60 million consumers alert on the dark side of these products

"Gluten-free" products are everywhere and praised, but you have to be careful. Supposed to improve health, gluten-free foods are more and more popular with supermarkets and by the French, even when they are not intolerant.

These products ultra-processed by the food industry do not are nevertheless not without risk, alerts the Institute 60 Million consumers in its special issue magazine of July.

A fashion of health products

For some years, hoping to adopt a mode of healthier lives, more and more French are turning to organic products, but also to gluten-free products, that is to say without "gliadin", a protein present in many cereals and which is at the origin of the true disease of "gluten intolerance". According to the survey of 60 Million consumers, this market now extends from pet food to cosmetics …

Yet, despite exorbitant prices (often double the same product without gluten), the "without " use " compositions low in protein and fiber, but high in sugar and salt … and additives, used to enhance taste ".

A high glycemic load

Because to fill the absence of gluten, manufacturers tend to add these many additives (thickeners, emulsifiers …), which makes food much more caloric. Thus, the composition of gluten-free products generally gives them a very (too) high index and glycemic load.

"Clearly, they digest much faster than" gluten-free "versions and therefore increase considerably and much more brutally insulin secretion and blood sugar. "They give hunger" explains the dietician Angélique Houlbert, interviewed by France Info . They grow So people storing this energy that comes too fast and make them grow. Some of these additives can cause, if you consume too much, bloating and diarrhea, warns 60 million consumers. 19659003] Three times less protein in gluten-free bread

In addition, gluten-free products tend to induce protein deficiencies, warns the magazine, based in particular on a study espa In 2017, the gluten-free bread contained on average twice as much fat as conventional bread when it provided three times less protein.

This study joins another conducted by 60 million consumers in early 2016. "100 g of mark Bread E. Leclerc gluten-free bread contain 2.6 g of protein, against 8.3 g for the brand Mark E. Leclerc Golden Spike," explained the magazine that was already warning against the gluten-free trend.

After investigation, the institute also discovered that the "Croustipate gluten-free" broken pie crust contained 15 ingredients including one of which one-third additives such as E464 and E330. In comparison, Marie's clbadic pasta contented itself with six ingredients without any additives.

An enrichment in rice flour

"Explanation: In place of wheat flour, manufacturers most often use the rice flour, combined with starch and starch, but because of lack of gluten, which gives elasticity to the dough and texture to the finished product, they incorporate thickening and emulsifying additives – of which we are would be fine ", noted the magazine.

In conclusion, unless you are part of the 1% of the population that is medically" gluten intolerant ", ie who has the autoimmune digestive disease , avoid banning gluten from your diet, concludes 60 Million Consumers. And, if your doctor has diagnosed you with celiac disease, use unprocessed raw products because, with or without gluten, an industrial product remains relatively harmful to health.