Gluten-free Diet Pros And Cons

Eating a gluten-free diet is the only treatment for the people suffering from Celiac disease. People suffering celiac disease have intolerance to gluten. Gluten is a protein, which is present in grains of wheat, rye, oats and barley. Gluten-free diet means staying off from those foods which are comprised of wheat, oats, barley and rye. Gluten can turn toxic for those people who are sensitive to it; those who are diagnosed with celiac disease. To maintain a completely gluten-free diet means eating fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and other stuff available. In addition, it is always better to have your meals prepared by you or someone who knows what foods to eat and not to eat by gluten intolerant people.

There are several pros and cons of eating a gluten-free diet. Let's discuss a few important pros and cons of having a gluten-free diet. Several processed foods are thickened and flavored with gluten and it becomes essential to identify those foods.

Medical Benefits of Gluten-free Diet

Having a gluten-free diet is the important consideration of the celiac disease treatment. Medically, it is prescribed to have this diet for the whole life. No medicine or drug is as effective as gluten-free diet for a celiac. Most of the people stick to this diet because of the medical benefits it offers. Some of the diseases that are treated by this diet are as follows.

• Gluten Intolerance: This is a kind of allergy named the gluten allergy. Patients with this intolerance or allergy should follow only a gluten-free diet, as these patients cannot tolerate gluten.

• Celiac diseases: This is an autoimmune disease that runs through families and if such a patient consumes the gluten, it damages their intestinal lining. To promote the healing of the intestinal lining, the patient is warned against consuming gluten by following a gluten-free diet.

• Dermatitis Herpetiformis: This chronic skin disease is marked by fluid-filled blisters; believed to have been triggered by high gluten ingestion. Taking a gluten-free diet is an absolute must for these people.
  Migraine: Several migraine patients feel well by consuming gluten-free diet. This happens because many of them likely to have celiac disease.

• Autism: According to several researches conducted, it is found that severity of the disease is directly related to consumption of high gluten. To improve the condition of children suffering from autism, they are kept on a gluten-free diet.

Weight Loss Benefits of Gluten-free Diet

Apart from medical benefits, a gluten-free diet also helps in losing weight. According to the available medical literature, people suffering from any of the following medical conditions are supposed to be benefited from including gluten-free diet as their treatment consideration. According to scientific research people with the following medical conditions are known to have fewer symptoms and/or quicker recovery should they be treated along gluten-free diet. This improves digestive health which hastens the healing by making nutrients available to the body.

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Parkinson’s disease

• Neuromyelitis

• Down’s syndrome

• Peripheral neuropathy

• Multiple sclerosis

• Seizures

• Ataxia and late-onset Friedreich ataxia

• Brain fog

• Osteoporosis

• Type 2 and Type 1 diabetes and anemia

Cons of the Gluten-free Diet

Following gluten-free diet for long can result in several deficiencies in body. Eating a gluten-free diet means you are not eating some healthy natural foods rich in required nutrients. Some of the gluten free foods are not fortified and do not have a variety of nutrients. These foods are low in folate, fiber and iron. In addition, gluten free foods are always not available so, patients do not get to consume the minimum recommended amount of the grains.