By now we have all probably encountered someone who is “gluten free”. These people are either one of two types, the first reason they would be gluten free is because they have celiacs disease, or an allergy to gluten. The other reason would be because of a new diet craze, or gluten free by choice. For some reason people tend to think that the less bread you eat, the less weight you will gain.
In theory this would work out very well, it is known that in today’s world of processed food finding healthy carbs is a struggle. It is also known that you could have celiacs disease and not know it, and the only way to find out is by taking gluten out of your diet. Eating wheat is something most Americans do all the time, and the fact that we are one of the most overweight countries in the would could be a correlation with wheat intake.
However, correlation does not always equal causation, as looked in the ranking of most obese countries. America comes in number one, with China right behind. China has a diet of mostly rice, not gluten, so that gives a reason for gluten not to be the culprit.
Gluten free diets could also be just as bad for you as eating white bread for the rest of your life. Complex carbohydrates are the main energy source for our bodies, and many complex carbs are found in whole wheat bread. Whole wheat also provides fiber along with plants and vegetables.
Many times advertised gluten free foods are laced with white rice and preservatives, something not always good for you. Gluten itself is not necessarily good for you but it delivers nutrients vital to survival, such as vitamins. Gluten free products also come with a higher price tag many of the times, so people may turn to gluten free foods that are higher in fat because of the cheaper price.
An experiment that could be done is have two groups of people, one would go gluten free for a month, while the other continues on a normal diet. Both groups would spend the same time exercising and would be randomized. The trial would not be able to be blind, and the results would be measured in how much weight gain/loss both groups underwent.
If you do want to go on a gluten free diet, it is recommended that you choose a less processed route. Don’t cheap out on foods, and replace the gluten with whole grain rice and fruits and vegetables, and remember, just because it’s filling doesn’t mean it’s healthy. 
While being gluten free is clearly the correct diet if you have Celiac’s Disease, it is not the right diet for people who are just looking to get healthy. Over 63% of people think going gluten-free is healthy, and this is wrong. It needs to be shared with the public that going gluten-free to be healthy does not work, and causes a lot of complications. People also think that going gluten-free can lead to weight loss, but a gluten-free diet does the opposite, leading to more calories, sugar, and fat being consumed while on a gluten-free diet. People need to know that it is an unhealthy diet unless they have Celiac’s Disease. It would be interesting for you to do a follow-up blog to this one and share why it is dangerous to go gluten-free without Celiac’s Disease. http://www.medicaldaily.com/gluten-free-diet-does-not-make-you-healthier-only-people-celiac-disease-should-go-311938
I honestly would have liked more information about how Celiacs disease actually works, maybe a little more about how gluten works in our body in a positive/negative way. More studies, more science and more of an opinion, not just an overview. Here is information about Celiacs disease. https://celiac.org/celiac-disease/what-is-celiac-disease/. If you do not think that gluten is causing obesity, what do you think is and why?
I do not think gluten is the main source of our countries obesity levels. You had a a great example when mentioning America vs China. Our countries weight issue all goes back to portion control. We live in an era where we supersize anything and everything. People eat too much of all the wrong things.
I think that this is an extremely interesting topic, and I know a lot of people who are going gluten free as an attempt to lose weight. While it may work, it is not always healthy. I think that your blog needs some studies to back up your theories. http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/sideeffectsofthediet/a/Gluten-Free-Weight-Loss.htm has a lot of insightful information. Also, Jillian Michaels, world renowned personal trainer as well as fitness expert on the biggest loser, has posted about the topic http://www.jillianmichaels.com/fit/lose-weight/myth-gluten-free I think that your idea for an experiment would work out really well. Splitting a group of people into two and having one group eat gluten, and another one eat gluten free could really discover a lot of findings. As long as both groups work out for the same duration each week, I think that this experiment would be a really good and beneficial idea for the American society!