ?
2) Eating crap will make you feel like crap, regardless if it contains gluten or not. ( gluten free cookies, cakes, ect.)
3) Blindly believing that gluten is making you fat is just the current trend in a long list of dumb trends. Who honestly sees a label that is gluten free and " oh I can eat that; its healthy" ?0 -
3) Blindly believing that gluten is making you fat is just the current trend in a long list of dumb trends. Who honestly sees a label that is gluten free and " oh I can eat that; its healthy" ?
Maybe people using this site wouldn't think that, but the average consumer might. Lots of things are deemed by public opinion as "healthy" without actually being so. It's like the label "natural" on products. Cyanide can be "natural" (for example in peach pits) but it still isn't good for you. Marketing is powerful stuff meant to convince you and manipulate you into buying things (I have an MBA in marketing, so I'm pretty familiar with this).0 -
3) Blindly believing that gluten is making you fat is just the current trend in a long list of dumb trends. Who honestly sees a label that is gluten free and " oh I can eat that; its healthy" ?
Maybe people using this site wouldn't think that, but the average consumer might. Lots of things are deemed by public opinion as "healthy" without actually being so. It's like the label "natural" on products. Cyanide can be "natural" (for example in peach pits) but it still isn't good for you. Marketing is powerful stuff meant to convince you and manipulate you into buying things (I have an MBA in marketing, so I'm pretty familiar with this).
Valid point. Perhaps if people would take a moment to think for themselves they wouldn't have this issue.0 -
^This.Meh, any list that has phrases like "bad carbs" and "unhealthy sugars" is bogus to me.0 -
I just wanted to mention that specifically at the beginning of the article it says "So you have Celiacs disease." I don't think the article meant to be advising people who jump on the gluten-free bandwagon without needing to.
Also - for anyone who does have issues with gluten - the paleo versions of the things made in stores are soooooo much better for you (in moderation, of course). If you have bowel issues, grain free is the way to go. It takes more time because you have to make it yourself, but its a worthy investment
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I know it's junk food. But man, sometimes it's so blissful to be able to have a treat, as long as I'm good most of the time. We have a bakery in Austin that makes GF cake balls. It's a quarter-diameter piece of ~heaven~.
And lots of people without celiac's find they feel better when they avoid wheat. You aren't a "poser" if it makes you feel better.
But processed food is processed food. And you should eat it in moderation and not base your diet on it. Gluten free or otherwise.
+10 -
3) Blindly believing that gluten is making you fat is just the current trend in a long list of dumb trends. Who honestly sees a label that is gluten free and " oh I can eat that; its healthy" ?
Maybe people using this site wouldn't think that, but the average consumer might. Lots of things are deemed by public opinion as "healthy" without actually being so. It's like the label "natural" on products. Cyanide can be "natural" (for example in peach pits) but it still isn't good for you. Marketing is powerful stuff meant to convince you and manipulate you into buying things (I have an MBA in marketing, so I'm pretty familiar with this).
Valid point. Perhaps if people would take a moment to think for themselves they wouldn't have this issue.
I think people thinking for themselves would solve a lot of issues in the world 0 -
They only just recently put guide lines on gluten free stuff, and it's hard to say that everyone follows completely to standard, there's a lot of dodging companies can do.
"FDA has set a gluten limit of less than 20 parts per million (ppm) for foods that carry the label “gluten-free,” “no gluten,” “free of gluten,” or “without gluten.” This level is the lowest that can be reliably detected in foods using scientifically validated analytical methods. Other countries and international bodies use this same criteria, as most people with celiac disease can tolerate foods with very small amounts of gluten.
Before the issuing of the regulation, there were no U.S. standards or definitions for the food industry to use in labeling products “gluten-free.” This left many consumers, especially those with a health concern, unsure of a food’s gluten content."
Biggest problem for me is that making something gluten free is expensive, definitely wouldn't go out of my way to buy gluten free products; the only one that I have really gotten was Woodchuck, but it's a cider so not sure why gluten would be in it anyway.0 -
Except if you have been diagnosed with celiacs.0
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Funny you post that, I'm supposed to be avoiding gluten because I have an autoimmune disease so I was in the grocery store mulling over gluten free brownies yesterday because I was craving a treat. Just couldn't do it. Organic junk food. It was trying to tell me they were healthy on the box but...no.
Ended up making a concoction with an over ripe banana and some dark chocolate chips and nuts when I got home which was way healthier and did the trick.
This. People think because something is gluten free or organic it's healthy. NOT. Something is healthy for you if it fills the balance of proteins/vitamins/carbs/etc you need in a substantial way. Organic gluten free brownies do not. I'm allergic to wheat as well. Honestly everyone would be healthier if they ate a balance. Too much wheat or too much xanthan gum or too much whatever, it doesn't matter what, isn't good. Western diets are usually so unbalanced!0 -
I know it's junk food. But man, sometimes it's so blissful to be able to have a treat, as long as I'm good most of the time. We have a bakery in Austin that makes GF cake balls. It's a quarter-diameter piece of ~heaven~.
And lots of people without celiac's find they feel better when they avoid wheat. You aren't a "poser" if it makes you feel better.
But processed food is processed food. And you should eat it in moderation and not base your diet on it. Gluten free or otherwise.
+2
A lot of people are unaware that the tests for celiac's disease are actually still pretty inaccurate, they come up negative a lot of times and second tests will come out positive, but individuals rarely get tested twice. The tests are getting better though, hence the sudden increase in people allergic to wheat.0 -
1. Too little fiber:
Many highly processed gluten-free products and recipes are lower in fiber, and can leave you feeling hungry. Fiber is also essential for healthy bowel movements.
isn't fiber mostly just for creating more solid wastes?
fat makes for better bowel movements- I eat a fairly varied diet- and I never seek out fiber and I'm just fine- fat my friends- it does the dueces good.
As my MIL says... fat just greases up the insides to make everything move better...
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I LOVE GLUTEN!!!!0
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And lots of people without celiac's find they feel better when they avoid wheat. You aren't a "poser" if it makes you feel better.
I think this sort of sums up my feelings. I feel better when I avoid artificial sugar. A little bit is fine, but if I have, for example, 2 diet cokes in a single day, I feel icky and get a headache. I don't have a problem with gluten, but heck, if someone feels better without it, more power to 'em. Plus, I've got a friend who genuinely has celiac and she's loving that it's trendy right now because it's given her more options. So bonussss.0 -
I feel better when I avoid artificial sugar.0
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lost me at "bad carbs" and "unhealthy sugars" ....
if you do not have gluten sensitivity then you do not need to eat GF free, period.0 -
EatsNotTreats wrote: »CrunchyDad wrote: »This is exactly right.
We should all eat foods that are naturally gluten free.
Yupper
why?0
This discussion has been closed.
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