"Gluten-Free" Junk Food Is Still Junk Food

A health halo that says nothing about how healthy something is.

Gluten-free labels have spread to cookies, chips, and everything else. For most people, the label isn't the health signal it seems.

Who actually needs it

Gluten-free is essential if you have celiac disease or a real gluten sensitivity. For everyone else, avoiding gluten offers no automatic health benefit — and a gluten-free cookie is still a cookie.

Often more processed, not less

To mimic the texture gluten provides, gluten-free packaged foods frequently add extra starches, sugar, and fat. They can end up more processed and no more nutritious than the regular version — sometimes less.

The move

If you don't have a medical reason to avoid gluten, don't treat "gluten-free" as "healthy." Judge the food on its actual ingredients and nutrition, exactly like you would anything else.

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