Gluten-Free Snacking

Posted by Healthy Bitch Daily on Dec 11, 2012

We're all about the snack.
It's the perfect way to keep your metabolism humming, and nowadays there's a smorgasbord of healthy eats to choose from. But you might remember a little decade called the 1980s—when people thought every label that said "low-fat" meant the goodies inside were bound to be healthy. Forget the fact that it was loaded with sugars, preservatives and other shit you couldn't pronounce. It was low fat! It was healthy!
Yeah, not so much.
Turns out those tasty little low-fat treat were not as healthy as we'd like to believe. Instead, those "healthy" cookies, cereals, salad dressings and other things wrapped in plastic with a shelf life of forever were equally as bad—or worse—as pumping an IV full of lard into your bod.

Well, guess what, sweet pea? We're traveling down a similar road when it comes to the boatload of gluten-free products that are also believed to be good for a
healthy bitch. That means it's time for you to wise up and get the facts. Just because it's gluten free doesn't mean you don't have to read labels. Many GF snacks are higher in calories and not-great-for-you stuff, which means you should think twice before hopping on the gluten-free train—unless your health depends on it. 

Here are two comparisons of popular snacks to their gluten-free alternatives. Wise up and learn how to suss out the details when it comes to choosing gluten-free snacks that are also good for you.

Gluten-Free Snack: Glutino Sour Cream & Onion Potato Crisps 

With ingredients like soybean oil, corn oil, silicon dioxide and monocalcium phosphate, we promise there's nothing healthy or natural about these babies.
Each ounce of these chips has 2.5 grams of fat (0 grams of saturated), 270 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of sugar. Sure,
the stats aren't off the charts, but you know the age-old saying from Lays: "Betcha can't eat just one." Before you know it, that cute lil' gluten-free bag
of chips will be empty, love bug.

Regular Snack: Lay's Sour Cream & Onion Flavored Potato Chips

Make no mistake—the fat content in these gluten-free chips is much higher than the Glutino brand (10 grams fat.; 1 gram saturated fat), but the rest of the numbers are pretty much the same (160 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams carbohydrate and less than 1 gram of sugar). And the ingredients list doesn't sound much different—maltodextrin, vegetable oil, gum arabic and various "natural flavors" are all in there.

Gluten-Free Snack: Udi's Blueberry Muffins

We'll give it to this snack for touting ingredients that aren't too difficult to pronounce and 200 less calories than its gluten-filled counterpart. But they still
boast 9 grams of fat (2.5 grams of saturated fat), 260 milligrams of sodium and 21 grams of sugar per muffin. Not terrible, but not healthy either.

Regular Snack: Dunkin' Donuts Blueberry Muffin

High fructose corn syrup, gelatinized wheat starch, sorbitan monostearate and "natural" flavors are just a few of the ingredients in these bundles of cellulite
that make us cringe (seriously, say "gelatinized" a few times and you'll get shivers down your spine). These guys click in at 460 calories, 15 grams of fat (3
grams of saturated fat) 450 grams sodium, 76 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of fiber and 44 grams of sugar. We'll say it again: Gelatinized!

Be Choosy

Listen, sugar: The point is not that you can't enjoy a little treat every now and then. In fact, we think it's perfectly OK to stuff your face with these brownies. But you need to keep some perspective about your gluten-free game. This isn't a math equation you're going to like, but a gluten-free label does not necessarily equal a healthy nosh. Instead, be sure to read labels and do your research before purchasing a gluten-free snack—or any food item for that matter—at the store. (You love role playing anyway, right? It's time to break out those sexy scientist glasses.)

Make it a general rule to skip packaged snacks and opt for natural, healthy on-the-go snacks, like sliced apples and a couple tablespoons of peanut butter, pre-cut veggies with a container of hummus, a baggie of raw nuts mixed with dried fruit or homemade Raw Key Lime Cashew Bars.

But, seriously, one more time—gelatinized. I mean, it's sick as hell, right?

Did you end up gaining more weight from gluten-free snacking? Leave a note in the comments section below.
Caroline Shannon-Karasik, Resident Gluten-Free Expert
Caroline Shannon-Karasik is the founder of The G-Spot Revolution , a gluten-free, healthy living blog built upon the premise that there is not a one-size-fits-all prescription for total wellness. Whether you call it your personal health "spot", or ooo-la-la recipe, that serendipitous life balance is yours to define –– and The G-Spot was created to help you do just that. Standing behind her mission to share health information through her writing, Caroline is a freelance writer for several publications, including REDBOOK and Breathe magazines. Follow her on Twitter @TheGSpotRev or read more at www.carolineshannon.com.