Vegetarian Diet & Celiac

[cricket512]

My teenage daughter has celiac and has been gluten free for 1 1/2 years. She has recently been able to reintroduce dairy into her system because her intestines have healed and she is not as lactose intolerent as she used to be. Yesterday she announced that she wants to be a vegetarian for humane reasons. That's fine with me, except we rely heavily on meat products for her diet. I am not sure what I could substitute for protein, because I know a lot of vegetarian products rely on wheat for filler. And she does have a soy sensitivity -- she can only eat soy a couple of times a week, so tofu is out unless just eaten occasionally.

She is very active - she is a ballet dancer who dances 20-30 hours a week, so she needs proper fuel. Is it possible for her to get enough protein? Are there any resources available that address celiac vegetarian issues? Thanks for any help!

[tarnalberry]

If she's lavo-octo vegetarian and not hypoglycemic or diabetic, she should be fine, BUT, *before* making the switch, I would encourage both of you to spend a couple weeks reading up on proper vegetarian nutrition and figuring out how you're going to approach this as a team. She'll need to be eating more fresh veggies (they have more protein than fruit), as well as beans/pulses (lentils in particular have more protein than many beans, but beans are good too), and a wide variety of whole gluten-free grains besides rice (such as millet, quinoa, and buckwheat, to name a few). But don't forget to include plenty of high-quality fat from things like avocado, nuts, seeds, and coconut. Eggs and dairy can help round out the protein/fat question, though you needn't rely heavily on either. Being as active as she is, she'll want to include plenty of that in her diet, and no, it won't make her fat! Look through plenty of cookbooks, and look for local vegetarian resources (your info doesn't say what area you're in - where are you located?), and plan how you're going to go about this.

[key]

My celiac son that is two is vegetarian and so am I. Always have been, so it wasn't an option to start eating it now. It is a bit more difficult for me, because we ate alot of "meat substitutes" made from gluten before. We mainly rely on beans, avocadoes, cheese, corn tortillas, all fruits, veges, cottage cheese, gluten-free pancakes, gluten-free breads (Bread By ANna) is a good healthy option for bread, gluten-free pastas. She should be fine as long as she is eating dairy. If she can't have soy, then I think that a vegan diet would be out of the question. We don't eat alot of tofu, but we do drink Silk soymilk. Also Yogurt is good, nuts and nut butters. We eat tons of mexican foods. It really isn't bad at all. Not very many options at restaurants though.

Good luck!

Ask anymore questions if you need to.

Monica

[Lollie]

i've been vegitarian for about 8 years. I now consume some meat products, only fully organic natural ones and only about once a week. I have always relied heavily on dairy and eggs. I eat beans and lentils, and all the fresh fruit and vegies I can put in. I love rice and corn tortillas. I make my own rolls from potato starch. PM me if you want some recipe's!

My daughters are in ballet, they are little, but I really love it for them. They too, are on my diet, they have more energy now then before. I wouldn't worry, just keep a good eye on your daughters diet, she'll be just fine!!!

Lollie

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I am a vegetarian, too. Your daughter will be fine as long as she makes sure to eat the right kinds of gluten-free veggie foods!

[schuyler]

I have been a vegetarian for about 8 years, and I am also sensitive to soy. I only eat tofu about 1-2 times per week. I rely mostly on fresh fruits and veggies, yogart, beans, rice, and potatos. I have only been gluten free since 1/3/06, but so far I have had plenty of energy eating like this.