Health & Training

Gluten-Free Diet – Advice from a Nutritionist with a QUIZ

By Jiri KalocSeptember 18, 2018 at 6:41 am3 min reading

Is gluten-free a fad diet that Instagram celebrities follow or something genuine and worth considering? Giving up gluten is not a trivial thing. Wheat, rye, and barley and foods that naturally contain it are the base ingredients for a lot of popular foods such as pizza, pasta, various breads, pastries, and desserts! Let’s take a closer look at it.

It’s important to say right off the bat that people with celiac disease need to be on this diet. They are unable to digest gluten and continuing to eat it would threaten their life. For people who are gluten sensitive, this diet usually results in better digestion, inflammatory state, and immune function. But in this series, I will evaluate whether it’s worth considering going gluten-free even for someone who doesn’t have clinically recognized issues with gluten consumption.

My Advice: Substitute with wholesome foods

If you do decide to give the gluten-free diet a try, it’s important to know how to do it right. Avoiding gluten is not going to automatically make your diet healthy or weight-loss friendly. If you swap your wheat muffin for a corn muffin, you’re still eating junk. It all depends on what you replace gluten foods with. If you choose wholesome naturally gluten-free foods like potatoes, rice, quinoa, buckwheat, or various legumes you will do great. If you keep eating the same types of foods just without gluten, not much is going to improve about your health or weight.

Check out our gluten-free diet quiz to see if you’re ready to give this diet a try or if you still have more to learn.

1/5

Is couscous gluten free?

No, couscous is made from wheat which is a natural source of gluten.
Yes, couscous is a naturally gluten-free ingredient popular in the North African cuisine.
Yes, couscous is a type of rice and all rice varieties are naturally gluten-free.

2/5

Which one contains more fibre, a cup of rice flour or a cup of wheat flour?

Rice flour contains a lot more fibre than wheat flour.
They both contain about the same amount of fibre.
Wheat flour contains a lot more fibre than rice flour.

3/5

Can you drink beer on a gluten-free diet?

Of course, what kind of diet prohibits beer?
Yes, gluten is only present in solid foods.
Sadly, no, there’s gluten in beer.

4/5

Are tortilla chips a good food for the gluten-free diet?

No, tortilla chips are made with corn which is a source of gluten.
No, even though corn is naturally gluten-free, it’s a junk food that promotes overeating.
Yes, corn is naturally gluten-free so you can eat as many tortilla chips as you want on this diet.