Changes To Expect After Quitting Gluten (They’re Not All Good)

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A risk of mercury poisoning

Like with any trend that the masses rush to, we don’t really know what the unintended side effects will be for quite some time. It can take months or even years for some of the effects of a shift in diet to appear. So while research is relatively new on this, studies have suggested that those on a gluten-free diet might have higher exposure to toxic metals and mercury. The research suggests some of it could be attributed to the fact that those who don’t eat gluten turn to eating a lot of rice to get their starch, and rice might be the culprit here. This doesn’t have to do with not eating gluten – consuming gluten doesn’t fight off mercury or metal poisoning – but rather about what we eat more of when we don’t eat it. If you do choose to do a gluten-free diet, consider keeping a food journal so that if unwanted side effects do occur, you can evaluate the foods you’re eating to see if they may be the cause.