The holidays are full of long days with family, good food, and for people with celiac disease, they are often full of anxiety. Worry creeps in, “will I be able to eat anything?” you wonder. Will Aunt Martha be offended again when I remind her …
Let’s talk about weight-gain and celiac disease. Weight change, in general, is normal following a celiac disease diagnosis. Everyone’s body responds to the healing process differently after their diagnosis. Some people might gain weight on a gluten-free diet, and some people might lose weight. Again, …
Whether you’re following a vegan diet and have to go gluten-free, or you’re living gluten-free and are considering a vegan diet, this post is for you. Concerns and considerations are discussed in this post to help people have a better understanding of what following a gluten-free vegan diet might look like.
Defining a Vegan Diet
A vegan diet is considered to be a diet that excludes all animal products, not to be confused with a plant-based diet. Some people often take it even further and refuse to use any product sourced from animals. This means that those following a vegan diet only eat food from plants and nothing from animals. Meaning, no dairy, no meat, lard, and more.
Some reasons why people follow a vegan diet:
There are many reasons why people follow a vegan diet or live a vegan lifestyle.
It’s important to note that when considering making big changes to your diet, like eliminating all or limiting most animal products, you should always consult your doctor or a dietitian if possible. Just like there is no one size fits all for clothes, there is no one diet that fits all in nutrition.
A Vegan Diet for Sustainability
A vegan diet is often touted for its environmental friendliness. Research suggests that a vegan diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, it’s also suggested that a flexitarian diet or a vegetarian diet can have similar impacts with less nutrient deficiency concerns. So if you’re considering a vegan diet to support the environment, you might consider other plant-focused eating habits as well. Again, a dietitian can help you figure out what’s right for you!
A Vegan Diet to Prevent Animal Cruelty
A lot of people go vegan to prevent the exploitation of animals. A lot of people take the route of veganism to stand against animal cruelty.
Is a vegan diet gluten-free?
Is a vegan diet gluten-free? No! If someone says that they are vegan, that does not mean they are gluten-free. The same goes for the opposite, if someone says they are gluten-free, that does not mean they are vegan. I can’t tell you how often people get the two confused.
Again, people who are vegan don’t eat animal products, gluten is not an animal product, thus it’s not restricted in a vegan diet. The same goes for those who need to eat gluten-free, gluten is a plant, and thus vegan food does not automatically equal gluten-free food.
Nutrient Deficiencies and a Vegan Diet
When removing any food group or most of any food group, nutrient deficiencies can always be a concern. In this case, when you remove all animal produts there are some nutrients people should be aware of that might not be as abundant as they’d be in a normal diet.
Some of the nutrients of concern include:
Zinc
Vitamin D
Vitamin B12
Calcium
Again, this is a reason why working with a dietitian is important. A dietitian can help you determine what diet is best for you and how to balance is appropriately so you’re not missing any key nutrients.
Defining a Gluten-Free Diet
A gluten-free diet means just that, a diet free from gluten.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein found some grains (remember the acronym BROWS, barley, rye, sometimes oats, wheat, and spelt).
Some reasons why people follow a gluten-free diet:
Just like there are a variety of reasons as to why someone might consider a vegan diet, there are a lot of reasons why someone might need a gluten-free diet.
Make sure you ALWAYS consult your doctor and dietitian before removing gluten from your diet. Going gluten-free before testing for certain conditions can impair your ability to be diagnosed for things like Celiac, in the future.
You can check out my post all about 5 Common Gluten-Free Diet Nutrient Deficiencies if you want to learn more about these nutrients and why there’s a risk of deficiency.
Tips on following a balanced gluten-free and vegan diet
Above I explored both a vegan and gluten-free diet. Hopefully, now you have a solid understanding of both. So if we compare the nutrients of concerns of both we can gain some insight on nutrients that someone considering a gluten-free and vegan diet might want to focus on.
Nutrients to be mindful of on a Gluten-Free and Vegan Diet:
Hopefully, by the end of this post, you feel like you have a better understanding of a gluten-free and vegan diet. If you have any questions, go ahead and comment below or contact me!