In the 80’s dietary fat was the devil, and in the opinion of many experts at the time, was the primary reason for gaining fat.
Fast forward to now, and its carbs, in particular carbs that contain GLUTEN that is the agent of blame for the destruction of our body composition!
Time to BUST another NUTRITION MYTH
Myth 4: “I can’t eat that, I’m Gluten sensitive!”
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects our small intestine, and is a serious medical condition that effects a small 0.3-1.2% of the population.
On top of this, we have a prevalence of ‘gluten sensitivity’ in which individuals report on digestive issues when consuming gluten. In this group, we have around 0.58% of our population.
So in all, we have less than 2% of the population potentially effected by this disease. But despite this less than impressive number, gluten-free products seem to be popping up everywhere!
In a recent study an Australian researcher put four groups of individuals on no-gluten, high-gluten and low-gluten diets over a 9-day period WITHOUT letting participants know which diet they were actually on. He then measured and recorded the individual’s response to the foods. Interestingly, ALL diets showed reports of gas, nausea, bloating and pain regardless of whether gluten was present or not! The researchers noted that “We could find absolutely no specific response to gluten”.
So what does all this mean? In many cases, much of this digestive distress in all in our heads. For those without a Celiac disease or a true, medically diagnosed gluten sensitivity, eating a moderate, healthy amount of gluten containing foods (like whole grains) should not be a problem, and could definitely be included in your diet. For most of us, a healthy amount of whole grains can actually lead to improved body composition, health and fitness!
But despite this, and due to the fact that stacks of people believe they have some form of gluten sensitivity, gluten free products keep find their way onto our shelves. Sales of these products just keep on rising! Its been predicted that in 2016, gluten free products will produce more than $15 billion in sales! No better way to make a mint than playing on peoples in-securities right?
Our 12 Week Shift addresses nutrition myths like this and many more! For more information on how we can individualise your fat loss approach, visit https://performance-pt.com.au/services/12-week-shift/ and contact us for more information on our program, starting Monday 12th September 2016!