I keep hearing that gluten-free foods contain more calories than their gluten-containing counterparts. This obviously would be a problem for those of us hoping to lose some weight on the gluten-free diet. But is it really true?
Not consistently, as it turns out.
Over the holidays, I spent several days researching the calorie content in various types of common gluten-free products, including breads, snacks and sweets. In a few cases, the gluten-free product versions do come in higher in calories ... but only slightly higher. In other cases, they're actually lower in calories than the gluten-containing versions.
Here are the details:
From what I can tell, your calories aren't going to differ very much unless you eat a whole lot more of the gluten-free products than you would if you were eating the gluten-filled products.
Although some of us do struggle with weight gain on the diet (usually -- but not always -- this affects those who were underweight when originally diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity), it looks like you can rule out higher calories in gluten-free foods as a potential reason for any extra pounds.
Keep up with the latest in the celiac disease/gluten sensitivity world -- sign up for my newsletter, connect with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter - @AboutCeliac.
Photo © Getty Images/Photodisc
