5 Reasons Why Personal Trainers Should Recommend Gluten-Free Diets

    Personal trainers should be able to recommend both optimal training regimes and optimal diets for their clients. The more science teaches us about gluten, the more we realize how it can negatively impact our health. Therefore, personal trainers need to familiarize themselves with gluten and gluten-free diets.

    Of course, a gluten-free diet is not intended for everyone. However, certain people have a gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance, so a diet that eliminates gluten can greatly benefit them. As a personal trainer, you must recognize the symptoms of gluten intolerance and understand how gluten-free food could benefit your clients.

    Eliminate Chronic Fatigue
    According to MedAlertHelp and the info they provide in this handy infographic, gluten can cause chronic fatigue in gluten-intolerant individuals. Fatigue is one of the main symptoms that gluten-intolerant people feel, occurring in at least 64% of cases.

    Chronic fatigue can greatly diminish the results of training and completely demotivate a person. Yet, it is a simple symptom to recognize that can be confirmed with a quick gluten test. By eliminating gluten from the diet, energy levels and motivation can spike in a matter of weeks.

    Resolve Bloating
    No matter how many sit-ups and crunches you instruct your clients to do, they will not get a flat belly if they are constantly bloated. There is nothing more frustrating than not seeing results despite months of hard work.

    But, it is a well-known fact that 87% of people with gluten intolerance experience bloating daily. Bloating creates aesthetic problems and can also have consequences on the internal organs and affect posture.

    Gluten May Cause Depression
    The infographic also notes that 18% of those who suffer from gluten intolerance also experience depression. Depression happens due to the constant stress the body experiences due to the frequent intake of gluten.

    Research shows that eliminating gluten from the diet can significantly improve the mood of gluten-sensitive people. Personal training also improves the mood and helps fight depression, so this can be a powerful combination in improving the client’s overall health.

    Gluten Causes Weight Loss
    Many people, especially men, hire personal trainers to help them gain weight and build a more muscular physique. However, some of them, no matter how many calories they eat, find it hard to put on muscle. This is because around 25% of gluten-intolerant individuals regularly experience weight loss.

    Therefore, when designing a weight-gaining diet, it’s important to consider the possibility of gluten intolerance as well. Many nutrition experts advise high-carb and high-gluten diets for weight gain, but these can have an opposite effect on gluten-sensitive individuals.

    Eliminate Joint and Muscle Pain
    If you have hired a personal trainer but cannot get over joint and muscle pain, you should consider the possibility that you are suffering from gluten intolerance. Studies have shown that 31% of gluten-intolerant individuals regularly experience fibromyalgia.

    This complex chronic condition makes it very hard to exercise regularly. Massages and anti-inflammatory drugs do help short-term, but little can change in the long run without the right diet. Avoiding gluten is the only cure for people with celiac disease and other gluten-related disorders.