BURLINGTON, Vt. -
By now, I'm sure you have heard of the term "gluten-free". It's often listed on food items but do you know what gluten is? Some people say it's a great diet to lose weight while others have a serious gluten allergy. So Fox 44's Brittney Hibbs went on a quest to find out, if it is in fact a way to lose weight and feel better.
Gluten- free, you see it everywhere; in the grocery store, in restaurants, even a-list celebrities say it's the weight loss wonder. So, what is gluten?
"It's the protein that are in wheat, rye and barley," said Mary Ann Ludlow is a clinical dietician at Fletcher Allen Healthcare. She knows people living with Celiac disease or, who are gluten sensitive need to follow a strict gluten free diet.
"Their bodies will respond to gluten by attacking the wall of their small intestine," said Ludlow.
Which can also lead to, "Bloating, diarrhea, various intestinal discomforts and down the road people can develop rare intestinal cancers," said Ludlow.
One of those people, Elena Henley of Burlington, "When I accidentally have some, I can see my fingers get swelled up a little bit, I just feel kind of lethargic."
She doesn't have Celiac disease, but found out 10 years ago she is gluten intolerant. And if she doesn't follow the diet, she pays for it later.
"Gurlying stomach, I might have reflux sort of thing," said Henley.
Only one percent of people are diagnosed with the autoimmune digestive disorder and even less than that have a wheat allergy. So why all the hype, if so few people are diagnosed?
"There's something called non celiac gluten sensitivity, that's kind of a new term," said Ludlow.
A self diagnosed term for people who've never been tested.
"Maybe they think to themselves, I'm going to stop eating foods with gluten and see what happens and then they get better," said Ludlow.
That's forced manufacturers to start creating new gluten free products.
"It's buyer driven, the more that people buy that stuff the more manufacturers think oh well I better make more gluten free.
Celebrities' like Miley Cyrus, Victoria Beckham and Gwyenth Paltrow tout it as a great weight loss diet. But does it work?
"No haha, that's a clear one," said Ludlow, "there's nothing about a gluten free diet that is lower in calories or lower in saturated fat."
In fact, Ludlow says you can actually gain weight, "Any grain can be turned into white flour. Most of the stuff that is made and purchased is processed, processed snacks.
It's all about the choices you make, your diet could get worse depending on which gluten free foods you eat. So try to stick with fruits, veggies and lean meats. Plus it's the processed foods that can hurt your budget.
When it comes to dining out its important to build a relationship with a restaurant to know how they prepare their food. Which is why Elena says she comes to American Flatbread Pizza."I can get gluten free beer," said Henley.
"It's a really good flavor comparison," said Alex Dees, who works at American Flatbread and knows his dough. On a given night, he can throw between 20-60 gluten-free pizzas in the fire fueled oven.
"It's not the same as pizza crust you don't get that snap that you can only get from gluten, but other than that it's pretty good. I mean you can try some if you want."
Sure thing Alex, I'll take you up on that.
"It tastes just like pizza, it's good."
And Henley says whether people are eating this way for their health or just to be trendy, it doesn't matter. It gives her and others dealing with a gluten intolerance a much bigger variety of food choices.
"To go and get those things and just sit down with a burger and a beer is just fantastic and it never gets old," said Henley.
Check out this website for a list of gluten- free restaurants, head to this website.
http://www.gluten.net/find-a-restaurant.aspx
