Helping you find peace within the chaos of a gluten-free lifestyle
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 …
celiac and weight gain Let’s talk about weight-gain and celiac disease. Weight change, in general, is normal following any life change, including a celiac disease diagnosis. Everyone’s body responds to the healing process differently after their diagnosis; some people might experience larger bodies and other …
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.
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.
There are many reasons why people follow a vegan diet or live a vegan lifestyle.
Some consider a plant-based or vegan diet as a way to better support their health. There is a lot of research out there supporting a plant-focused diet as a way to support multiple health conditions. For instance, plant-based diets have been suggested to help metabolic syndrome, glycemic control, heart health, blood pressure, lipid health (think cholesterol and triglycerides) and more.
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 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 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? 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.
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:
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.
A gluten-free diet means just that, a diet free from gluten.
Gluten is a protein found some grains (remember the acronym BROWS, barley, rye, sometimes oats, wheat, and spelt).
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.
The main reasons would be because of health conditions. Autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s disease often can be managed with a gluten-free diet. On top of that, conditions like non-celiac gluten-sensitivity and celiac disease might require a gluten-free diet as well.
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.
There are several nutrient deficiencies to watch out for when following a gluten-free diet. Here are some common nutrients of concern when following a gluten-free diet that I see:
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.
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:
Vegan foods that aren’t gluten-free to watch out for:
Naturally gluten-free and vegan foods:
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!
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