By Karon Thackston

Gluten free diets and carb free diets are often confused, and with good reason. Since gluten free foods cannot contain wheat, barley, rye, or oats, and since these ingredients are all carbohydrates, many people believe that simply adopting a gluten free menu plan will eliminate carbs as well. The truth is, gluten free and carb free are two very different things.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and several other grains. Wheat contains carbohydrates, of course, but so do many other foods. Fruit, potatoes, starchy vegetables, and rice are just a few of the foods you'll find in your pantry which contain carbohydrates. Merely eliminating wheat products will not eliminate carbohydrates, and sometimes the opposite is even true.

Most Sugar is Gluten Free

Sugar is the bad guy that comes to mind when we think about carbohydrates, and one of the primary reasons people choose a low-carb diet. If you're trying to cut back on your sugar consumption by lowering your carbohydrate intake, don't make the mistake of thinking gluten free foods are automatically a good choice.

Even natural sources of sugar are off limits on a carb free diet. Honey, maple syrup, fructose, sucralose, and most other forms of sugar contain carbohydrates. They are also naturally gluten free. You can see that simply choosing gluten free will not ensure your diet is free of carbohydrates.

Other carbohydrates can be present in gluten free products as well. Most commercially produced gluten free foods are revised versions of old favorites in which wheat flour has been replaced with a gluten free substitute. Some common substitutions even add more carbohydrates than the original. Rice flour for example doesn't contain gluten, but is much higher in carbohydrates than its wheat- or rye-based counterparts.

Carb Free Diets Restrict Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains

All fruits and most vegetables contain carbohydrates, making these otherwise healthy choices off-limits to those on a carb free diet. About the only vegetable choices available for those cutting back on carbs are the dark green, leafy types like spinach, kale, and broccoli. Gluten free diets offer a wider range of choices, since all fruits and vegetables are acceptable.

Carb free diets also restrict grain consumption, while gluten free diets restrict only some grains. Celiac patients can eat amaranth, buckwheat, corn, and quinoa, but you won't find them on any low-carb diet. All grains, regardless of their gluten content, contain carbohydrates.

The bottom line? A gluten free diet may be higher in sugar and other carbohydrates than a low- or no-carb diet. A carb free diet may contain more artificial ingredients such as sweeteners and fillers. Overall, a gluten free diet is less restrictive, since the only carbohydrates which can't be eaten are of the wheat, rye, barley and oat varieties. All other carbohydrates – fruits, vegetables, potatoes, rice, and others – are allowed. On a carb free or low-carb diet, all carbs are considered off-limits, resulting in a less flexible menu with fewer choices.