We answer your most Googled questions on free-from diets

‘Free-from’ foods don’t contain certain common allergens. You might choose these if you have an allergy, an intolerance or a specialist diet (for example if you’re vegan). A free-from food isn’t necessarily free from all allergens – for example, it may be gluten-free but contain milk. If you're buying pre-packaged food, the packaging will tell you which major allergens it contains.

Not necessarily. Free-from foods contain different ingredients and may have different nutritional information, but it depends what ‘healthier’ means to you. Unless you have an allergy, an intolerance or another medical condition that affects your diet, it’s not inherently healthier to omit or substitute certain foods. For example, some people believe a gluten-free diet is healthier than a diet containing gluten – but this isn’t the case, as both can be healthy.¹

According to Coeliac UK, about 8% of people in the UK follow a gluten-free diet.² However, if you’ve got coeliac disease, you also need to avoid oats and sometimes even gluten-free oats. Most people go gluten-free because of an allergy, intolerance or condition like coeliac disease. But some might just feel better without gluten or may perceive it as being healthier (it’s not necessarily).

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.³ Any food that doesn’t contain gluten, wheat, barley or rye is gluten-free. But these – or ingredients derived from them – are often added to foods you wouldn’t expect, so you should always check the label to make sure they don’t have any extra ingredients or a risk of cross-contamination. As well as naturally gluten-free foods, you can buy specially made gluten-free products. According to Coeliac UK, the following foods naturally don’t contain gluten:⁴

Coeliac UK also has a free app where you can scan food packaging to see whether it contains gluten.⁴

Digestive issues are a common sign of gluten allergy and intolerance – some people group these gut symptoms as 'gluten belly' but it's not a formal medical diagnosis. You might feel bloated, sick or gassy after eating gluten if you’re intolerant or allergic to it.^3,5

“Gluten belly can occur if someone has an allergy or intolerance to gluten,” says Millicent. “You might experience symptoms like diarrhoea, bloating, flatulence, indigestion and constipation if you’re gluten intolerant or have coeliac disease. If you have any of these symptoms, you should seek advice from your doctor as it’s important not to self-diagnose.”⁶

A no-sugar diet is any diet that excludes sugar. That could mean consuming no sugar at all or just avoiding added sugars. “Sugars occur naturally in foods like fruits, vegetables, dairy products and nuts. They can also be added to foods,” says Millicent. “The NHS states that free sugars are the types of sugars that most people in the UK consume in excess.” These include: ⁷

“Sugars naturally found in milk and in fruit and vegetables (except juices and smoothies) aren’t classed as free sugars and don’t need to be limited.”⁷

Yes, unless you’ve been advised otherwise by your doctor. While fruit naturally contains sugar, this isn't the same as free sugar – the type of sugar added to food and drinks or released from fruit when juiced or blended. According to the NHS, the naturally occurring sugars in whole fruit, vegetables and milk don't count as free sugars.⁷

That means whole fruit can still be part of a healthy, balanced diet, even if you're trying to reduce your free sugar intake. However, fruit juices and smoothies (including unsweetened varieties) do count as free sugars, so it's best to limit these and stick to recommended portion sizes of whole fruit.^7,8

A no-sugar diet typically cuts out added or ‘free’ sugars and allows you to eat naturally occurring sugars (like those in fruit).⁷ Sugar contains lots of calories but no essential nutrients and eating a lot of it may contribute to weight gain and increase your risk of chronic conditions.⁷ However, it’s generally agreed that keeping your sugar intake low, rather than cutting it out completely, is a healthy choice.

“Reducing free sugar has been linked to improved weight management and improved dental hygiene,” says Millicent.⁷ Limiting sugar doesn’t just affect your body. Sugary foods make your brain release the ‘happy hormone’ dopamine – that's why they’re so tempting. When you limit your sugar intake, you might feel an increase in cravings, as well as feeling tired or low.⁹ However, these feelings shouldn’t last too long.

You might decide to cut out dairy because of an intolerance, or maybe you’re going vegan. If you’re quitting dairy because of an intolerance, you might notice symptoms like bloating and stomach pain decrease.¹⁰ You should seek advice from your GP if you’re experiencing these symptoms.

But what about quitting dairy if you’re not intolerant? “In this case, eliminating dairy could require nutritional adjustments to ensure you’re meeting your nutritional requirements. Dairy products are typically a source of several nutrients including protein, fat, calcium and vitamin D which can be beneficial for overall health but especially bone health,” says Millicent.¹⁰

Get your calcium from plant-based sources like fortified plant milk, green leafy veg, tofu, dried apricots, chickpeas and fortified bread and cereal.^11,12 If you’re lactose intolerant but you don’t have a dairy allergy, you can try lactose-free versions of dairy milk and cheese to get your calcium.

Nuts are a good source of fibre, protein and ‘good’ fatty acids.^13,14 Try replacing them with seeds (like sesame, sunflower, chia or pumpkin seeds) and seed butters, as they’re a good source of these.¹⁵ For snacking, you could opt for dried peas (like wasabi peas) or beans. Nuts are one source of plant-based iron, so if you don't eat many nuts, make sure you're getting iron from other foods such as kidney beans, chickpeas, edamame, lentils, dried fruit and fortified breakfast cereals.¹⁶ To help your body absorb this plant-based iron more effectively, include vitamin C-rich foods such as citrus fruits, berries, peppers or tomatoes with your meals.¹⁶