Is Keto Gluten Free? Can I Eat Gluten On A Ketogenic Diet In 2024

A gluten-free diet disallows any gluten intake, usually because the person on the diet has celiac disease: an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that causes gastrointestinal distress, gluten intolerance, or gluten sensitivity. A ketogenic diet is a low-carb diet that severely limits the intake of carbohydrates, favoring increased fat and protein. Since gluten is closely associated with wheat and other grains, which are major constituents of most people’s carb intake, the combination of keto with a gluten-free diet shouldn’t be too difficult since keto requires a very low-carb diet.

The problems here are twofold. First, both diets are difficult to keep: they require omitting some food that many people eat as staples, and they can take some getting used to. Also, some gluten-containing foods might be considered free of gluten and others not. We’ll detail here how to effectively combine the keto and gluten-free diets.

Keto And Gluten Free Diets: What Is Gluten?

Gluten is a combined form of the proteins prolamin and glutelin, which are found in cereal grains, including wheat, rye, and barley. It’s what gives bread, baked goods, and other starchy foods their “chewiness” and raw dough its “stretchiness.” Because of its specific properties, it’s frequently used in vegan meat substitutes, as well as a preservative in certain processed foods. Despite its myriad uses, however, gluten can be problematic for many people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease, causing serious illness.

Keto Diet Gluten Free: Great Benefits Of Going Gluten Free

If you are required to avoid gluten, you can combine the benefits^[1] you’ll gain from diet with the benefits of a keto diet. The result is a diet program that will allow you to take advantage of the low-carb nature of the gluten-free diet and the high-fat, ketosis-inducing nature of the keto diet, which emphasizes carb restriction. Not only will you avoid the negative consequences of consuming gluten, such as the aggravation of celiac disease^[2], but you can lose body fat and slim down a bit more easily. A gluten-free keto diet might make a big difference.

Who Should Follow A Gluten-Free Diet?

Wheat Allergy

Some percentage of the public has a wheat allergy, ranging from around 15% of people in central Europe to more than one-third in China^[3]. Since their allergies are often not restricted just to gluten but to whole grain or some other constituent, people with a wheat allergy must avoid wheat entirely. A gluten-free diet can be an easy way to accommodate the need not to eat wheat and remove some of the guesswork involved in grocery shopping and daily life.

Celiac Disease And Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

Celiac disease affects the small intestine and causes symptoms mimicking irritable bowel syndrome such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and in children, failure to thrive. Other forms of gluten sensitivity have more non-specific symptoms, such as brain fog^[4], difficulty breathing, and other health problems. In severe cases, the symptoms can mimic Alzheimer’s disease. Since gluten is the major factor provoking symptoms of celiac disease, as well as gluten intolerance generally, almost everyone diagnosed with celiac disease will try a gluten-free diet at some point. Many will avoid gluten for life.

Increasing awareness of celiac disease and gluten intolerance generally has resulted in the greater availability of gluten-free products in restaurants and grocery stores, some with a gluten-free aisle. There you can find multiple food products, including gluten-free bread. Many labels will include indications that they are also keto-friendly foods. By choosing these keto-friendly products, you can stick to low-carb foods while being sure you eat gluten-free. Just be mindful to minimize your intake of packaged and processed foods.

Gluten Ataxia

One of the more alarming types of non-celiac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia is an autoimmune disease in which damage to the cerebellum – the part of the brain at the back of the head near the neck – causes severe enough damage to result in symptoms like difficulty walking, lack of coordination, and tremor. In some cases, these symptoms can be permanent. Therefore, treatment must be sought as soon as symptoms appear^[5].

Keto Diet Vs. Gluten-Free: All The Differences

The gluten-free^[6] and keto diet is both low-carb diets. They also share the elimination of a large number of foods rich in carbohydrates from daily diets. However, there are some key differences. For instance, as long as the percentage of carbs is kept low (usually 10-15%), a keto diet does allow the consumption of gluten, while a gluten-free diet requires eliminating gluten.

Additionally, there is no rationale while on a gluten-free diet to increase one’s intake of protein and fats, such as dairy products and meats, as keto requires. Rather, depending on one’s individual needs, a person on a gluten-free diet could replace that percentage of carbs in the diet with gluten-free carbs, or s/he could change the proportions of macronutrients in the diet to meet an individual goal.

Three Gluten-Free Keto Recipes

Gluten-Free Keto Margherita Pizza

The crust is what makes a pizza gluten-free. A normal crust is made of wheat flour. In contrast, there are several recipes out there for low-carb gluten-free pizza crusts. One popular version, called the “fathead” crust, uses a combination of mozzarella, cream cheese, almond flour, and egg. The mixture can be made into a crust on which the regular Margherita ingredients of tomatoes, basil, and more mozzarella can be added. 

Gluten-Free And Keto Lo Mein With Egg Pasta

As with pizza, the main culprits in lo mein to gut health and weight control are the noodles. For gluten-free keto diets, zucchini noodles can replace the wheat-based lo mein. Another recipe, closer to that for Margherita pizza, makes noodles of cream cheese, eggs, almond flour, butter, and a little salt. Once cooked, this base for noodles can be cut into strips, added to stir-fried meat and vegetables, and flavored with soy sauce and seasonings.

Crispy Gluten-Free Keto-Friendly Fried Chicken

If you like fried chicken because of the batter or breading used to coat it but want to cut the carbohydrates and gluten that are usually there, you can use almonds in these cases. Other alternatives include coconut flour or pork rinds. As long as you fry the chicken in oil, it should meet the requirements of keto, and the absence of wheat means it will not contain gluten.

Steps To Help You Start A Keto Or Gluten-Free Diet

Step 1: Determine Your Goals

If you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or some other kind of non-celiac gluten sensitivity, it is vital that you avoid gluten. If your goals also include weight loss, then you might combine gluten-free eating with a keto diet as a means of burning fat (in the form of ketone bodies) instead of blood sugar (ketosis) by restricting carbs of all kinds and eating high-protein diets.

Step 2: Do Your Own Research

Thorough research is important before beginning any diet. However, it is important to be careful. Many websites provide incorrect or oversimplified information. You will find more reliable information by searching sites associated with the government or institutions of higher learning. Databases such as Google Scholar and PubMed can be very helpful. If you have uncertainties, talk to a professional.

Step 3: Ease Yourself Into It

While you will need to stop gluten right away if you’re sensitive since both gluten-free and keto can be difficult to adjust to, consider shifting to your gluten and macronutrient goals gradually rather than all at once. You will feel less discomfort while adjusting to your new diet more easily. Also, be sure to have a keto diet foods list handy so you always know what you can and cannot eat.

Conclusion

Both the gluten-free and keto diets have specific benefits. For the former, these include weight loss, although it is also useful for controlling seizures. For the latter, the main benefit is alleviation of gluten intolerance. However, the two diets can be effectively combined to more easily cut carbohydrates by cutting out wheat and other gluten-containing grains and the foods made from them, like bread. The two diets can reinforce one another, resulting in a greater likelihood of success with both.

Frequently Asked Questions

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