Remember when gluten-free was all the craze and appeared out of nowhere on every single food product?

Many foods that naturally did not contain gluten all of a sudden had an impossible to miss gluten-free label showcased on the front.

Whether or not someone has a gluten-sensitivity, suffers from Celiac Disease, or read that terrifying book Grain Brain like we did, they may have unintentionally increased overall calorie consumption when going gluten-free.

We have recently worked with a few clients experiencing this phenomenon and wanted to share why based on how their eating habits changed over time: 

About 10 years ago, cutting out gluten often meant cutting out almost all carbohydrates because Americans were (and still are) consuming mostly grain-based highly processed carbs.

Bread, beer, pasta, and even most naturally gluten-free grains like rice and oats were cut out due to cross-contamination of gluten-containing grains made in the same facility.

At first, many people reported losing weight when cutting out gluten because they were left to eat naturally gluten-free carbs found mainly in starchy vegetables, like winter squashes, potatoes, etc.

But once the food industry picked up on the gluten craze, the number of heavily processed food items marketed as gluten-free increased as well. 

All kinds of new gluten-free foods that aimed to mimic their gluten counterparts came into the scene, like gluten-free bread, tortillas, chips, pasta, etc.

And what was perhaps never considered or examined was this: 

When you cut out naturally low-fat gluten-containing carbohydrates like bread and pasta and replace them with highly processed gluten-free versions, you're often getting a hefty dose of fat instead 🤯 

In other words, in attempt to mimic low-fat whole food carbohydrates, most processed gluten-free food products are made from high fat food sources like nuts and seeds.

And if you understand nutrition science, you know that fat is 9 calories per gram. That's over two times the calorie density of carbohydrates, which is only 4 calories per gram like protein.

For comparison's sake:

• 30 grams of carbs coming from 3/4 cup of of pasta = 30 x 4 calories per gram = 120 calories 
• 30 grams of fat coming from 3/4 cup of gluten-free pasta made of coconut flour and almond flour = 30 x 9 calories per gram = 270 calories

See how quickly that can add up?

Furthermore, the gluten-free processed foods are usually the same serving size in volume as the gluten containing counterpart, and yet, you get over two times the calories. 

In other words, even though the calories are higher, the gluten-free food doesn't take up any more space in your stomach so you likely won't feel anymore satiated.

And lastly, dietary fats are already in their fat-storing friendly state. Therefore, when one is in a caloric surplus (i.e. consuming more calories than burned), dietary fats are the macronutrient that stores as body fat the easiest.

Of course, it's possible to go gluten-free and simply consume starchy vegetables that contain no gluten which have a much closer macronutrient and calorie composition like gluten-containing carbohydrates.

But this requires an understanding of nutrition science, and most fads and trends rarely explain to eager customers.

This is why we see over and over again so many clients coming to us having gained weight after going gluten-free. 

We see this as well when people go vegan and gain weight because they've replaced animal protein with plant protein without understanding that all plant protein also contains carbohydrates and/or fat, which can quickly increase overall calorie intake unintentionally if not monitored. 

As you can see, this is why we're so passionate about teaching nutrition science education.

No matter what your style of eating, whether rooted in autoimmune reactions or just food preference, there is still a way you can balance your intake through understanding macronutrients. 

If you want to learn more, make sure you've taken our free nutrition master class.

Stay tuned for NEW nutrition workshops this year, starting with balancing your blood sugar 🎉. In the meantime, check out our newest workshops happening this February!

And as always, thank you for being a part of our community. Click reply and let us know how your new year is going so far 💚

Shannon Morse & Lisa Kirby | Creators of Awaken Your Nutrition @thegreendoor.life  |  thegreendoorlife.com

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