What is a gluten-free vegan diet?

There’s a lot of talk about going gluten-free And nowadays vegetable. You’ve probably been the target of ads for some sort of snack or meal delivery service that offers gluten-free vegan diet options — enough to make you wonder if there’s anything to forgoing plain bread and pasta.

If random ads, influencers, and members of your monthly brunch group are cutting out gluten, why wouldn’t you? In reality, there are legitimate medical reasons to eliminate gluten from your diet, but a gluten-free vegan diet may not benefit you unless you are one of those people. Let’s take a look at why someone should go gluten-free, what nutrients you may be missing and what you can eat.

What is a gluten-free vegan diet?

If you follow a gluten-free vegan diet, you don’t eat anything that contains gluten or animal ingredients.

Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, including wheat berries, farro, durum, semolina, spelt, einkorn, Kamut and wheat protein, which is used to make seitan and other types of plant-based meats. Gluten is like a stretchy binder that holds food together. Without it, dough for pizza, bread, flour tortillas, pasta and more would fall apart, although today there are many gluten-free foods that are almost indistinguishable from their gluten counterparts.

Bread and pasta are staple foods for many, but for the estimated two million people in the US with celiac disease, the gluten contained in these foods triggers an immune response. Celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disease in which eating gluten can lead to painful bloating, diarrhea or abdominal pain. Internally, gluten causes the body to attack the villi, the thread-like appendages in the small intestine that aid in the absorption of nutrients.

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According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, if ignored, this condition can lead to a higher risk of coronary artery disease, small bowel cancer, iron deficiency anemia and other autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes. A lifelong gluten-free diet is the only known treatment plan for celiac disease.

You may also avoid gluten due to gluten intolerance, also known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). Eating gluten when you have NCGS may be associated with bloating and abdominal pain, but it is much less aggressive than celiac disease and does not have the same long-term health effects. It is not an allergy or autoimmune disease, and its exact causes are still unknown, but it is estimated to affect six percent of the US population.

If you suspect you have a gluten intolerance, your healthcare provider can perform tests to confirm this, including testing for a wheat allergy and asking you to follow an elimination diet that avoids all gluten. If you have no medical reason to avoid gluten, eliminating gluten from your diet will not provide you with any nutritional benefits.

Complications of a gluten-free vegan diet

The good news is that if you have to avoid gluten, you won’t be depriving yourself of any essential nutrients. But because this is a plant-based diet, it lacks vitamin B12, which is found in meat, eggs and dairy products. This important vitamin is essential for the formation of red blood cells and DNA, as well as for the function and development of brain and nerve cells.

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RELATED: Can a vegan diet help with symptoms of autoimmune diseases?

Vitamin B12 is added to some vegan products, such as fortified cereals, plant-based milks and nutritional yeast, but because this is not the standard, you may need to get your vitamin B12 from supplements.

It is recommended that you consult your doctor or nutritionist before making any major changes to your diet.

What can you eat on a gluten-free vegan diet?

Figuring out what’s okay to eat on a gluten-free vegan diet is less complicated than understanding what falls under the umbrella of keto or paleo. It may sound like going gluten-free is about cutting out carbohydrates that provide your body with the energy it needs to navigate through life, but there are plenty of high-carb foods that are fine to eat.

All you have to do is avoid animal products and anything with gluten. It can be tricky to find certain things (a gluten-free vegan pizza you like, for example), but there are fairly few restrictions, except in serious cases where you need to avoid foods that aren’t made in a dedicated gluten-free environment.

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While not an exhaustive list, below is a general idea of ​​gluten-free, vegan foods:

Alliums: Onions, garlic, shallots, chives, green onion, leek
Chili Peppers: Bird’s eye, Korean hot peppers, serranos, jalapeños, Kashmiri, Anaheim, poblano, Scotch bonnet, habanero, gochugaru, red pepper flakes, chili powders
Drinks: Coffee, tea, juice, kombucha, wine, most cider, coconut water, water
Fresh herbs: Basil, coriander, parsley, oregano, curry leaves, perilla, rosemary, thyme
Fruits: Apples, bananas, berries, melons, oranges, grapes, peaches, pears, lemon, lime
Legumes: Beans, lentils, peas, peanuts, edamame
Mushrooms: Button, portobello, shiitake, enoki, maitake, oyster, king oyster
Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, linseed
Oils: Canola oil, extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil, sesame oil, avocado oil
Vegetable proteins: Tofu, tempeh, gluten-free vegan meat
Tubers: Potatoes, yams, jicama
Vegan cheese: Anything certified gluten-free most should be
Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, cabbage, leafy greens, sea vegetables
Whole and ground herbs: Black pepper, cumin, coriander, allspice, turmeric, paprika, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
Whole grain: Oats, rice, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, teff, corn, sorghum

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Packaged gluten-free foods are also fair game. These include gluten-free bread, wraps, pizza, pasta, 100 percent buckwheat soba, cereals, snacks, sweets and chocolate. Most vinegars, miso paste, tamari and many sauces are gluten-free.

Look for something that is certified gluten-free, which means the product was made in a special factory to avoid the risk of cross-contamination. This is safe for people who have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten intolerance. Sometimes even naturally gluten-free foods can cause a reaction in people if they are produced on shared equipment with gluten-containing ingredients. For example, some oats are not considered gluten-free because of this.

What can’t you eat on a gluten-free vegan diet?

Gluten is quite common in foods, especially in restaurants, but otherwise there are no other major restrictions. Here is a general list of what to avoid on a gluten-free vegan diet:

Animal products: Meat, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, honey
Drinks: Beer, ale, lager, stout, plus whiskey, bourbon and gin made from wheat, barley or rye
Grains and flour: Wheat berries, barley, farro, rye, spelt, flour, semolina, durum
Packaged foods: Bread, bagels, pasta, wraps, cereal, frozen waffles, flour tortillas, pizza, pasta, ramen, udon, croutons, certain vegan meats
Snacks: Pretzels, pita bread, crackers, cookies
Sauces: Soy sauce, barbecue sauce, salad dressing, roux-based sauces

Please note: if you have celiac disease, NCGS or a wheat allergy, always read the ingredients list to ensure that a product is completely free of traces of gluten.