Vegetarians Celiacs

[seattlecdfriend]

Would like to hear from any of you who have had sustained success in going gluten-free.

I also am a vegetarian, do not have celiac disease, but am in total support of my fiance' who does have it. She was diagnosed back in 99, went gluten-free for about 16 months. We are looking to make the change together, but do questions and concerns about success. We do have some friends locally who have celiac disease, and are gluten-free, but nearly fall over backwards when they think about being a vegetarian and being gluten-free.

[Janessa]

I have been vegetarian for about 13 years and found out I had celiac about 10 months ago. It has been tough but there is plenty of gluten free vegetarian options, I bought some cookbooks off amazon that have been a great help (The Gluten Free Vegetarian Kitchen and The Gluten Free Vegan). And eating out, Indian Food and Thai always have something delicious to eat.

[HAK1031]

The forum vegiac.com has some good info for vegetarian or even vegan (yes, they exist!) celiacs

[Alternative mama]

First I want to commend you for making these changes with/for your fiance

It is most definitely possible to be vegetarian and have celiacs. While I am more of a flexitarian I eat about 70% raw and eat NO grains at all (except for an occasional cheat of rice). You don't have to go raw but your best reference for recipes and the "how to" do it balanced is the raw recipe books. By nature these are mostly vegan recipes and have very very little - to grains in them. And they have some very yummy recipes! The secret is to make sure you are balancing your diet by rotating your veggies, and adding lots of various nuts and seeds for protein.

2 of the raw recipe books I recommend are:

Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine, by Garbiel Cousens (Great nutrition info and recipes)

Raw food made easy By Jennifer Cornbleet (for recipes)

Again- you don't have to go raw but these books will give you some recipes and good balanced nutritional info.

[seattlecdfriend]

thank you HAK1031 for the link! That sounds frikkin awesome!

Janessa...we are having Thai tonight actually. Wiill get the books you recommended. Thank you.

Alternative mama-thank you for the encouragement

Am building a complete BIG gluten-free list for our 1st food buy. It will be an interesting switch for me in doing this. My finace' is disappointed that I wont be eating the things we have come to enjoy together. I am not sure what to expect but do expect some degree of frustration on my part. My challenge is to help when she doesnt want the help...

Lovingly onward...

[ItchyMeredith]

I have been vegetarian since 1991 and gluten-free since June.

In some ways I think being a vegetarian made the transition easier. I already was comfortable reading labels and scrutinizing everything I ate. I was accustomed to having to pass things up at parties and restaurants. I already had discipline over my diet and for many people that is the big problem with becoming gluten-free.

My advice for a gluten-free vegetarian is: get thee to a Whole Foods! If you are looking for easy meals Amy

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I am a gluten-free vegan and it is not hard being so. Open Original Shared Link is a great resource for vegetarian and vegan Celiacs. When you first start out gluten-free just stick to fresh veggies and fruits and make your way slowly into the gluten-free world. The pasta and bread will be new but at least tofu is still available!

[Welda Johnson]

Hi,

It is so great that you are joining your fiance. Both of your lives will be so much easier. I am 63 years old and have had Celiac since I was 8, but it took years to figure that out. I am now a Vegan, and feel better than ever! I learned from Judy Mazel's "Beverly Hills Diet" to start each day with as much fresh pineapple as I like, and have learned to wait two hours before adding another fruit, such as strawberries, apples, etc. eating only one fruit at a time for good digestion. Lunch is vegetables (Asparagus Broccoli, Cauliflower, salad with all the fixins, corn tortillas with beans, vegetables & salsa, or baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, or something like that). Later I have a soy protein powder cookie recipe that I make using the soy, cinnamon, vanilla, milk free chocolate chips and a variety of nuts. Or tacos, tostadas or enchiladas with soy cheese are good, as are any of the pastas made with corn or rice. Prego Pasta Sauce is great. These taste the same as regular pastas, and Vegan Gourmet Soy Cheese melts! Add romaine lettuce, green onions, celery, olives, garlic, and any other food from the produce section, and YOU HAVE A LIFE. Oh yes, I use fat free Italian dressing for my salads and salsa over my vegetables. Good luck to you. Welda

[RiceGuy]

It really astonishes me that so many think meat is an "all-important" food. There's actually more than enough protein available from vegetarian sources. Plus the proteins from vegetables don't deplete calcium like animal proteins do.

Anyway, I also think it is easy to be gluten-free and vegetarian or vegan. Just remember that doing so is not as much about restrictions as it is about all the foods you should include. Variety is a key factor. The more varied you can be in your food choices, the generally better off you'll be.

[Alternative mama]

This is more info from a friend of mine that is a vegetarian talking about protein:

Just about every living fruit and vegetable contains a certain amount of protein.

It is important to remember that we actually need very little protein in our diet.

Dr. Douglas Graham

Dr. Douglas Graham notes in his book