People get confused because some of the low-carb diets tend to be gluten-free, or at least gluten-light, so they think gluten-free automatically means low-carb — but it doesn't work that way.

In fact, gluten-free can be very high-carb. Frequently when people give up gluten, they choose gluten-free replacements, like gluten-free breads, bagels, pastas, pizzas, cookies, and brownies. Not only are those things high-carb, but they're basically empty calories, meaning they offer very little nutrition — but lots of calories.

Warning: The confusion between low-carb diets and the gluten-free diet can be a dangerous misconception. On many low-carb programs, small amounts of gluten are allowed back into the diet after the initial phases. For many people who need to be gluten-free, reintroducing gluten to the diet is never okay.