Anyone Vegetarian And Gluten Free?

[lischro]

I am about a week and a half into being gluten free and not finding it that difficult at all!

With that said, I have noted that many of the soy alternatives to meat are full of gluten, so I'm wondering about alternatives that are not super expensive at the "whole foods" type stores. I'm 24 and on a pretty strict budget, but want to eat as healthy as possible without lacking protein and fiber.

I eat a lot of beans and lentils, but would like an alternative to tofu that I can grill.

Another thought- has anyone been vegetarian then started eating meat after going gluten free? Just wondering if that has helped with the healing/feeling better process.

Any insight would be awesome! I appreciate everyone's input on this site

[naiiad]

Hey Lischro

Being a vegetarian on a wheat-free diet can sometimes be a challenge. Before I went wheat-free, I was vegan. After my diagnosis, however, I had to cut out all soy products (because most soy gives me a bad reaction) and it was just too hard to get protein without dairy and fish. With fish and dairy I have a well-rounded diet and seem to be doing fine without mammal meats. But if you find that you are having a hard time managing without tofu and meat, you could try incorporation some meat and fish into your diet to see what works for you.

As for your question about what to grill, try paneer, an Indian cheese that very much resembles tofu. It's really tasty and I've never had any problem with it. Most grocery stores where I live sell it, but I'm not sure the same would be true for areas that don't have a high Indian population. You could also find it at ethnic grocery stores and health food stores.

There are also a lot of vegetables that taste great on the grill, like zucchini, eggplant, plantain, peppers etc. Eggplant is my favorite tofu replacement because it has a rich flavor and great texture, especially when cut up into thick slices.

Hope this helped and good luck with your new diet!

[lischro]

That helps a lot- I often eat zucchini, peppers and eggplant which I am happy with- that's a good tip!

I guess I was feeling like, although I have been happy as a vegetarian, I would almost be willing to eat some meat if it meant creating a more well-rounded healthy diet, but if I don't find anything that argues that meat will help my celiac symptoms, then I won't make the switch!

I found myself attempting to buy fish the other day (salmon specifically, which I have never had...) and wasn't able to get passed my own mental block haha.

I will definitely try the paneer. that sounds like a great idea. I'm afraid of eating too many starches and carbs with the gluten free diet, as I am hoping to see some weight loss (soon!). I've gained some weight from seemingly celiac and hypothyroidism.... so frustrating!

Thanks Naiiad!

[Skylark]

I've always liked tempeh better than tofu. I usually saute it, but I bet it would hold together on a grill.

[lucia]

Indian food is often (especially in India) vegetarian, and mostly gluten-free. I'm pescatarian (vegetarian + fish) and my inlaws are Indian, and I've found a lot of inspiration in the kind of foods they cook. Besides that, knowing that most of the people on the continent of India eat this way proves that it can be done in a healthy way. It just takes more work for us. Sounds like you got some good ideas here!

[Skylark]

I almost forgot my favorite vegetarian grilled thing. Portabello mushrooms! I brush them with a gluten-free Italian dressing to keep them from drying out. They grill up with a great texture and you can eat them with cheese and gluten-free bread like a burger if you want.

[twinkle-toez]

I guess I was feeling like, although I have been happy as a vegetarian, I would almost be willing to eat some meat if it meant creating a more well-rounded healthy diet, but if I don't find anything that argues that meat will help my celiac symptoms, then I won't make the switch!

I found myself attempting to buy fish the other day (salmon specifically, which I have never had...) and wasn't able to get passed my own mental block haha.

Thanks Naiiad!

I was a vegetarian, very strict about it too until I had an anorexic relapse this past fall. I re-introduced fish into my diet in January b/c I deemed the protein and essential fatty acids I would reap from it worth my mental discomfort caused by eating it. I've been gluten free for about 5 days now, and in that time I have re-incorporated chicken into my diet. It's weird - it always hurt to eat before, not like, stabbing acute pains, but kind of a dull distended achey feeling - sometimes acidic too. That's completely gone now and now, I actually get hungry!!! Like REALLY hungry. I mean, I would get hungry before, but not like this. I'ts like my body is working properly for the first time in years! Anyway, for me I found that the re-introduction of chicken and the maintenance of fish has been extremely beneficial since I was so heavily reliant on crackers and dairy. If you can handle eating dairy and it doesn't upset your stomach, then that's great! I find dairy too hard right now - I get the acid burn-y feeling when I eat it. So has meat made my celiac symptoms any less, no, I wouldn't say so, but it has made coping with the change in diet much easier... although the transition has been amazingly easy after the hell I put myself through with the 5 day challenge I did. I like you, struggle with the mental aspect of it - I have only told 3 people about my meat re-introduction, and today for the first time I ate meat (chicken) in front of one of them. It wasn't so bad. Uncomfortable at first, but really not so bad.

