What happens when a healthy person does a gluten-free diet?

Many people decide to follow a gluten-free diet even though they don't have celiac disease or are allergic to gluten. This diet is considered to make the body healthier and can lose weight. This assumption makes as if gluten is the cause of a person being unhealthy and can get fat. Several other people were finally interested and followed this diet. So, what actually happens if people who don't have celiac disease do this gluten-free diet?

A gluten-free diet is specifically for people with celiac disease

A gluten-free diet is the only option for people with celiac disease, which is a severe gluten intolerance. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye. It is this protein that helps breads, cereals, and pasta get the shape and texture you often encounter.

Normally, gluten is not harmful to the body. In fact, several studies suggest that gluten has health benefits. However, in people with celiac disease, the protein in wheat cannot be digested properly, causing various symptoms.

The impact that occurs if the body is healthy but on a gluten-free diet

If you are healthy and don't have celiac disease or an allergy to gluten, you don't need to stay away from gluten. If you do, in fact you will experience a variety of unfavorable effects. So, what are the possible impacts when a healthy person is on a gluten-free diet?

1. The possibility of experiencing a deficiency of certain nutrients

If you are craving for a gluten-free diet, you must understand that there will be some foods that will have to be left out. You must be ready to leave foods such as bread, cereals, pasta, and various preparations of wheat flour. Gluten is also present in several factory processed food products, frozen vegetable preparations, sauces, soy sauce, some medicines, and natural flavorings.

That means, there is also the possibility of experiencing deficiencies in certain nutrients. For example, cereals are a major source of B vitamins because most cereals are fortified with B vitamins. When you choose a gluten-free diet, you will lose the opportunity to meet your B vitamin requirements which are usually easily obtained from cereals.

A gluten-free diet has the potential to make people deficient in fiber, iron, folate, niacin, thiamine, calcium, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and zinc. Grains that contain gluten are good sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile, products labeled gluten-free are often made with refined grains and are low in nutrients.

If you choose to do so, make sure that you can replace your nutritional needs from other food sources that are naturally gluten-free. You also have to balance the diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.

2. Weight loss, not solely because of not eating gluten

Many people think that a gluten-free diet will help them lose weight. In fact, this reduction is not due to avoiding gluten. Some types of foods that contain gluten are sweet foods that are high in calories, sugar, and fat, such as pastries or other sweet cakes.

Now, when people on a gluten-free diet avoid these sugary foods, of course, their calorie intake per day will decrease. This then makes weight loss.

So, there is actually nothing magical that by eliminating gluten you can lose weight. Everyone who reduces or leaves pastries from their diet and replaces them with vegetables and fruit who are also on the gluten diet will definitely have a better condition.

3. This caution can interfere with heart health

One of the reasons people go on a gluten-free diet is that it reduces the risk of atherosclerosis or heart disease. A gluten-free diet is considered to be able to prevent both diseases because it can prevent inflammation.

In fact, reported on the Medscape page, a study that tested a gluten-free diet in ordinary people without celiac disease in 2017 found the opposite results.

In the study it was reported that respondents who had the lowest gluten intake had a higher risk of coronary heart disease than those who consumed high amounts of gluten.

This study shows firmly that a gluten-free diet does not always prevent heart disease, it can actually be harmful to the heart because in this diet ordinary people without celiac disease must avoid certain foods such as whole grains, for example in wheat germ.

Though whole grains contain healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats and are important for preventing inflammation and maintaining the normal structure of cells in the body.

4. Don't just choose gluten-free products, see other ingredients too

If you are on a gluten-free diet, you still need to be careful with the food products you choose. If something is removed from a food product, then the question is what substance was added to the product?

The answer is, substances that contain sugar, calories, and fat according to doctor Leonard reported in Medscape. So you need to be careful because this diet can actually make you excess calories.

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