Tonight “The View’s” Elisabeth Hasselbeck will appear on “Larry King Live” to promote her new book, “GFree Diet: a gluten-free survival guide.” While gluten-free diets may be appropriate for those like Hasselbeck with Celiac disease, we felt compelled to bring this to our reader’s attention and speak to the non-gluten intolerant portion of the population.

Individuals that have Celiac disease are going to feel better and be energized when they eliminate gluten; however, those of us who do not need to eliminate gluten should not.  Eliminating gluten from the diet has absolutely no connection with weight gain, loss or maintenance or for that matter simply feeling good. To suggest otherwise is simply not true. Gluten is simply a protein found in the wheat, barley and rye grains. Other grains or substitutes for these foods would have not calorie advantage to gluten. All proteins and carbohydrates contain the same amount of calories and it is the calories in the food that contributes to weight loss or gain.

Gluten-free diets have been around for many years – recommended to individuals who, because of medical reasons, cannot properly digest a protein called gluten. These individuals have reluctantly had to give up foods that contain or are made from wheat, rye and barley. Experts approximate this to be about 1 percent of the population. That said, the market for gluten-free products is exploding. A recent survey reported by the American Dietetic Association, estimated that 15 to 20 percent of consumers want gluten-free products.

This survey indicates to us that there is certainly misinformation being spread about gluten-free products. The major concern voiced by health care professionals is that following this type of diet without a clear diagnosis can mask signs that would allow an expert to identify related problems and adequately treat them. Before you commit to a diet that has a high price tag, both for your wallet and your health, consider what you might be losing out on.

• Gluten is the protein that provides the structure to yeast bread products. It is the reason why wheat is so universal in making bread. Even in cultures that do not consume wheat as their primary grain use wheat in their bread making.
• Because gluten is so pervasive in the food supply, gluten avoiders can end up short on a number of vitamins.
• In addition, a poorly planned gluten-free diet can contain a lot of calories and lead to weight gain.

Clearly the popularity of this “fad” diet has led to a lot more gluten-free foods on the market – a real gift for the truly intolerant as well as those with Celiac disease, which is a good thing.

Now for a voice of reason – if you suspect intolerance to gluten, it is important to see a physician who can find out if your suspicions are valid. If there is some other reason for your symptoms it is important to find out what that is. Then you can find out whether you truly need to avoid gluten containing foods or can continue to enjoy them!

Let us know what your experiences have been with gluten-free foods or if you have people in your life that think they might be intolerant and how they handled it.