Gutsy gluten

May 24, 2011

As the low-carb diet strides proudly forward as the champion of health, the more the you hear how dangerous and terrible it is. Yes, it seems as if the anti-low carb kooks are out there in full force.

There’s just no stopping these nay-sayers. Though not as bad as the PETA people (who once suggested that a huge fence be erected in the Serengeti to cordon off the predators from the prey under the thinking that lions, cheetahs, leopards and other meat-eating meanies would learn to eat grass instead of zebra) they are right up there with them.

As you can see above, some people have gone so far off the anti-low carb deep end that they have created anti-low carb beverage mugs that have more lies on it than an whore-house. Not a single one of those claims are true. In fact, the mug should say “Warning! Low fat diets are known to…” It would be far more accurate that way.

These same folks also confidently state that a gluten free diet (gluten is only found in carby foods) is dangerous! Yes, be wary you silly low carbers. If you shun all gluten you are asking for it.

One claim is folate deficiency. Folate is an essential nutrient that bagel-addicted, cupcake consuming pro-gluteners claim you’ll become deficient in unless you eat the fortified glop. But will you really? Take a look at this table.

In an AP article, Dee Sandquist, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association stated that one of the dangers of going gluten free was the potential for overeating.

“There are just as many calories, if not more, depending on the food choices,” Sandquist said. “It’s all about the food choices.” Wow. I had no idea there were more calories in a cup of broccoli than in a cup of oatmeal. Why not argue the other side? Talk about grasping at straws.

Finally, and this might be the biggie, by cutting out gluten it is suggested you then cut out an entire food group as well severely limiting your fiber intake. Well, starch is not a food group and neither is gluten. If they mean carbohydrates, they are wrong again. Vegetables and fruit are carbohydrates and the best source of fiber. Don’t you just love it when you hear the vegans and the low fat crowd shout out that since a low carb diet removes and entire food group, it is overly restrictive?

Gluten is a highly irritative substance to the gut of all people some more, some less. Don’t be fooled by the experts who claim that gluten is only bad for a small percentage of people. What they mean to say is that only a small percentage of people have blatant outward negative reactions. Most people who smoke don’t show outward signs of emphysema, cancer or bronchitis. This of course does not mean that only a small percentage of people are negatively affected by cigarette smoking. Every smoker is damaged by cigarette smoking.

And this Forbes writer should be hung up by her Jimmy Choos. You can read my comment to her in the comments section. It’s the last one I posted. for some reason every time I tried to post a comment the Forbes site said it was down but to my surprise it posted them anyway. Oops!

So ditch the gluten in your life and feel better!

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