Eating gluten-free continues to grow in popularity. Many restaurants are offering special gluten-free menus, supermarkets are carving out special gluten-free sections and now the diet is being touted as a great way to lose weight. Is this lifestyle right for everyone, though? Will it help you lose weight?

What is gluten? 

Gluten is the protein composite found in wheat and other grains related to wheat, like rye and barley. People who have Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder in the small intestines, or a gluten intolerance (similar symptoms but test negative for Celiac), cannot have foods which contain it.  

Still, a small group of doctors and professionals argue that no one should eat gluten, regardless of whether or not they have a diagnosed reason to abstain.

For example, Dr. Rodney Ford, author of "The Gluten Syndrome," claims, "Gluten is implicated in triggering many autoimmune diseases. [It] is the cause of much disease and upset."

He specifically mentions its correlation with mental health, saying that "gluten is associated with depression and schizophrenia." He believes that a gluten-free diet can cure eczema, reflux disease, mental and behaviour problems, headaches and migraines.

The bulk of the medical community, however, are not convinced, and maintain that individuals should only follow a gluten-free diet when it is medically necessary they do so, as in the cases of those with a sensitivity or Celiac disease.

What about a gluten-free diet for weight loss? 

"People assume that by cutting out gluten they are going to lose weight," says dietician Tanya Thomas. "It's a myth."

Given that gluten is now associated with a health movement, there are those who believe that all products which do not contain the protein are "health food." Combine that with the fact that many of the banned foods in a gluten-free diet are heavy hitters in the carbohydrate world (i.e. traditional forms of bread, pasta, cookies), and you even have some who are equating gluten-free with low-carb. Such assumptions are inaccurate and can be detrimental to one's nutrition.

"Many packaged gluten-free products are even higher in carbs, sugar, fat and calories than their regular counterparts, and they tend to be lower in fiber, vitamins and iron," says Shelley Case, a registered dietician on the medical advisory board of the Celiac Disease Foundation. "Gluten-free does not automatically mean nutritious."

It is vital to understand that though this particular diet has become a fad, it originated out of necessity for those whom the consumption of gluten rendered ill. If you believe that the elimination of this protein will have a direct effect on your health and wish to give it a go, please consider consulting a doctor or another informed source to ensure that you're dietary needs are still being met. For more reading, see Giving Up Gluten to Lose Weight? Not So Fast by WSJ journalist Melinda Beck.