But, according to Rory Jones, science writer and Adjunct Professor of Narrative Medicine at Barnard College of Columbia University, there are many misconceptions surrounding these diets.
For instance, people who go on a gluten-free diet without the help of a professional nutritionist can easily develop vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Treating these with supplements can cause even greater physical problems, as supplements are an unregulated business and pills may contain allergens (wheat, nuts), toxic substances, many times the amount of a substance, or even none of the listed ingredients.
Instead of realizing weight loss, a gluten-free diet can cause weight gain, as gluten-free food often contains much higher amounts of fat, sugar and additives to improve texture and taste.
If gluten is not actually causing your medical issues, without a proper diagnosis you will probably continue to get sicker on a gluten-free diet.
Going gluten-free diet leads to less microbiotic diversity, which has been implicated as a factor in a number of diseases.
Gluten-free foods often contain higher levels of heavy metals, such as arsenic and mercury. This holds real potential danger for children.
Finally, restrictive diets cause brain stress that can affect thought, mental performance and the responses of various organs, thereby impacting your long-term health and well-being.
Listen in as Jones discusses why going gluten-free may not be in your best interest.
Rory Jones, MS, is a science writer and Adjunct Professor of Narrative Medicine at Barnard College of Columbia University. She has done extensive work on health and medical topics, including educational programs for both adults and children. She specializes in ‘translating’ scientific information for a consumer audience. Diagnosed with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis (the skin manifestation of CD) in 1998, she has researched and written about it and the gluten-free diet for medical as well as consumer publications. She holds an MS in Narrative Medicine from Columbia, and has conducted workshops for doctors and healthcare professionals to better enable them to explore and understand the ‘stories’ and experience of illness of their patients.