For many people who suffer from celiac disease or wheat allergies, eating a sandwich or drinking a beer can be uncomfortable at best and nearly fatal at worst. Products that contain gluten, a thickening additive that is also present in wheat, barley, rye and oats, can pose problems such as abdominal pain and improper nutrient absorption for sufferers. {relatedarticles}But many people who don't have problems with gluten are eliminating it from their diets. Why and how do you eliminate a substance that's ubiquitous in the foods we eat? Many stars like Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston are going gluten-free as part of the trend of cleansing diets, those that allegedly eliminate toxins from the system. Does it work? Sure - anytime calories are severely restricted, you will lose weight. But it would work regardless, even if those stars kept gluten in their diets.
It's difficult and expensive to replace gluten-containing products with gluten-free products because substitutes generally cost more. A loaf of regular bread might cost $2, but a loaf of gluten-free bread costs upward of $5 and more. Gluten-free products may actually cause consumers to gain weight because of their generally low fiber content and high glycemic index. {relatedarticles}Plus, foods like cereals and whole grains contain vitamins and minerals that celiac disease sufferers often lack, like B vitamins, calcium, iron and magnesium, and they must supplement their diets to compensate for this deficiency. At best, the diet is a good solution for those who have celiac disease or wheat allergies, but for everyone else, good old calorie restriction is the way to go.