As most of you know, I’m not a fan of eliminating gluten from the diet when there is no medical indication for doing so. Of course, if you have an intolerance to wheat or gluten, or are diagnosed with celiac disease, it’s a necessity to eliminate gluten from the diet. However, many people think it’s a “healthier” lifestyle to eliminate gluten from their diets, which is often replaced with poor nutrient, highly processed choices.

Studies show that gluten-free dieting is still hanging in there. The number of Americans following a gluten-free diet tripled in five years, yet those diagnosed with celiac disease hasn’t changed, research shows. The study, which included more than 22,000 participants, led researchers to estimate that about 1.76 million people have celiac in the US, and about 2.7 follow a gluten-free diet even though they don’t have celiac, indicating the diet may be a fad.

If you do have to follow a gluten-free diet, make sure to include plenty of gluten-free whole grains, such as quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice, amaranth, millet, and sorghum.

(JAMA Internal Medicine, September 2016)

Read the full article here:

http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2547202

Image: assortment of breads in Vienna, Austria, Sharon Palmer, RDN