What Is Gluten Free

Is Gluten-Free Right For Me?
Every day, Americans are constantly bombarded with images of “the perfect body.” For the vast majority of us Americans, comparing our own bodies to those of supermodels is extremely disheartening, and makes us self-conscious about our physical appearances. Coupling this urge to become thinner with the ever-increasing rate of obesity in the country, the odds of a person being happy with their weight are rather slim. Because of this, countless millions of people go on specialized diets in order to change their physique. Possibly the trendiest of these diets consists of “going gluten-free” – or abstaining for all foods containing gluten. As more and more people are jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon, the apparent credibility of the diet is growing higher and higher. However, America’s obesity rate is still at a dangerously high level. If this is true, is this gluten-free diet all that it is …show more content…
It is true that the protein is capable of storing a high amount of fat, thus, refraining from gluten could theoretically be a good thing. However, eating gluten-substitute foods (normal foods without wheat product, for example, a rice based pasta) is probably nutritionally worse than eating the original food in the first place. First of all, these substitutionary products are mostly made up of starches, sugars, and fats. Obviously, this translates to a higher amount of dietary sugar, fat, and calories. When people start gluten-free diets, they “tend to feel deprived… so they often eat more gluten-free baked products, like cookies” (Palmer), which people incorrectly deem healthy. In addition, gluten-substitute products are low in vitamins and minerals – especially vitamin B9, or folic acid (Cromley). A folate deficiency (lack of vitamin B9) can cause severe fatigue, leaving people without energy. These products are also commonly low in calcium, iron, and the A and C vitamins