Consumer_Reports_Eat_Healthy_and_Love_it_July_2017 (1)

Eating Plans That Work
out foods that have valuable nutrients,”
he says. Before you decide to ride
the wave of this dietary trend, consider
why it might not be a good idea.
Gluten-Free Isn’t More Nutritious
(and May Be Less So)
A quarter of the people in our
survey thought gluten-free foods had
more vitamins and minerals than
other foods. But a recent Consumer
Reports review of 81 products free
of gluten across 12 categories revealed
that they’re a mixed bag in terms
of nutrition. “If you go completely
gluten-free without the guidance of
a nutritionist, you can develop
deficiencies pretty quickly,” warns
Laura Moore, R.D., a dietitian at the
University of Texas Health Science Center
at Houston. Many gluten-free foods
aren’t enriched or fortified with
nutrients such as folic acid and iron, as
are products that contain wheat flours.
And it may come as a surprise to
learn that ditching gluten often means
adding sugar and fat. “Gluten adds
oomph to foods—wheat, rye, and barley
all have strong textures and flavors,”
says Angela Lemond, a registered
dietitian nutritionist in Dallas and
spokeswoman for the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics. Take it out of
food that usually contains it and you
might find that extra fat, sugar, or
sodium have been used to compensate
for the lack of taste. For example, the
Walmart regular blueberry muffins we
looked at had 340 calories, 17 grams
of fat, and 24 grams of sugars. Glutenfree
blueberry muffins from Whole
Foods had 370 calories, 13 grams of fat,
and 31 grams of sugars. Thomas’ plain
bagels had 270 calories and 2 grams
of fat; Udi’s plain gluten-free bagels had
290 calories and 9 fat grams.
We found similar differences in all
12 food categories. It may not seem
like much, but a few grams here and
there can add up. A gluten-free bagel for
breakfast and two slices of gluten-free
bread at lunch means 10 to 15 additional
grams of fat.
Gluten-Free,
Tastes Great
Our pro tasters gave
these a thumbs-up. Still,
be mindful of nutrition.
FLAX 4 LIFE WILD
BLUEBERRY MUFFIN
Calories 300 (1 muffin)
Fat 14 g | Sodium 420 mg
Fiber 10 g | Sugars 22 g
Moist, dense, and dark brown.
Flavorful and fairly complex,
with oats, apple, cinnamon,
and nutmeg. Denser and less
cakelike than you might expect
of a blueberry muffin; more
like an apple-cinnamon muffin
than a blueberry one.
ABSOLUTELY GLUTEN-FREE
ORIGINAL CRACKERS
Calories 60 (9 crackers)
Fat 2 g | Sodium 50 mg
Fiber 1 g | Sugars 0 g
With nicely browned edges,
this product looks and tastes like
a typical water cracker. Toasted
grain notes and moderate
saltiness are well-balanced in
this crispy and crunchy snack.
LUCY’S GLUTEN-FREE
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Calories 130 (3 cookies)
Fat 5 g | Sodium 170 mg
Fiber 2 g | Sugars 12 g
Toasted oatmeal flavors give
them more of an oatmeal cookie
taste. On the salty side, with
slight-to-moderate sweetness;
very light and crispy texture.
Sodium is a bit high.
Gluten may actually be good for you.
There’s some evidence that the protein
has beneficial effects on triglycerides
and may help blood pressure. The
fructan starches in wheat also support
healthy bacteria in your digestive system,
which in turn may reduce inflammation
and promote health in other ways.
One small study found that healthy
people who followed a gluten-free diet
for a month had significantly lower
levels of healthy bacteria.
You’ll Probably Increase Your
Exposure to Arsenic
About half of the gluten-free products
Consumer Reports purchased
contained rice flour or rice in another
form. In the past we’ve reported on
our tests of more than 60 rices and
packaged foods with rice (such as pasta,
crackers, and infant cereal). We found
measurable levels of arsenic in almost
every product tested. Many of them
contained worrisome levels of inorganic
arsenic, a carcinogen.
A 2009-10 study from the
Environmental Protection Agency
estimates that 17 percent of an average
person’s dietary exposure to inorganic
arsenic comes from rice. That
may be an underestimate, especially
for people on a gluten-free diet.
You Might Gain Weight
More than a third of Americans
think that going gluten-free will help
them slim down, according to our
survey. In fact, the opposite is often
true. In a review of studies on nutrition
and celiac disease published in the
Journal of Medicinal Food, researchers
said that a gluten-free diet “seems to
increase the risk of overweight or
obesity.” The authors attributed that
to the tendency of gluten-free foods to
have more calories, sugars, and fat
than their regular counterparts.
What about those who say they got
rid of their belly when they ditched
the wheat? There’s no evidence that it’s
due to cutting gluten. “If people lose
weight on a gluten-free diet, it might
30 EAT HEALTHY CR.ORG