Consumer Reports: Gluten-Free Diets Are Not Weight-Loss Diets, Stupid
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It is my great pleasure to report that Consumer Reports has just confirmed everything we’ve ever said, written or otherwise thought about gluten-free diets: Namely, that they aren’t weight-loss diets, stupid. (The “stupid,” of course, is my addition, but I think it’s overwhelmingly implied.)
The story basically boils down to this: Gluten-free diets are not “diets” in the sense of weight-loss and calorie deficits and bikini bodies and all that. In fact, unless it is medically necessary, a gluten-free diet isn’t recommended for the average Joe or Jane because going GF may actually cause you to miss out on important nutrients your body needs.
Still, a lot of people aren’t getting the message. Listen to this:
According to a recent survey of more than 1,000 Americans by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, 63 percent thought that following a gluten-free diet would improve physical or mental health. About a third said they buy gluten-free products or try to avoid gluten. Among the top benefits they cited were better digestion and gastrointestinal function, healthy weight loss, increased energy, lower cholesterol, and a stronger immune system.
Doh.
Unfortunately, none of those beliefs have any kind of scientific backing. In its latest investigation, Consumer Reports lays out the cold, hard, irrefutable truth about unnecessarily following a gluten-free diet, including the fact that such diets are often less nutritious (and may even cause weight gain) and cost more. Check out the video below for a simplified breakdown of the findings, or go over here to read about it for yourself.
And, please, consider yourself informed, once and for all.
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