Gluten-Free Doesn't Necessarily Mean Healthy Albeit Celiac Disease Prevention, Experts Say

These days, gluten-free diets have become popular among numerous people around the globe. In the US alone, 2.7 million people avoid gluten. Gluten-free foods benefit those who suffer celiac disease; but due to trends and marketing, even non-sufferers opt for gluten-free diets for the aim of losing weight in a "healthy way". As of writing, nearly a million people eating gluten-free foods don't have celiac disease. Meanwhile, experts reminded that being gluten-free does not automatically make a diet healthy.

"A gluten-free cookie is still a cookie, not a health food," said Rachel Begun, MS, RDN, in an email interview with USA Today. She added that people who think they are sensitive to gluten should not resort to self-treatment.

She also stressed that numerous foods with gluten likewise contain other components to which the body may react; hence taking them away from the diet can make one feel better but for a different reason. Begun is a nutrition strategist and a member of Celiac Scientific/Medical Advisory Council.

In the time being, the number of those who don't have celiac disease but avoided gluten more than tripled. This is due to the thought that gluten-free diet can be used for cleansing and weight loss. According to The Guardian, the increase is especially pronounced for women aged 20 to 39.

However, registered dietician Judy Adams said that using gluten-free diet for cleansing and calorie controlling are actually using it as a fad diet. Moreover, gluten-free diet being a healthy weight loss tool is a myth, for some gluten-free foods may be highly caloric and even less healthy than a regular diet.

Celiac disease is a digestive and autoimmune disorder in which ingestion of foods containing gluten damages the lining of the small intestine. People with this disorder experience abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and numerous other symptoms when they eat foods containing gluten.