Gluten Intolerance and Overweight

by Dr. Vikki Petersen

Gluten intolerance used to be synonymous with celiac disease and celiac disease was synonymous with being underweight. Times have changed and being ‘locked in’ to the notion that unless someone is very underweight their chance of being gluten intolerant is next to nil, is obsolete.

Unfortunately patients continue to be turned away from receiving testing from ill informed doctors who simply observe their patients physique, and from that, decide that gluten intolerance isn’t a likely diagnosis.

While I truly am tired of hearing such stories of patients’ doctors refusing to test them because they don’t have diarrhea, or they’re not underweight, I wanted to address an association that isn’t typically looked at, gluten intolerance and overweight.

Those with celiac disease of the classic type, tend to be underweight because they have been suffering with a small intestine that has been incapable of absorbing much in the way of nutrition. We now know that the ‘classic’ celiac disease is not the most common and therefore we see celiac and gluten sensitive patients who have weight to lose.

The human body is very intelligent. If it perceives that it’s under physiological stress, it will tend towards ‘holding on’ to everything it can. Much in the way squirrels store nuts for the cold winter, the human body will burn very few calories when under stress. While it’s ‘smart’ for the body to conserve, it also results in weight gain.

Identifying the major stressor for the gluten intolerant patient, gluten, goes a long way towards resolving that stress, and often patients begin to see weight loss occur as a result of initiating a gluten-free diet.

For others the secondary effects of gluten intolerance must be addressed as well. These are such things as:

  1. Hidden infections in the intestine
  2. Cross reactive foods
  3. Hormonal imbalance
  4. Enzyme deficiency
  5. Probiotic imbalance
  6. Toxins such as heavy metals

Lifestyle factors can also contribute to overweight in the gluten intolerant patient. Removing gluten from the diet is not an easy task, no argument there.  But ‘being gluten-free’ is not the only factor when adopting a healthy diet. A daily checklist marking a good day of high nutrition food consumption would include:

  1. 8-10 glasses of purified water, depending on your weight (1/2 your weight in ounces of water is the formula)
  2. 7 – 9 servings (or more) of fruits and vegetables, depending on your sex – men need 9
  3. Whole non-gluten grains if they suit you – some people suffer cross reactive problems
  4. Beans and legumes
  5. A small amount of good oils such as olive, coconut oil and fresh nuts
  6. A small amount of hormone-free animal protein, unless you’re vegetarian/vegan
  7. No dairy products
  8. Little to no sugar and no high fructose corn sweeteners
  9. Little to no processed, pre-prepared foods
  10. Little to no caffeine
  11. No fast food
  12. No artificial sweeteners – they actually cause you to gain weight and are toxic
  13. No soda

Does that sound like a lot of ‘don’ts’? I’m sorry but I wanted to be thorough. You can concentrate more on the ‘dos’ to stay on the positive side of the equation, but at least look over the things you should avoid so you are aware of what they are.

Some patients think they are eating a healthy diet but ‘live on’ artificial sweeteners and caffeine, as an example, because they don’t consider it a problem.

I am glad that there are so many gluten-free options available to us in our grocery stores. But the truth of the matter is that unless it’s naturally gluten-free, such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc., then it often falls into the category of a highly refined, pre-prepared food that you should only consume rarely.  The gluten-free breads, cakes, cookies and the like are great for birthdays and holidays, but they should definitely not be part of your daily diet.

Please don’t let this advice overwhelm you. Take it in baby steps and make some small changes. See how you feel and let me know of any questions you have. I’m here to help!

 

To your good health,

Dr Vikki Petersen, DC, CCN
Founder of HealthNOW Medical Center
Co-author of “The Gluten Effect”
Author of the eBook “Gluten Intolerance – What you don’t know may be killing you!”

One Reply to “Gluten Intolerance and Overweight”

  1. Three years ago I became gluten free. I imediately lost 65 pounds within a three to four month period. To psychologically make up for my loss of gluten, I started eating other sources of carbohydrates and gained back some of the weight. I have now started on a low carb diet and I’ve lost most of it back, and I plan to continue on remaining gluten free and watching my carbohydrate intake.

    It used to be that I couldn’t lose weight, now I can because I no longer eat gluten.

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