Gluten-free. It's a buzz word in the food industry and people are eating up this gimmick like it's here for a limited time only. The gut-wrenching truth is that a gluten-free lifestyle is just a marketing ploy to make you think you're living a healthier life.
Here's the cold hard truth: Going gluten-free doesn't make you healthy.
Nowadays, gluten sounds like a dirty taboo word. Some know what gluten is while others don't have a blessed clue. Gluten actually gets its name from proteins found in wheat. Some examples of foods that include gluten are bread, pasta, beer, and granola. These types of foods tend to make you feel sluggish and tired once consumed. It's understandable why some people would want to cut gluten out of their diets so they don't feel that way anymore.
I even have my fair share of friends who live a gluten-free lifestyle. Some have a gluten allergy while others have cut out gluten to enhance their well-being. Sure, you may feel more rejuvenated from cutting out gluten, but that still doesn't constitute as a healthy lifestyle.
Think I'm wrong? I decided to take a trip to my local grocery store and embody my inner Nancy Drew. Yeah, you guessed it, I went on an investigation. I wanted to find out if going gluten-free is truly beneficial for the average human. Let's just say I found some shocking revelations.
Chew this over:
As I strolled down the gluten-free aisle, which is essentially an aisle designated for wheat substitutes, I spotted multiple gluten-free products. However, my eyes narrowed in on the gluten-free pretzels.
This sparked my curiosity on how much healthier are the gluten-free pretzels in comparison to regular pretzels. I decided to compare Glutino's pretzel sticks to Snyder's pretzel sticks. Keep in mind, Synder's was a 16-ounce bag and Glutino's was a 14-ounce bag.
The results were definitely eye-opening. Turns out, Glutino's gluten-free pretzels had more fat and carbohydrates than Synder's pretzels. Don't believe me? Go ahead and check those nutritional facts yourself.
The real scam here is if you go gluten-free to become healthier, you are just burning a hole in your pocket. Normally, gluten-free products are priced higher than gluten products. Not only are you wasting money, but you're also not getting any healthier.Next time you go to your local grocery store, do your own product comparisons to see what ultimately is the healthier choice. You be the judge.
For those who have to be gluten-free, there is more you can do to live a healthier life than just be gluten-free. It's all about balance and moderation.
The key to being healthy is finding a balance.
To lead a healthy life, you should have a balance of exercise and a healthy diet. Don't solely depend on eating healthy to make those unwanted pounds melt away. You need to exercise as well. You also shouldn't be eating junk food and exercising religiously to try and shed those pounds.
That doesn't equate to a healthy lifestyle.
The bottom line is that you can't just go gluten-free expecting to miraculously become this health guru. It doesn't work like that. If you don't need to go gluten-free, then don't. Find your balance of eating and exercising. You can enjoy eating gluten but just do it in moderation.