The one thing that I will point out about animal protein is that it is extremely rich in amino acids, especially the branched chain amino acids (BCAA) which are very key for rebuilding lean tissue. If there was any muscular atrophy caused by your celiac (I'm specifically thinking within the GI tract), then a rich source of BCAA wouldn't hurt - however most commercially available protein powders are extremely rich in BCAA as well, and many of those powders are gluten free.

I feel like I"ve babbled more than I"ve answered your question... sorry... I hope that some meaning can be extracted from my ramblings here...

[sb2178]

There is a hispanic cheese that you can grill too-- queso something (surprise!). My mom used to always make rice burgers with cooked brown rice, egg, PB, sunflower seeds, chili garlic sauce, tamari, and maybe some mustard/ketchup and/or flour (gluten-free) to make it stick together. Bake, freeze, and then you can reheat on foil on the grill.

If you're not eating fish and eggs, I'd be sure that you're eating nuts, ground flaxseeds, and/or taking borage oil for the EFAs.

[fughawzi]

I am about a week and a half into being gluten free and not finding it that difficult at all!

With that said, I have noted that many of the soy alternatives to meat are full of gluten, so I'm wondering about alternatives that are not super expensive at the "whole foods" type stores. I'm 24 and on a pretty strict budget, but want to eat as healthy as possible without lacking protein and fiber.

I eat a lot of beans and lentils, but would like an alternative to tofu that I can grill.

Another thought- has anyone been vegetarian then started eating meat after going gluten free? Just wondering if that has helped with the healing/feeling better process.

Any insight would be awesome! I appreciate everyone's input on this site

I'm a soy, rice, and gluten free vegan and, yes, it can be hard! Luckily, there are a bunch of things like tempeh (check to make sure it's gluten free, some contains barley), Amy's bistro burgers, soy curls, and many other things I can't really think of right now.. I'll let you know if I come up with anything else.

[gf-soph]

I think how you go with introducing meat will depend a lot on your emotional state towards it, but also partly on how long you have been vegetarian.

I am 24 and raised as a vegatarian, I had tried fish as a child and didn't really like it, and had never even tried any other meat.

I went on a very strict elimination diet last year, and as my symptoms were so bad my dietician really wanted me to remove soy and dairy, and I already couldn't tolerate legumes. So to try the diet I ate meat for a short while, about 6 weeks. I was very hard and I found it distressing, especially as I couldn't use pretty much any flavourings to hide the meat in (due to the first diet). I spent a lot of time thinking positive thoughts about the meat to try and replace my first reaction, which was disgust. The first few days were hell as the meat sat in a horrible lump in my stomach, there was too much protein and fat for me and I felt really really ill, I was dry retching a lot and it wasn't just psychological.

The first diet didn't work, so I started on a less restictive one. I am really intolerant to chicken, which I was hoping to use as my main meat source. I did manage to eat a few gluten-free lamb sausages and a little salt and pepper calamri here and there, I just made sure that someone else cooked it (so I didn't have to be around the raw meat) and I had small amounts at a time. About half the time I couldn't get past the first mouthful, of the other half only once or twice did I get close to enjoying the food.

I stopped eating meat pretty soon after that as neither diet was working for me, and I was allowed to go back to dairy and soy. I can't say I want to eat meat again, but I was able to build up a tolerance to eat a little bit here and there when I had to. If you want to, I would recommend building up to it really gradually, as my own experience showed me that I couldn't just digest it no problem as I had been assured. Also, add it to foods you already enjoy, and get someone else to help you prepare it to start with.

Sorry, brain fog today so I think I'm rambling, but I hope that made some sort of sense.

[miles2go]

Hi, I was vegetarian before going gluten-free and since I had lost so much weight, I decided to add meat to my diet. It certainly helped with the weight gain. I went to pescetarian a while ago (dairy, eggs and fish, but I have to be careful with soy and some other beans), so the way that things have translated for me is that when travelling, I will eat meat because I am also really sensitive and plain meat is sometimes the safest choice, but at home things are strictly no meat. Many times I can find vegiac dishes in restaurants. It happens just about as often as I find restaurants where I can't have anything but a salad and a glass of milk.

