When you’re looking to lose all of your excess weight, any diet available will likely catch your attention. One that has spent a lot of time in the spotlight lately is the celiac diet, also commonly referred to as eating gluten free. The question is, does this type of eating lead to weight loss?
Understanding the Celiac Diet
Before you can adequately answer this question, you must understand what a celiac diet is. Essentially, if someone has celiac disease, they cannot eat gluten products or they risk damage to their small intestine. Gluten is a wheat based protein mixture that is found in foods that contain wheat, barley, rye, and processed oats (such as bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, crackers, beer, couscous, and more).
So, How Effective Is It in Regard to Weight Loss?
Because you’re consuming limited carbs on this type of eating plan, you’re likely going to lose some weight. Plus, specific carbohydrates like cakes and crackers generally contain a lot of fat and calories, so you’ll almost certainly shed some excess pounds once these types of food items are eliminated from your diet.
The One Caution…
The one thing you need to be conscious of is that eating gluten free also means that you may not be getting a balanced diet full of all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to thrive. This is truer if you completely eliminate these products from your diet versus choosing gluten free alternatives.
Celiac Diet with a Twist
Perhaps the best thing you can do if you don’t have celiac disease but want to follow the diet to lose weight is simply to cut out the processed, refined carbs and eat mainly complex carbs (like 100% whole wheat and unprocessed oats) instead. That way you get enough vitamin B, iron, and fiber without adding in the unnecessary fat and sugar. That, my friend, will help you lose weight while still allowing you to stay healthy in the meantime.
