Gluten Free: is it for me?

Both health seekers and professional athletes have switched to a gluten-free diet and seen their well-being and performance improve dramatically. How does gluten-free affect your body? We take a closer look at the gluten-free option, so you can determine if it’s right for you.

By Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram

What does it mean to be gluten free? More important, if you are an athlete, what is your source of fuel? What is powering you to perform at your best, with maximum mental clarity? Many
individuals and athletes are beginning to note important correlations between food, health and performance.

A gluten-free diet excludes foods containing gluten, a protein commonly found in wheat, barley and rye, as well as beer, ales and malted drinks. Generally, a gluten-free diet excludes all flour-based foods like bread, pastries and pasta (though eliminating gluten entirely requires avoiding a great deal more, including the majority of processed foods).

Both individuals seeking relief from mysterious symptoms and athletes seeking optimal physical performance can benefit from removing gluten from their diets. Let’s look at both.

Gluten-Free for Health

While gluten itself is not a toxic substance, tens of millions of Americans have allergies to it that manifest in countless symptoms, including digestive issues, fatigue, headaches, nausea, acne, rashes, itching and constipation. About 1 percent of the U.S. population suffers from the most severe form of gluten intolerance, a serious autoimmune condition called celiac disease. These adverse reactions masquerade as dozens of other diseases with different names, all of which disappear immediately after removing gluten from the diet.

If you have unexplained health challenges, educate yourself about gluten sensitivity. Temporarily eliminating and then reintroducing gluten-containing foods into your diet takes a bit of work, but the results can be life-changing.

You will experience no negative repercussions by eliminating gluten from your diet. Other than giving up favorite childhood foods, you have nothing to lose and a great deal to gain. Gluten-containing grains have no essential nutrients for human health or optimal athletic performance that cannot be found in other, more nourishing foods.

If you wish to adopt to a gluten-free diet, it becomes important to distinguish between simple and complex carbohydrates. Grains, potatoes, beans and other complex-carb foods contain long chains of sugar molecules, which create an energy-intensive and relatively slow digestion process. In contrast, the simple carbs found in whole fruits and non-starchy vegetables are more easily broken down by your body, providing fuel ready for immediate use. The benefits of incorporating a diet richer in fruits and vegetables are endless, especially those that are in their raw and natural state.

One of the greatest benefits of eliminating gluten from the diet is weight loss. Gluten-containing grains have addictive “opioid sequences,” which cause many people to continue eating complex carbs long after they are full. After people replace gluten foods with sufficient calories from fruits and vegetables, excess body weight tends to fall off very quickly. This benefits overall health as well as athletic performance!

Gluten-Free for Athletic Performance

Gluten-Free for Athletic Performance People without gluten allergies can still derive great benefit from eliminating it. The question for healthy, trim athletes is: Will eating a gluten-free diet give me the energy and nutrition I need to become a successful athlete?

You have probably heard at one point or another to load up on carbs the day before an event – which usually means to eat a big bowl of pasta. You were most likely told that your body would store these complex carbohydrates for future use. This is not always the case. Astute athletes know that excess carbs not used by the system convert to fat, which can hinder health and performance on many levels. Even if fully utilized, however, complex carb foods do not yield the performance results of fresh fruit.

A gluten-free diet rich in fruits and vegetables boosts athletic performance, in part because lighter foods result in better and faster recovery after intense workouts. Fresh fruits and vegetables are unprocessed and higher in fiber, thus far more nutritious than refined carbs like pasta and bread. And your body will digest them more easily. Benefits of better digestion include elimination of toxins that may be stored in your body, as well as greater mental clarity and better sleep.

Some people worry that eliminating gluten will create a boring diet; however, doing so actually opens up the possibility of eating a wider variety of foods – and the opportunity to eat with the seasons! If you wish to eliminate gluten from your diet, there are no real “cons” but many “pros.” If anything, you will not be losing, but you will be gaining health, happiness and vitality!