Gluten-Free Diet Won't Help You Lose Weight

Thinking of going gluten-free to lose weight (just like Gwyneth Paltrow told you)? Think again. Gluten-free foods help the rising numbers of people with celiac disease, wheat allergies, or gluten sensitivities, but those who are just looking to slim down are misguided. “Many packaged gluten-free products are even higher in carbs, sugar, fat, and calories than their regular counterparts,” one dietitian tells the Wall Street Journal. “Gluten-free does not mean nutritious.”

For example, just because a g-free brownie mix doesn’t contain gluten, that doesn’t mean it is also miraculously free of the normal fat and calories of any regular brownie mix. And gluten-free pasta actually has more carbs than regular pasta. In addition, foods without gluten “tend to be lower in fiber, vitamins, and iron,” meaning your Gwyneth-approved weight-loss plan could instead result in nutritional deficiencies.
(More gluten stories.)