Canadian packaged gluten-free foods are less nutritious than their regular gluten-containing counterparts

Abstract

Background: A strict gluten-free (GF) diet is required for the management of celiac disease (CD). The nutritional adequacy of this diet has been questioned due to the elimination of wheat, an important vehicle for micronutrient fortification and source of fibre. While novel and/or reformulated packaged GF products have rapidly entered the marketplace, providing alternatives to wheat-based staples, it is unknown whether these new products are nutritionally comparable.

Methods: From a database of 3,851 foods collected across 21 grocery stores in Eastern Canada, we compared the nutrient content of 398 unique GF items with 445 gluten-containing (GC) equivalents. Wilcoxon rank tests were conducted on listed nutrient content (g, mg, µg) per 100 g of product and the nutrient contribution of iron, folate and fibre were evaluated using Health Canada's nutrient claim regulations.

Results: GF staples (cereals, breads, flours, pastas) contained 1.3 times more fat and less iron (by 55%), folate (by 44%) and protein (by 36%), than GC counterparts (P < 0.0001). On average, GF pastas had only 37% of the fibre in GC pastas (P < 0.0001). Notably, GF and GC flours were equivalent in nutrient content. Despite GF and GC flours having similar nutritional content, the vast majority of the processed GF foods fell short in key nutrients.

Discussion: Packaged GF foods in Canada are generally less nutritious than their GC counterparts, suggesting that GF diets should not be promoted to those who do not require it. The use of nutrient-dense GF flours in homemade foods may improve nutrient intakes on the GF diet.

Keywords: Celiac; Diet; Fibre; Folate; Gluten; Gluten-free; Iron; Nutrient; Protein.