A wheat-free diet eliminates fewer foods than a gluten-free diet. Gluten is the common name for the protein found in grains including wheat, triticale, rye, barley or oats. A dairy-free diet will not just eliminate milk, cheese, yogurt and butter, it will also eliminate foods containing processed dairy like whey powder and casein. Depending on your body chemistry and overall diet, nutrition and exercise patterns, you can lose weight on a wheat-free or a dairy-free diet.
Sensitivities and Intolerances
A landmark 2005 article in the "Journal of American and Clinical Nutrition" analyzed the differences between the ancient human diet and today's consumption of highly-processed and refined wheat and dairy products. Consumption of processed foods are associated with food sensitivities and "diseases of civilization," which include obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer, according to the "Journal of American and Clinical Nutrition." Dairy and wheat are the two most common foods associated with food sensitivities and intolerances.
Wheat-free Benefits
Dr. Melina Jamopolis writes in CNN Health that people who adopt a gluten-free diet will experience weight loss because they eliminate foods associated with weight gain, including pizza, bread, pasta and baked cookies and snacks. Dr. Loren Cordain reported in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" that high-glycemic-load carbohydrates including wheat "can adversely affect metabolism and health." Foods like white bread, cookies and snacks carry a double glycemic load from wheat and added sugar. Eliminating them will reduce calories and improve other metabolic functions.
Dairy-free Benefits
Dr. Reed Mangels writing in the "Vegetarian Journal," says that many studies show that vegetarians tend to be leaner than non-vegetarians, but vegans are leanest of all, and vegans consume no dairy products. Dr. Mangels recommends a dairy-free and vegan diet for weight loss and health. According to Dr. Amy Joy Lanou, senior nutrition scientist for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, "The majority of scientific studies show that milk either causes weight gain or else has no effect at all." A dairy-free diet eliminates high-calorie processed snacks, baked goods, and ice cream that are known to increase weight.
GFCF Diet
Originally developed for children with autism and related disorders, the gluten-free, casein-free or GFCF diet goes beyond a wheat-free or dairy-free diet and includes weight-loss benefits common to both. Mark Hyman, M.D., recommends a GFCF diet to improve everyone's brain functioning and physical health, not just children with autism. According to Dr. Hyman, a GFCF diet eliminates wheat and other grains containing gluten, and all dairy products, and will lead to weight loss because it eliminates all processed, high-calorie foods that are known to cause weight gain.
References
- "Huffington Post"; Is a Gluten-Free Diet Really Healthier?; Susan Dopart; March 2011
- Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine; Milk, Dairy Fat, Dietary Calcium, and Weight Gain; Catherine Berkey et al.; 2005
- CNN Health; How Do I Lose Weight on a Gluten Free Diet?; Melina Jamopolis, M.D.; June 2011
- Mayoclinic.com; Gluten-Free Diet; January 2010
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Origins and Evolution of the Western Diet: Health Implications for the 21st Century; Loren Cordain, et al.; February 2005
- "Elle"; Got Nutrition? The Truth Behind the Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free Diet; Rachel Combe; February 2009
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