{miley cyrus & going gluten free}

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This morning I read online that Miley Cyrus came forward on Twitter & announced that her weight loss was the effect of going gluten-free. She said that she has a gluten & lactose allergy & unlike what some reports have said, is not anorexic. Her weight loss stems from her gluten-free diet.

Here's the article: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20585690,00.html

After reading this, I immediately sympathized with her, because let's face it: a gluten-free diet isn't fun. She even posted a picture of herself holding a fast food bag, but smelling it & not eating it.

{Full disclosure: I've done that before.}

However, since then, I've read numerous comments on blogs, Tumblr, and Yahoo from people who have decided to go gluten free because of Miley. One girl even wrote that her goal was to lose 25 POUNDS this WEEK. Not only is that basically impossible, but it's also completely & utterly unhealthy. She said her goal weight was 98 pounds!! :(  That makes me so sad.

One of the biggest myths of the gluten-free diet is that it's a safe weight-loss diet. It's NOT. A gluten-free diet is only safe & healthy for people with Celiac Disease, a gluten intolerance, or a gluten allergy {yes...there is a difference!}

Since going completely gluten-free, I've had other medical problems arise. Sure, the food I'm eating is no longer harmful to my body, but the food I eat is also missing key nutrients & vitamins that I need. To make up for those, I have to take a multivitamins, Calcium, & Vitamin D every day, & I also have a thyroid problem now.  People with Celiac also have a greater risk of osteoporosis, so I had to have a bone density scan to check the strength of my bones.

My Celiac diet eliminates gluten from my system, but it also eliminates a lot of other things.

I immediately tweeted Miley & asked her to remind her followers that a gluten-free diet is only safe for people with Celiac, a gluten intolerance, or gluten allergy...NOT a healthy way to lose weight. She's at a position where she can really make a difference in the gluten-free community & hopefully she uses her celebrity status to promote healthy eating.  Millions of girls look up to Miley & I hope she uses her leadership as a way to advocate a healthy body image.