In the food industry, especially when dealing with nutrition and health, everything just jumps from one fad to another. This is always the way it's been. For a long time, fat was the problem, then going low-carb was the way of the masses, and now-a-days "raw" or "paleo" diets are hailed for their "benefits." Lately, gluten has become targeted as an enemy in our food.
A lot of people are confused about what gluten is or isn't, but simply put: unless you have Celiac's disease (an allergy to gluten) or an actual gluten sensitivity of some other type, you do not need to go out of your way to avoid gluten.
So first, what is gluten? Well, gluten is a mixture of two proteins that are present in grains, especially wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is what gives bread products their chewy texture and makes dough elastic. Gluten is naturally occurring, but in our modern society, we have moved away from the old-time method of bread production, wherein these gluten bonds were thoroughly broken down throughout the slow process of fermentation that occurred as bread was made. This leaves the majority of bread products full of Gluten peptide bonds, which are notoriously hard for individuals to digest.
Some people who have decided to avoid gluten swear up and down that doing so has caused them to lose weight; and yeah, I believe them. Cutting gluten out of your diet requires you to primarily cut out simple carbs. Bread, pasta, beer, and almost any pastry or dessert you can think of made with flour (cakes, cookies, muffins). So basically, things that are typically high calorie and low in nutrients. Majority of these foods are starchy and sugary, which are notorious for promoting sluggishness, partially because our bodies can digest them really quickly, giving you a short and rapid boost of energy followed by a sudden drop in energy.
Pretty much anybody would lose weight by cutting these things out, and it has little to do with the gluten that they contain.
The thing is bandwagon dieters rarely realize how vast the spectrum of gluten is. This is where people actually affected by gluten and these gluten-free dieters can be easily differentiated. Individuals such as those suffering from Celiac's disease are also required to avoid the broth in soups, fried foods, certain sauces, some lunch meats, some vitamins, and the list goes on and on. Their food generally has to be prepared in kitchens that are dedicated gluten free, meaning that there is no chance of cross-contamination, whether its when they go out to eat or when they purchase prepackaged foods.
For these people, gluten is a very serious issue. When they eat something containing or cross-contaminated with gluten, it can affect nearly every system in their body. Their digestive system will react, skin problems such as keratosis pilaris ("chicken skin") can occur, joint pain is common, and so on and so forth.
I write all this for a few reasons. First to say: stop making gluten the villain. Food of all types is good for your body, even the "bad" kinds, so long as you practice the art of moderation. That said, taking a step back and evaluating our diets, deciding to cut out foods that are low-nutrient and instead add in vegetables and fruits is a great idea! However, this change should not be made under the false pretense that it is because gluten needs to be cut out. Even so, this new dieting fad has generated a push for new "gluten-free" prepackaged foods to be put on the shelves in grocery store, giving those who are truly affected by gluten on a day-to-day basis tons of new options, which I think is great!
If you are a dieter who has decided to go gluten free, more power to you. If that's what makes you feel happiest and healthiest, then by all means, continue doing what you're doing! But, do so with a level of education about what gluten really is, and why removing it has not actually helped your diet, but removing the foods that inherently contain gluten has.
