Vegan Diet And Wheat/gluten Intolerance Or Celiac

[AndreaB]

I had an allergy test done and got the results the beginning of April. Among other things I found I was alleric to some main vegan staples. Soy/Wheat/Some Beans.

I am curious as to whether anyone was on a vegan/vegetarian diet before becoming sensitive to wheat and or soy. I was on a lacto-ovo diet for 4 years before becoming vegan for 3. My family has since left the vegan diet. I am also allergic to dairy. While lacto-ovo our family only ate cheese products from the dairy family.

Does a diet saturated with soy and wheat gluten cause allergenic conditions to occur?

[Ursa Major]

I doubt that being vegan caused celiac disease. Even though I think the vegan diet is very unhealthy. All the things you are allergic to are high in lectins (to find out more, click on the link on lectins in my signature). I was never on a vegan diet, I never had a lot of soy and didn't eat a lot of wheat, as I much prefer rye (it's a German thing, sourdough dark rye bread is the one thing I miss most of anything). I have avoided most dairy for the past 25 years, as I reacted to it. I now know I was intolerant to lectins all along (gluten is one of them). That may be your problem as well.

The lady who's website it is, says that rarely anybody will be intolerant to ALL the lectin groups forever. If you have celiac disease, you should be off lectins for about a year, and then try the different groups one at a time. She says that usually you will end up being intolerant to one or two groups only (I hope that is true for me, it's been eight months).

The groups are: All grains (including rice and corn), legumes (including soy and peanuts), all dairy, eggs, the nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, pepper, eggplant, tobacco).

I believe that grains and nightshades will always be a problem for me, probably dairy as well. I am hoping that I will some day be able to have eggs and legumes again (even though not likely soy, my reaction to that is almost the same as to gluten).

[shai76]

I was vegan, but my food allergies have forced me to eat whatever I can eat. Vegan diets are very healthy, but can be unhealthy too, it depends on the vegan. You can eat nothing but pancakes and potato chips and still call yourself a vegan. A meat eating diet can be healthy as well, as long as you are not eating hamburgers with bacon and cheese for every meal! LOL! That sounds good. Anyway, I believe eating too much of the same things over and over again can cause those with the tendency to get allergies to that stuff. I definitly don't think it causes celiacs. That is pretty much genetics and bad luck it seems. :/

[powderprincess]

I am vegan, have been since 1.1.06. Before that I ate fish and otherwise was ovo-lacto veg. I agree with Shai. You can eat junk and be vegan and be VERY unhealthy or you can have a balanced diet and be super super healthy. I have seen a lot of my sinus troubles disappear as well as less tummy toubles thanks to veganism. I feel really good actually. . .(in my own personal range that is). I still felt bloated and gross and I now know that was due to having celiac disease, but I just did not know it until recently. I thought I was destined to always not feel quite right (i bet that sounds familiar).

So. . .I don't think veganism has anything to do with an onset of celiac disease, UNLESS you decide to eat pasta or seitan for every meal and tht goes for omnivores. Sometimes seitan is introduced to people when they decide to go vegan, but veganism itself would not be the culprit.

p.s. I am new here, glad I found everyone!

[debmidge]

I think celiac is not picky on whom it visits: the vegan and meat eater are equal targets.

Celiac is an immune system disease not primarily a digestive disorder - it only manifests itself in gut.

Think about how babies come down with celiac...they don't eat meat first 6 mos of their lives, maybe soy milk, maybe only breastfed and then boom they start eating gluten and next thing they come down with celiac disease. These children were neither vegan or meat eaters.

[gfp]

I think celiac is not picky on whom it visits: the vegan and meat eater are equal targets.

Celiac is an immune system disease not primarily a digestive disorder - it only manifests itself in gut.

Think about how babies come down with celiac...they don't eat meat first 6 mos of their lives, maybe soy milk, maybe only breastfed and then boom they start eating gluten and next thing they come down with celiac disease. These children were neither vegan or meat eaters.

Actually the IgG antobodies are passed through milk and in reality the baby has been eating whateve the mother was eating for 9 months so its not clearcut IMHO... but some babies developing celiac disease while not eating a certain diet or thier mothers doesn't mean much in itself anyway. That is it doesn't preclude a increased incidence with a certain diet.

At the same time I don't think vegan or meat diets are to blame per-se but I wouldn't want to rule out a connection with other allergens like soy which tend to be more prominent with vegan diets. Addiotnally grains are more prominant as a source of protein.

In the same way there is obviously a large cross over in cow-milk and celaics,

In the other sense you might say that anti-biotic loaded beef and chickens can also contribute.

Its clear that people with one intollerance are often diagnosed with more and the same with autoimmune disorders.

[key]

I have wondered the same thing a bit. I grew up eating a ton of gluten products or meat substitutes. Although some of them always made my stomach hurt for a long time before I found out I had celiac. Soy doesn't agree with me very well either.

I have read that you can develop intolerances to things you overeat. I think in general people over eat wheat. It is in everything and celiac seems to have increased in numbers.

I have heard that in other countries there are people intolerant to rice. I can't say if this is true or not, but just read it somewhere.

I am vegetarian, but find it hard being gluten free to be a vegan. WHat do you eat all the time??

Also, you can be a very unhealthy vegetarian. I think it would be hard to not eat healthy food being vegan. What junk can you eat?? I guess chips, but no icecream, chocolate, etc.

Monica

[powderprincess]

Oh boy! there is a lot of good vegan junk!

There are Tings (like vegan cheetos, my omni husbands is very fond of them, you dont have to be veg to like them). Have you heard of Soy Delicious? That's a really good replacement for ice cream (for people who are able to eat soy of course). I am not sure if it is gluten-free; I have not checked yet, some flavors I know have cookies, but I wonder about the other flavors. There are really yummy sorbets I like, too, if I can't have SD anymore. There are tons of vegan cookies (not as many gluten-free ones, but there are some). You can make awesome puddings and cakes and cupcakes galore. Personally. . .I like dark chocolate better and decent dark chocolate is certainly vegan. Love the chocolate. You can have carob if there is a chocolate allergy.

You get the idea. There is good junk out there but, as you know, it is very important to eat a variety of things and have mostly healthy options.

[Smunkeemom]

I was lacto-ovo for 5 years then vegan for 6, I felt really good vegan and have recently realized that when I was vegan I was also gluten free (weird how that happened)

I started eating meat (and gluten) again when I got pregnant with my first kid and have been sick as a dog most days since. I have been eating gluten free for about a week (give or take) and seem to be doing better.

Maybe my first pregnancy "turned on" my celiac? it was a difficult pregnancy, I was pretty sick.

anyway, I have no clue how to vote.