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For many years, doctors thought that patients had to be underweight in order to have celiac disease. It’s true that some people with the condition are underweight because they can’t absorb nutrients in the food they’re eating due to malabsorption issues. These days, however, more and more people are either a “normal” weight or overweight than anything else.

If I had a dollar for every person who told me that their doctor told them they were “too fat to have celiac” I would be able to buy a very expensive gluten-free dinner for myself. When certain celebrities (one of which wrote a book) started touting the gluten-free diet as the next weight loss fad diet, I knew that plenty of people were probably going to spend a fortune on gluten-free foods like bread, pasta, pizza, and bagels and then freak out when the scale moved the wrong way. Losing weight on the gluten-free diet can be done, but it’s much easier if you forego gluten-free replacement foods.

Finally, many mainstream websites are starting to report what many of us have known for a while. Gluten-free replacement foods tend to be higher in fat, calories, and sugar than the items they are meant to replace. It took me a while to figure out that I couldn’t eat all the gluten-free carbohydrates my heart desired and not pay a price for it. As they say, everything is in moderation and that is definitely true when it comes to noshing on gluten-free bagels, pizza, baguettes, muffins, crackers, pasta, pizza, and everything else you can think of.

After I started paying attention to the amount and type of carbs I was eating, I was able to modify my snacking habits to support a healthier lifestyle. My last physical proved that my efforts are paying off and I didn’t have to forego my favorite gluten-free items. I just had to make a conscious effort to enjoy them in moderation. Making sure to include gluten-free oats in my diet has proved a very good idea as well. Everyone who can safely eat gluten-free oats might want to consider making them a normal part of their diet.

Many people that are able to lose weight by eating gluten-free stick to eating mostly whole foods, leaving out processed items like gluten-free bread, pasta, pizza, etc. Anyone who does that will likely lose weight whether gluten agrees with them or not. For me, enjoying a gluten-free bagel or crusty baguette every so often is just too enjoyable to give up totally, but having days where I avoid all gluten-free replacement foods allows me the privilege of indulging in so-called empty carbs on other days.

The way I look at it is that we’re already giving up many of the foods we grew up eating, the joy of grabbing a spontaneous meal out (sans research), and countless other things we once took for granted. At least, we gave up doing things the way we used to. Now that there is a plethora of delicious gluten-free foods in every imaginable category available, there is no reason not to take advantage of them. After all, the thought of giving up gluten is enough to keep some people from being tested for celiac. To put it short and sweet – giving up gluten is enough. Breaking bread with friends is something worth eating empty carbs and calories for (in moderation) – no doubt!