Gluten free food not so healthy?
Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire recently carried out a study into the nutritional value of gluten-free foods over regular foods, and the results may disappoint some who have been opting for the diet as a lifestyle choice rather than a medical one.
Print19 January 2018
The popularity of gluten free products has exploded in Ireland and around the world in recent years, as a dietary necessity for those with coeliac disease, but also as an alternative for those seeking a healthier diet and lifestyle.
As always, however, someone is always out there ready to say “actually…”, and this time it’s researchers at the University of Hertfordshire, whose work has revealed that gluten free products tend to have a higher fat, salt and sugar content than the products they aim to replace.
By comparing cost and content per 100g of similar products, the research found that gluten free foods contained higher fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt than regular foods, although this was not universally constant.
The nutritional composition of gluten free foods, the survey concluded, means that it offers little in the way of healthier alternative to regular foods, except when required as part of a medical requirement.
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