Here’s Why You Are Gaining Weight On A Gluten-Free Diet

Here’s Why You Are Gaining Weight On A Gluten-Free Diet

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Gluten-Free

By: Annie Morgan

You’ve made the decision to go gluten-free, and you carefully check each food label to make sure there is no gluten in the food you eat.

But despite going gluten-free – you’ve put on extra pounds and you can’t seem to figure out why.

The truth is, many people when they first go gluten-free make a few critical mistakes that are causing the pounds to pack on.

To put it simply – gluten-free does not always mean healthy.

Not even close.

Answer these questions for yourself below, and see if any of these could be the reason why you are gaining weight.

What Are You Eating?

Corn products are gluten-free.

But if you are frying up corn tortillas every night and crushing through a bag of tortilla chips as a snack in the evening – you are still loading your bodies with carbs.

Not to mention corn is one of the worst things you can eat – as it has no nutritional value and GMOs.

Likewise, even opting for gluten-free doesn’t mean you are eating healthy!

Since gluten-free is trendy, marketers are putting that label on everything – and unsuspecting people are still buying processed junk – thinking because it is gluten-free, they can eat as much as they want.

From cookies, to crackers, to processed TV dinners – many people actually end up eating more calories because they think the gluten-free label gives them a pass.

How Much Are You Eating?

Portion sizes matter.

If you cook a gluten-free pizza and eat the whole thing – you could still be popping 45-60g of carbs into your body.

Some people choose to go gluten-free because their body truly rejects gluten and they have celiac disease which causes the body to not be able to properly absorb nutrients.

But then when they stop eating gluten and start eating gluten-free – they eat more and it’s likely they’ll gain weight now that the body can properly digest the food.

Everyday Health reported:

“Once a person begins following a gluten-free diet, however, the digestive system heals and is able to absorb nutrients normally again. This is when weight gain can occur. “The individual may have been accustomed to eating unusually large quantities of food to compensate for the damaged villi [the small capillaries on the intestinal walls] and must understand that eating such a large quantity of food with healed villi will result in weight gain,” says Margaret Weiss Masiello, clinical coordinator at the Kogan Celiac Center of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System in Livingston, N.J.”

When eating carbs – pay attention to portion sizes.

If you must have carbs, limit your quantity to small portions – like ¼ cup of brown rice.

Stick To Real Food

The key secret to losing weight is to just eat real food.

Leafy greens, colorful vegetables, fruits low in sugar, and good-quality meat products.

If you are eating a salad with fresh grilled chicken on top – you really can eat as much as you want.

And since protein is filling, chances are you aren’t going to binge on too much – because your stomach can only hold so much!

Sure, you should still stick to gluten-free options for things like a hamburger or sandwich “bread” – but these should complement your already healthy eating, not be the staple.

You really can’t go wrong with shopping the perimeter of the store (where all the fresh food is) and avoid the middle aisles altogether as they are full of processed foods.

It is better for the body to give up gluten – but beware that just because something is “gluten-free” – it doesn’t make it healthy!

Do you live a gluten-free lifestyle?

Were you surprised to learn how eating gluten-free the wrong way can actually make you gain weight?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to share this article with your friends and family to let them know possible reasons why they might be gaining weight on a gluten-free diet!