Carbs and Gluten are the same thing, right?
Mythbuster: Do you love gluten or you really just love carbs?
Let me start by saying that I am skinny. Some people envy my ability to eat a lot and not gain weight. When I disclose information about my celiac disease and my gluten-free diet to people, immediately, there’s an “Ooh!” moment. Only a few shy away from saying: “That’s why you are skinny”. I can see the train of thought going from gluten to carbs to weight gain.
I have always been skinny, even when I was eating gluten. Physically, I was the weakest kid in the class for most of my life. Let me tell you that it is no fun. Of course, when someone “appreciates” my lack of mass, they don’t know that I struggle with gaining weight. They don’t understand that I don’t see it as a compliment. Maybe it is healthier than being fat, but it’s not healthy.
To be honest, I wouldn’t give up eating gluten if I didn’t have to. Moreover, giving up gluten isn’t a magic wand for weight loss. I can confidently say that even though I am not a nutritionist or trainer. That being said, please don’t make dietary choices based on my advice.
But carbs are gluten, no?
Unfortunately, no. Like anything in life, it’s much more nuanced than that. Gluten is a type of protein, not a carbohydrate. Gluten proteins are only found in wheat, rye, and barley. If that’s news for you, buckle up, my friend.
These grains also contain carbs. A lot of carbohydrates in diets around the world come from these. Any region that doesn’t consume rice as their main staple, relies on wheat, rye, or barley to a great extent, if not fully.
Many people associate delicious food with gluten like breads, pastas, noodles, cakes, bagels and more. One can consume as much carbs with gluten-free versions of these foods. Surprising, eh? I know, I was surprised too. The good thing is that even though I can’t eat gluten, I can still get carbs from other sources.
For one, white rice is high-carb and gluten-free at the same time. I eat bread made of buckwheat flour mostly, it’s quite filling too. It just costs a bit more but can provide as many carbs.
Of the above labels, can you tell which one is gluten-free and which one isn’t?
Go ahead, and read the carbs, fats, sugars etc. Guess before reading further.
The left one is gluten-free. Did you check the calorie count yet? It’s pretty evident that all carbs are not gluten. The left label is from Little Northern Bakehouse’s GF White bread, while the other one is regular bread from any store.
How about, gluten is carbs?
This is also not exactly true. However, we can safely say that anything that contains gluten also contains carbs. Not vice-versa. They are not the same thing but are coupled in plant foods, containing gluten.
Someone with celiac disease, like me, cannot consume gluten. They also cannot consume the carbs that come with gluten in the same food. However, they can still eat carbs from foods, like rice, potatoes, buckwheat, tapioca and many more.
So, when people say they love gluten, they actually love carbs.
