Cons Of Gluten-Free Diet – If You Do Not Have Celiac Disease

For people diagnosed with celiac disease, staying away from gluten is the only way to avoid the often painful allergic reaction. But many people without the disease have gone gluten-free for a variety of reasons, including weight loss. Nutritionist Juliette Kellow says the weight loss crowd should be aware that some gluten-free products have more calories than gluten-rich products because they often contain more fat, sugar and salt to improve flavor or texture. Other gluten-free cons: they tend to cost more than the regular products; avoiding gluten can make it very difficult to diagnose celiac disease; giving up gluten may actually result in digestive problems because of the low fiber content of flours used; and lastly many gluten-free products use refined carbs, such as tapioca flour, which lack nutrients, including iron, magnesium, folate and thiamin.