The G-Free Diet is a dieting program created by Elisabeth Hasselbeck, best known for having been a co-host on The View for a while. This diet is gluten-free, which means that it does not involve eating any wheat, barley, rye or other gluten-containing grains. Traditionally, this type of diet is meant to ease celiac disease symptoms.

Celiac disease is a condition in which the small intestine is damaged by the immune system when the affected individual consumes gluten-containing food. While Hasselbeck was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome for many years by her doctors, she self-diagnosed with celiac disease. This was indeed later confirmed by a doctor.

The G-Free Diet Claim

As someone with celiac disease, it’s important for Hasselbeck not to eat gluten. Her response was to create The G-Free Diet, which provides tips for eating at home, at a party, or while dining out. She provides details for people to be able to avoid mistakenly eating gluten and offers ways to better understand food labels and other places where gluten may be hiding.

When following the instructions provided by The G-Free Diet, all gluten-containing foods are avoided, including certain oat-based products that have been processed in the same facility as wheat.

This includes foods that one wouldn’t expect to contain gluten, but that often do, such as soy sauce, many fried foods, beer and certain dairy alternatives. That said, options such as tequila, sake, wine and champagne are all typically gluten-free and are therefore permitted through The G-Free Diet.

Get a Diagnosis First

What is very important about The G-Free Diet is that it is meant for people with celiac disease. This is not a part of the gluten-free trend that many people have adopted regardless of whether or not they actually have an intolerance to gluten. In fact, preliminary research is indicating that gluten-free dieting is actually less healthy for individuals without an intolerance. Early studies have suggested that there could be a heart disease related risk for individuals following this type of eating strategy unnecessarily.

Therefore, reputable organizations such as the Mayo Clinic recommend that a individuals seek out a celiac disease diagnosis before starting a gluten-free diet. This can help to make sure that The G-Free Diet will be both safe and appropriate for their needs. Moreover, it also helps to rule out other potential underlying conditions that could be causing symptoms similar to those of celiac disease but that may be unrelated.