Deciding to call yourself gluten-free is a big commitment. Find out if its right for you by learning exactly what gluten is, what foods it can be found in, a few pros and cons, and a couple of alternatives to a gluten-free diet. To read the full article visit http://www.accent.chubb.com/pros-cons-gluten-free-diet. For more articles on healthy living check out http://www.accent.chubb.com/health.

1. Considering Going Gluten-Free?
Weigh the pros and cons before committing to the diet.
Whole-wheat pastas. Couscous. Veggie burgers. These seemingly healthy choices
all have one thing in common that may actually make them “no-no’s” for your
meal plan: gluten.
The gluten-free diet is the latest health craze. Celebs like Chelsea Clinton and
Zooey Deschanel are rumored to be gluten-free. Popular books like Wheat Belly
and Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s The G-Free Diet advocate cutting out gluten as a
means of boosting health and losing weight. But before you hop on the g-free
bandwagon, you should learn more about gluten and the benefits and drawbacks
of eliminating it from your diet.
What exactly is gluten? And why is it a problem? Gluten is a protein found in
wheat and grains that gives a chewy texture to foods like bagels and pizza dough.
It’s also sometimes used as an additive in processed items like salad dressing and
ketchup.
Most people have no problem digesting gluten, but people with an autoimmune
condition known as celiac disease experience painful and dangerous symptoms,
like bloating, vomiting and exhaustion when they eat it. If you have celiac disease
or even a high sensitivity to gluten, then you have no choice about whether or not
to quit wheat: A strict gluten-free diet is the common treatment. But if you’re just

2. considering going gluten-free to improve your physical well-being or dropping
some pounds, then you’ve got to weigh the pros and cons.
The biggest drawback may be missing out on some of your favorite foods.
Cookies, pastries and cake? Out. Sandwiches, wraps and tacos? Gone. Even things
you wouldn’t expect, like some dairy, candy and beer—nope, nope, nope. The
flipside of depriving yourself of these items is that most of them are high in
carbohydrates and calories, so you may drop some pounds.
Gluten-free alternatives exist for all these foods, from rice-flour wraps to potato-
based pastas to almond-meal cookies. But be warned: These specialty groceries
can cost significantly more, and they still may pack a lot of calories.
A more affordable—and perhaps healthier—approach may be swapping the
pizzas and pastas for meals based on naturally gluten-free foods like vegetables,
beans, eggs, meats and fish. Plus there are some grains that are safe, like quinoa,
rice and oats. One final word of caution before you kiss gluten goodbye: Consider
taking a multivitamin and fiber supplement to make sure you’re not missing out
on the nutritious benefits of grains.