Unless you’re not reading the news or health articles, you’ve probably heard that more and more people are avoiding gluten.

Have you heard a friend mentioned it and rolled your eyes, wondering why they got sucked into such a weird health gimmick?

Or have you been curious about the trend but never knew where to start to learn about it?

No matter what camp you’re in, know that being gluten free is something that can greatly benefit your health, and is something that has made thousands of people happier and healthier. In order to start to better understand why gluten free is the way to go, look at these five reasons that may sway you.

1. Becoming gluten-free can boost your energy.

Thus, cutting gluten out of your diet can eliminate this fatigue and lead to a more balanced mood and more energy.

2. Your hormones become more balanced AND it’s easier to maintain a healthy weight.

Eating something that you’re intolerant to can also cause major inflammation. When your body experiences inflammation, it produces anti-inflammatory agents called cytokines that impair your insulin function. Insulin resistance then develops and you can’t lose weight. Instead, you gain it.

Insulin resistance is one of the number one reasons your appetite becomes out of control, which leads to PCOS and hyperthyroidism. If you have gluten intolerance, this can be easily avoided when you cut it out of your diet.

3. Removing gluten stops food cravings.

Piggybacking off the previous reason, gluten can be a major reason you’re overeating – but it can also be a reason you’re craving food excessively as well. When you consume gluten, you’re also consuming gluten exorphins, which are opiate peptides. These offer you a sort of euphoric sensation in the short-term. But, in the long-term, this impairs your body’s ability to create its own endorphins. Giving up gluten can lead to your body repairing itself, thus eliminating this problem.

4. You can reduce your chances of getting cancer.

We’re all afraid of “the big C,” but do we all do enough to keep it at bay? If gluten is still in your diet, you may not be committing to cancer prevention as much as you think you are.

When you are intolerant to gluten and eat it regularly, your cells stop working properly. This sort of toxicity overwhelms the liver, allowing these toxins to build up and enter the bloodstream where they attack healthy cells. This leads to premature ageing, and often also cancer.

5. Removing gluten means you absorb more nutrients.

Villi exist in your small intestine, and their job is to absorb the nutrients that you eat. Eating gluten when you’re gluten-sensitive destroys villi, which means you can’t absorb the nutrients you need to maintain a healthy life. This leads to major health problems like depression, anxiety, hormonal imbalances, infertility, anaemia, and other serious illnesses.