11 replies to this topic

[Cattknap]

Hi all, just wondering if there are any vegans out there? My husband and I have been mostly vegans for a little over 3 months (I say mostly because we do eat local, organic egg whites and local honey) but other than that we adhere strictly to an animal-gree diet and nothing we eat has cholesterol in it.

I was diagnosed with Celiac about 18 months ago. I believe I have found the diet that truly allows me to have the least amount of Celiac symptoms of any eating plan that I have been on since being diagnosed.

We eat every organic vegetable (often local), herb, nut, seed, beans, legume, fruit (in moderation), hemp powder, chia seed, flaxseed meal, quinoa and oats (I have never had a reaction to either), a piece of gluten free toast about every 3 weeks, almond and soy milk, tofu, peanut butter. I add no added fat to our diet (we seem to get plenty of fat from our diet without adding any fat) and we eat no refined sugar or desserts. My skin is soft, my hair is thick, my fingernails strong and fast growing, my complexion clear and I am symptom free as far as my Celiac is concerned. I finally have energy and stamina and a digestive system that is working properly for the first time in many, many years.

Has anyone else elminated animal products or just meat from their diet and if so, how has that worked for you?

[Cattknap]

Are there any other vegans with Celiac out there?

Apparently not.

[kenlove]

there are - -been celiac for almost 8 years and vegan for 3 --In my case I had some heart trouble that some docs think was caused indirectly by not getting the right combinations of nutrients that strengthen blood vessels which were damaged by crystalline structure of animal protein molecules. I feel so much better and so much more healthy the past few years that I doubt i would over go back ..ALso more and more raw foods in the lifestyle.

Sometimes its hard as I travel a lot overseas but fine there is always something I can have and the most non western cultures are much more aware than we think about vegan and gluten-free needs.

[Cattknap]

Thanks kenlove! I'm happy to hear that you are feeling better on your vegan diet - you have been eating this way for a while now - very encouraging. So sorry about your heart issues - is the damage repairable through proper diet? I go in tomorrow for my blood test results to see if I am lacking in any vitamins/minerals - I did this to make sure that I am on track nutritionally.

We took 3 trips this year and I worried about how we were going to eat while away....there are some great vegan restaurants in some of the larger cities and surrounds - at least in the U.S., however often vegan/vegetarian restaurants are pretty expensive - we have saved a ton of money since going vegan - we rarely go out to eat and animal products (especially meat) has skyrocketed!

Good health to you!

[kenlove]

There is a hugh difference in the way your body reacts after being vegan and gluten free. The terms are not interchangeable either. If your not lacking in vitamins now, you might be in a short period of time. make sure you check fairly often. Besides the obvious ones like b,c,d & E i take magnesium, alpha lipohic acid and a few others. I find it pretty easy to get something on the road. Chinese places will always steam whatever fresh veggies they have and if you dont like hot sauces, you can carry your own gluten-free soy sauce. Sometimes i just squeeze fresh oranges on them
take care

Thanks kenlove! I'm happy to hear that you are feeling better on your vegan diet - you have been eating this way for a while now - very encouraging. So sorry about your heart issues - is the damage repairable through proper diet? I go in tomorrow for my blood test results to see if I am lacking in any vitamins/minerals - I did this to make sure that I am on track nutritionally.

We took 3 trips this year and I worried about how we were going to eat while away....there are some great vegan restaurants in some of the larger cities and surrounds - at least in the U.S., however often vegan/vegetarian restaurants are pretty expensive - we have saved a ton of money since going vegan - we rarely go out to eat and animal products (especially meat) has skyrocketed!

Good health to you!

[deb445]

My oldest son is *mostly vegan and grain-free. He is 5 years old, and never liked or consumed meat, even as a baby. Refused eggs. And reacted to dairy. I would sneak eggs into my baking, and used local organic honey for sweeteners. Finally, after years of frustration, I decided I would support him by joining him. Last year, I read the China Study, in an attempt to better understand where I was heading. Very interesting read. But, BBQ season started up again, and I caved. And then my son started eating BACON! Woo hoo! I have since read The Omnivore's Dilema, and we lean more towards a Paleo Menu nowadays. We source our meat and eggs from two biodynamic farms (each a stones throw away). One in particular, does not feed their animals corn in any form. They feed their chickens sprouted grains only. And ruminants are nurtured on a variety of grasses, the way they were intended to graze. I constantly worry about my *vegan getting ample nutrition, but I can't tube feed him. Meanwhile, I rejoice that he eats bacon, and enjoys my grainfree baking - with healthy eggs, and honey with plenty of enzymes.

[Ed in Baja]

Good for you! I am not a Vegan...but eat mostly vegan. If you claim to be one and then qualify as in "I eat a few eggs" you will get slammed by the true believers. I adopt a vegan diet regularly, then eat some fish, or my neighbor will bring me some lobster..the author Micahel Pollan has distlled the minimum common denominator of a healthy diet as: "eat real food (not processed), mostly plants, not much". It works. Most folks on this website are still suffering from the shock and realization of being different ( I went through it with diabetes first) and long to be normal. Food preferences are very deep in our cultural makeup. Many are ingenious in efforts to eat a "normal" diet utilizing a great deal of highly processed gluten-free substitutes. Everybody is on their own journey of discovery of what truely works. But if I want to feel really good, I eat a gluten-free vegan diet. Then I splurge with a nice fish fillet, an egg, rarely. Check out the vegiac.com website, if you need more vegan friendly celiac friends. Don't get me wrong. This website has helped me hugely. But you might like to broaden your horizons.

