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8 Ways Gluten is Making You Fat, Sick, and Tired
Although there are no hard numbers, it’s estimated that perhaps as much as 40 percent of Americans suffer from gluten intolerance. This means that, for those people, eating foods that contain grain products, such as wheat, rye, or barley, can lead to numerous health issues. These problems run the gamut from bloating and fatigue, to gastrointestinal problems, to overwhelming fatigue. Still for others, who suffer from celiac disease (a serious autoimmune disorder) the consumption of gluten can cause severe health reactions. Read more about signs of gluten intolerance.
Eliminating gluten from your diet can also help you to burn fat. It’s true. Someone has said “Lose the wheat and lose the weight” and there is a lot of evidence to prove that this is true. Many people find that when they remove gluten from their diet, even if it wasn’t making them feel sick, they lost as much as 7 pounds in one week.
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There is also mounting evidence that eating gluten is bad for everyone, even if they don’t suffer from sensitivity to gluten. This article is here to highlight the 8 ways that gluten is causing you to feel sick, tired, and even keeps you fat no matter how much you diet or exercise.
1. Gluten causes leaky gut
The protein within gluten, zonulin, does serious damage to the junctions inside your gut. The wall of your gastrointestinal tract is not designed to have things slip through the wall but gluten does exactly that, which your body will then try to defend itself with an immune response. Reactions (which can be delayed for hours) include bloating and fatigue.
2. Hinders thyroid performance
Gluten is similar to your thyroid, so when your immune system marks gluten for removal, it also triggers antibodies to work against your thyroid. This can increase your chances for autoimmune diseases when you consume great quantities of gluten. Many people are unable to lose weight due to diseases of the thyroid. Find out toxins that are harming your thyroid.
3. Causes damage to your intestines
An expert on gluten intolerance and celiac disease, Dr. Alessio Fasano, states that zonulin, the protein in gluten, causes spaces to open between the cells in our intestines, allowing larger molecules of protein to enter our blood and this will trigger an immune response.
4. Prevents the absorption of nutrients
Gluten has a compound called phytic acid that the body simply cannot digest. It’s often called an anti-nutrient, since it actually binds itself to other minerals in the body, essential minerals such as iron, calcium, and magnesium. This will make those nutrients unavailable to the body. Gluten contains very few nutrients in and of itself, then couple it with the fact that it removes other nutrients from being used by the body, makes gluten a terrible choice for those who are already currently suffering from nutrient deficiencies.
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5. Causes insulin resistance
Almost all foods that contain gluten have high glycemic loads. The truth is the glycemic index shows that wheat bread has a higher glycemic load than a typical candy bar! Therefore, eating gluten can cause an overload of the peptide hormone insulin within our cell, which could lead to an insulin resistance. This means that your body will no longer be able to use insulin effectively. This type of insulin resistance within our cells is often a predecessor of type 2 diabetes and can make losing weight extremely difficult, even for those who exercise regularly.
6. Causes leptin resistance
BMC Endocrine Disorders published a study in December of 2005 that showed that diets that were high in cereal (which are high in gluten) contributed towards a leptin resistance in pigs. Leptin is a hormone which gives us that full feeling when we’ve eaten 3 plates full at the local Chinese buffet and regulates our hunger signals. When the leptin levels within the body are interrupted, the brain stops listening to the hormones signals to stop eating because we are full, and many gain weight from overeating.
7. Causes inflammation
Eating gluten triggers inflammation in any tissue within the body because this is the way your body fights what it sees as a foreign threat. Zonulin causes damage to your intestines, which also creates inflammation. Listen, chronic inflammation is not your friend! Inflammation is a contributing factor to almost every single disease you can imagine, and this includes cancer and diabetes. Inflammation causes other problems such as increasing levels of your stress hormone, cortisol, an increase in fluid retention, digestive problems, and feeling like a banana slug so you’re much more likely going to want to lie on the couch and watch soccer, rather than get out and play it.
8. Causes cravings
Have you ever found yourself feeling ( and maybe even acting) like Pavlov’s dogs, salivating at the thought of a hot buttered biscuit, bagel with cream cheese, or those Ritz crackers with anything on them? The strange thing here is that the food you crave the most are the ones your body is most sensitive to. Dr. Daniel Kalish says that your body will react to foods it has intolerances to by giving you those addictive type of cravings. Just like drugs, you get that feeling of intense euphoria when you eat these things that you are craving.
Still not sure, or not convinced, that you might have an intolerance, or that you are having adverse reactions, to gluten? Simply try going without for 14 days. There is no drawback to going gluten free. Foods with gluten are always poor sources of nutrition anyway, and the negative effects they have on blood sugar levels in the body are as undeniable as a politicians lies. Dump gluten for just 14 days and try healthier options such as eggs, organic fruits and veggies, seeds, and nuts. What do you have to lose but a few pounds?
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