Not The Whole Story...

Some of you may have seen the recent addition of Consumer Reports--in which the cover basically asks, "Will a gluten-free diet really make you healthier?"

The answer, according to Consumer Reports, is that the gluten-free products available on the market (i.e. the processed foods available that are labeled 'gluten-free') can actually be less healthy for you than conventional products.

Well, duh. Eating a bunch of processed, pre-packaged food of ANY kind isn't healthy. The implication of the Consumer Reports article is that cutting gluten from your diet isn't healthy for you. The unfortunate assumption here is that eating "gluten-free" means you don't make any of your own food and only eat things that come in boxes. :)

Part of the reason I try to bake stuff from scratch is that it lets us use ingredients that are better for us. For example, I made homemade waffles about two weeks ago. The husband, a Type 1 Diabetic, dosed for these waffles as if they were similar to white flour waffles (about 30 grams of carbohydrate PER waffle). In the end, he took way too much insulin because the waffles I made (with flax meal, almond flour, and bean flour) were 9 grams of carbohydrate per waffle. !

The best advice from Consumer Reports comes at the end of their article:

• Get your grains. Whether you’re on a gluten-free diet or not, eating a variety of grains is healthy, so don’t cut out whole grains. Replace wheat with amaranth, corn, millet, quinoa, teff, and the occasional serving of rice. 

• Shop the grocery store perimeter. Stick with naturally gluten-free whole foods: fruit, vegetables, lean meat and poultry, fish, most dairy, legumes, some grains, and nuts. 

• Read the label! Minimize your intake of packaged foods made with refined rice or potato flours; choose those with no-gluten, non-rice whole grains instead. Whenever you buy processed foods, keep an eye on the sugar, fat, and sodium content of the product.

In related news, I have yet another friend who has been told by a doc that she should try going gluten-free. To date, I've had four health professionals suggest eating an anti-inflammatory diet--no processed food, sugar, wheat, or dairy and more fruits, veggies, and water.

Gluten-free by Vlado; freedigitalphotos.net