We grill a lot in the summertime at home and work and my favorite grilling dishes are oiled avocado halves, portobellos and bean burgers that I've made from leftover beans spun in the food processor with a binder and herbs/seaonings. Yves has a gluten-free mushroom burger and I found another one recently from Meredith Farms. Also hobo packs. You can put just about anything in those.

Margaret

[runningcrazy]

I am about a week and a half into being gluten free and not finding it that difficult at all!

With that said, I have noted that many of the soy alternatives to meat are full of gluten, so I'm wondering about alternatives that are not super expensive at the "whole foods" type stores. I'm 24 and on a pretty strict budget, but want to eat as healthy as possible without lacking protein and fiber.

I eat a lot of beans and lentils, but would like an alternative to tofu that I can grill.

Another thought- has anyone been vegetarian then started eating meat after going gluten free? Just wondering if that has helped with the healing/feeling better process.

Any insight would be awesome! I appreciate everyone's input on this site

Im a gluten free,dairy free,vegetarian. There are 3 gluten free 'burgers' I've had:

--Amy's Bistro Burger

--Sunshine Burgers

--Oregon Harvest Veggie Patti (not all are gluten free!)

I prefer tempeh to tofu as well. You can marinate it in anything, i like lemon/herb tempeh!

I dont think its hard being a gluten free vegetarian. Even dairy free. I just plan ahead before going to places(what can i eat there? like at red robin I get the steamed rice and veggies, NO butter, and order it off the gluten free menu, at olive garden I get the marinara rice pasta,etc) or I will get some tea or juice and eat before/after I go. Cooking at home is easy. Last night I made chickpea patties, which were super good. Heres the recipe: Open Original Shared Link

Good luck!

[welshy]

I eat a gluten-free and vegan diet, and find that i actually feel better eating this way. It does take some careful planning but you guys in the US seem to have lots more gluten-free-vegan products that we do over here. I agree with what many others have said; I prefer tempeh over tofu any day. And if you have problems with soya I would just increase your intake of pulses, high-protein grains (such as millet), nuts and seeds. Good luck

[lischro]

I definitely don't want to start eating meat again. It seems like I just need to do some more experimenting! I'm new to tempeh and not familiar with millet...

Does anyone have fun recipes for bean burgers or veggie burgers? I would like a cheap alternative to boca or morningstar (soy burgers that contain lots of wheat gluten).

Thanks! I'm getting excited to grocery shop and re-vamp my vegetarian lifestyle!!

[lischro]

I LOVE chickpeas- thanks so much maceroni!

[RiceGuy]

Seems you're already getting plenty of protein and fiber from legumes. Meat has no fiber, so I think you're doing fine there. Besides, beans are great when you're on a budget, as they are generally much cheaper than meats.

If you grind up legumes (especially lentils), they can make a great burger. However, I don't see that working on a grill. They do work well when pan frying or oven baking though.

Here's a video interview which will have many thinking twice before eating meat:

Open Original Shared Link

Check out the interview on dairy too. That same page also has a video with lots of ideas for preparing beans.

[miles2go]

If you grind up legumes (especially lentils), they can make a great burger. However, I don't see that working on a grill. They do work well when pan frying or oven baking though.

If you freeze the burgers (just until stiff, if you're pressed for time) and make sure the grill is well-greased, they work wonderfully. A grill basket is also a great addition, because you can do smaller stuff with just one flip.

Margaret

[Chakra2]

I've been vegetarian for 19 years and just discovered my gluten issue in the past few months. I added fish and seafood back to my diet 3 years ago when I got pregnant so that my husband could feel comfortable about the baby's nutrition. When I found out after my son was born that I had celiac disease or gluten intolerance, I decided to keep eating fish just to help with my nutrition and healing. I have been interested to read about traditional foods and paleo diets in relation to celiac healing. The Weston A Price Foundation website has info about that. I have not thought about eating meat because I feel okay with just fish for now but their ideas were interesting to me.

Also, after going gluten- free I learned that I still can't digest dairy and am allergic to soy and several nuts. Wow has my diet done a 180!! It has been getting easier and easier though. Good luck making the transition!