Gluten-Free and Heart Healthy: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers

Written by: Molly Winsten, MS, RD, Gluten-Free Specialist

Cardiovascular health is paramount to one’s overall health and longevity. While it is well known that diet has both positive and negative effects on the health of one’s heart, being on a strict gluten-free (GF) diet comes with its own set of challenges. From the added difficulty of finding heart-healthy ingredients to the potential stress of a dietary restriction and its subsequent cardiac effects, there are many factors that can contribute to the heart health of someone you care for. This article will take a look at recent cardiovascular research, discuss gluten-free heart-healthy foods to integrate into your diet, and even discuss stress as both a celiac disease (CD) patient and caretaker, and how that can impact heart health for you and the one you care for. We will also include heart-healthy recipes, so please enjoy the following information and ideas to help us all stay healthy!

Recent cardiovascular research confirms a lot of what has been said for decades; heart-healthy diets include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Additionally, legumes, omega-3s, lean proteins, and healthy fats such as olive oil and avocado have been shown to be included in a heart-healthy diet. For those without celiac disease, the research does not show a GF diet to reduce heart disease. On the other hand, an individual with CD requires a gluten-free diet, which can, in turn, cause changes in one’s metabolic panel. This makes consistent monitoring important, especially since some studies show that a gluten-free diet can lead to a reduction in whole grain consumption, which could potentially worsen cardiovascular health. Heart-healthy gluten-free whole grains include quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice, wild rice, amaranth, millet, sorghum, and, if tolerated, certified gluten-free oats.

It is also important to note that many commonly used gluten-free ingredients can spike blood sugar, which, over time, can worsen cholesterol (which impacts heart health). These include white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, added sugar, and hydrogenated oils. These ingredients are gluten-free and can add great texture and flavor to foods, but a focus on fruit, veggies, and whole grains has stood the test of time, and research continues to endorse these foods as heart-healthy. While there have been studies that showed that those on a long-term GF diet had improvements in cardiometabolic biomarkers such as HDL (often referred to as the “good” cholesterol), blood pressure, and inflammation, there is no clear evidence that being on a gluten-free diet has an impact on outcomes such as mortality or heart attack risk.