[Cattknap]

I appreciate everyone's posts and thoughts. I just came from the doctor and got the results of my extensive blood tests - I am doing great - in fact, I was told to take my iron supplements only every other day instead of every day - probably because of all the leafy greens I'm eating and the fact that I'm not eating anything remotely suspect of containing gluten. My total cholesterol was 140 with perfect hdl and ldl (it was 200 in May) - so a 60 point drop is not too shabby. My doctor and I discussed the vitamins I am taking and she thinks I'm right on track. I feel and look the best I have in many years....I know this kind of diet may not work for everyone but it works beautifully for me and it just seems like the right thing to do - to eat as little processed food as possible, center my diet on lots of organic produce with a little fruit and supplement with sufficient beans, soy and hemp powder for protein.

Thanks for the tip about vegiac.com Ed - I joined a few days ago. I know you are right about being "mostly vegan" and the criticism by the die-hard vegans. Truly I don't care if I get slamed by vegans for eating eggs - I'm pretty confident in my life choices so things like that are only mildly amusing to me.

[Cattknap]

My oldest son is *mostly vegan and grain-free. He is 5 years old, and never liked or consumed meat, even as a baby. Refused eggs. And reacted to dairy. I would sneak eggs into my baking, and used local organic honey for sweeteners. Finally, after years of frustration, I decided I would support him by joining him. Last year, I read the China Study, in an attempt to better understand where I was heading. Very interesting read. But, BBQ season started up again, and I caved. And then my son started eating BACON! Woo hoo! I have since read The Omnivore's Dilema, and we lean more towards a Paleo Menu nowadays. We source our meat and eggs from two biodynamic farms (each a stones throw away). One in particular, does not feed their animals corn in any form. They feed their chickens sprouted grains only. And ruminants are nurtured on a variety of grasses, the way they were intended to graze. I constantly worry about my *vegan getting ample nutrition, but I can't tube feed him. Meanwhile, I rejoice that he eats bacon, and enjoys my grainfree baking - with healthy eggs, and honey with plenty of enzymes.

Bacon is delish - no doubt about it! I think that it is great that you have found a diet that works for you - bottom line is not all of us with Celiac react the same to certain foods or even exposure to gluten...finding the path that makes us feel our best is what we all need to do - good luck with your Paleo diet!

[Marie1976]

Hi
My husband and I have been vegan for more than 10 years, and I found out I have celiac about a year and a half ago. Being gluten free, in my opinion, is harder than being vegan, maybe because I chose to be vegan, but I'm forced to be gluten free because I'll get sick if I eat gluten. I'm very sensitive to gluten now so my whole household is pretty much vegan gluten free also.
I was really angry about having to restrict my diet further, and some people suggested I go back to eating dairy products to give me more variety in my diet, but I really have no desire to stop being a vegan. (I am a vegan for animal rights reasons, and now that it has been so long since I've eaten them, animal products no longer seem like "food" to me.)
I eat a lot of salads (with kidney beans and garbanzo beans for protein), smoothies (frozen fruit, rice milk, banana, soy yogurt, Udo's Oil for omega acids, nutritional yeast for B vitamins and rice protein powder), fruits and veggies, quinoa, and pasta made from quinoa. I also eat rice and rice noodles. I make enchiladas (corn tortillas, refried beans, La Victoria enchilada sauce, green onions, canned corn, and salsa), stir fry (with tofu and veggies and La Choy soy sauce), tofu tacos (with scrambled, extra firm tofu), and soups (butternut squash, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, garbanzo beans, etc.) Eating out can be frustrating... I like the gluten free pizza at BJ's (ask for no cheese), I also get the vegetarian bowl at Chipotle, and if I get a craving for french fries, In N Out fries are gluten free. Our local Thai restaurant has a lot of vegan options, I just have to remind them of NO SOY SAUCE because most soy sauces have gluten. I finally came up with a vegan, gluten free cupcake recipe that actually tastes good and doesn't fall apart, so I make those on the kids' birthdays and other special occasions. Let me know if you want the recipe. (They do have sugar though.) There are lots of vegan, gluten free dairy substitutes in health food stores. I've found yummy vegan, gluten free cheeses, veganaise (mayo), sour cream, ice cream, yogurt, etc. I also make my own ice cream sometimes, with coconut milk. I have also found some frozen taquitos in our health food store that are yummy, but ... most meat substitutes do have gluten, unfortunately.
It's hard, yes, but it can be done! Good luck!

[Marie1976]

I should probably mention that gluten free pizza crusts at restaurants are probably not vegan, so I guess that makes me not exactly 100% vegan. Maybe like, 98% vegan. But... whatever.

[a1956chill]

I had been vegan most of my adult life untill my celiac dignosis .I went "nearly " paleo for awhile after my dignosis because meat was about the only thing my body tolerateing at the time.
Now I am slowly working my way back to (atleast) vegetarian . I still have so many food intolerances that being vegan again does not look promising .