

The Top 4 Gluten-Free Ingredients That Sabotage Weight Loss

gluten free foods and weight gain
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Gluten-free doesn't always equal healthy. In fact, there are some gluten-free ingredients you should absolutely always avoid.

My top four to steer clear of include gluten-free foods made with cornstarch, rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato flour. These are the four ingredients most commonly used in gluten-free processed foods. They are awful for health and will completely shut down any hope of weight loss, often resulting in outright, sometimes outrageous, weight gain and inflammation.

Managing carbohydrates to improve control over metabolism and health means 100 percent avoidance of these terrible products marketed to an unsuspecting public thinking it's eating healthy by avoiding gluten.

MORE: The Amazing Brain Benefits of Going Grain Free

Nothing raises blood sugar higher than the gluten-free junk carbohydrates in, say, gluten-free multigrain bread or gluten-free pasta—higher than even table sugar. Blood sugar that results from eating two slices of whole grain gluten-free bread made with potato flour, rice flour, and millet can easily top 180 mg/dL (in those without diabetes) over the first hour after consumption, regardless of the mayonnaise, meat, cheese, or other foods in the sandwich.

(Preorder Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox today and get an exclusive FREE preview of the new Wheat Belly online course from Dr. Davis and Rodale Wellness!)

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There are indeed some food producers that have developed gluten-free and grain-free products that don't use junk carb ingredients and don't raise blood sugar and so are safe, but they remain in the minority. (Better ingredients include coconut flour, almond meal and flour, and chia seed and flour, among others.)

Some of these healthier meals/flours cannot be purchased pre-ground and will need to be ground in a food chopper, coffee grinder, or food processor. This process usually only takes 30 to 60 seconds. Grind the whole food just until the desired texture is obtained—and no more, or you'll end up with nut or seed butters.

The article "4 Gluten-Free Ingredients That Sabotage Weight Loss" originally ran on

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