If you're eating gluten free due to celiac disease or another health condition, you probably already feel as if you can't eat many foods. If you need to follow a low-fat diet at the same time, the restrictions can feel overwhelming. But the good news is, many gluten-free foods naturally contain little fat, and suit a low-fat diet well.
Causes
The grains wheat, spelt, barley and rye all contain gluten, a protein the plant uses to store nutrients. If you've been diagnosed with the genetic condition celiac disease, you can't digest gluten, and it can cause multiple health problems ranging from diarrhea to depression, according to the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Although in most cases celiac disease doesn't affect fat digestion, your physician may also have advised you to follow a low-fat diet to address a different health concern, or you may be following one to lose weight.
Gluten-Free Diet
To comply with a gluten-free diet, you'll need to make sure you don't eat any foods containing the prohibited grains. That means you can't eat most conventional grain products, including pastas, breads and other baked goods, according to Massachusetts General Hospital. You can, however, eat specialty "gluten-free" versions of these common foods.
Low-Fat Diet
Meanwhile, to comply with a low-fat diet, you'll need to limit your use of oils and fats and eat only foods with 3 g fat or less per serving, according to the Ohio State University Medical Center. You can consume low-fat baked goods, limited fish, meat and poultry and low-fat dairy products, along with almost all fresh fruits and vegetables.
Putting it Together
Almost all fruits and vegetables are both gluten-free and low in fat, so eat plenty of these, according to Massachusetts General Hospital. Fresh fish and meats with no added ingredients also contain no gluten, so you can have as much of these as you're allowed to have on your low-fat diet. Watch out for the fat levels in many prepared gluten-free baked goods, as many of those tend to be high in fat. You may need to stick with gluten-free bread, which generally doesn't have as much fat in it.
Considerations
Watch out for both hidden gluten and hidden fat in your diet to successfully eat gluten free and low fat. According to Ohio State University Medical Center, food manufacturers often include gluten in places you wouldn't expect, such as soy sauce and creamy soups. Fat is easier to spot, but watch your consumption of salad dressings, some of which also aren't gluten free.
Member Comments