It’s something I long suspected:
A gluten-free diet is a short-cut to weight gain.
And Jennifer Fugo, certified health coach, proved that point on a recent broadcast of Rich&Gluten-Free.
My story
When I went gluten-free three years ago, I (un-)happily swapped baked goods for mashed potatoes, rice, and corn. A few weeks later, my jeans didn’t fit.
I figured, rightly so, that the increase in carbs had turned into empty calories and given me my first muffin-top.
As I started paying more attention to nutrition labels, I learned the fatty truth. In order for gluten-free breads, cookies, and snack-foods to taste good, loads of extra salt and sugar are added to create that creamy mouth-feel that is missing in most gluten-free products.
The result? An addiction to sugar – in my case, far worse than I had when I was eating a diet that included gluten. (My blood pressure also went up, a factor I attribute to my increased salt consumption.)
In fact, my diet before going gluten-free was healthier, because the whole grains I was consuming didn’t need as much sugar or salt to make them taste good. While the grains themselves were hurting me, the overall nutritional content was not.
Confusing? Yes. And frustrating, too!
Enter Jennifer Fugo
Jennifer explained that most people going gluten-free for the first time make the same mistakes that I did. That’s why she started the Gluten Free School to help people make the transition.
Going gluten-free undeniably improves our health, she says. But we also have to understand that there is more sugar, salt, and fat in today’s gluten-free products (in fact, now that gluten-free is catching on, today’s choices are just as overly processed as those we are leaving behind!)
Sure, moderation is key: Eat less processed gluten-free products, or learn how to make your own. Control the ingredients, improve your health. But what Jennifer really wants you to understand is this:
Sugar is the enemy!
And because a gluten-free diet tends to have more sugar in it,
we are possibly increasing our risk of diabetes and other hormonal conditions
that are triggered by too much sugar.
Personally, I’m struck by the notion that the very diet that has eased my stomach pains, cleared my complexion, and soothed swollen joints now puts me in line for other ailments that are worse in some ways than the ones I’ve left behind.
It’s a health-saving idea worth learning more about. You can check out Jennifer’s programs here, or ask me for a free audio file of the show.
Don’t miss another show!
Rich & Gluten-Free, with your host, journalist-blogger Susan Rich, airs 11 am ET every Tuesday morning on internet radio station w4wn.com
Susan is always looking for guests, product news, advertisers and sponsors. Please contact her with your ideas!
[...] Rich & Gluten-Free – Jen Fugo talked to us about how going gluten-free can create a sugar addiction; author Michael Prager talked about his journey from Fat Boy to Thin [...]