Coeliac vegans?

[runamy]

Just wondering if there are any fellow coeliacs who are vegan/ trying to become vegan? I was diagnosed with Coeliac disease about 10 years ago and since then its become way easier to find gluten free food in the supermarket and restaurants. I've been veggie for about 5 years which does make it a little trickier (a lot of restaurant staff think I'm mad for having TWO dietary requirements, and god forbid getting plane food that's BOTH GF AND VEGGIE). Anyway just to make life a little harder for myself I've been wanting to go vegan for years but just can't quite seem to manage it. I've given up milk, yogurt and eggs, so really its just cheese that I'm struggling with, but also finding gluten free products that don't contain any dairy or eggs can be a struggle. Has anyone else managed it that can give me some inspiration and encourage me that its do-able? Everyone seems to think I'm mad!

[FFNick]

Have you discussed this change of diet with a dietician? Cutting out dairy might affect your bones and teeth. Milk products can be seen as a by product of animal rearing. Tricky.

There are dairy free and GF recipes out there. Be careful, many see GF and vegan as a lifestyle. A local bistro had one menu marked with dairy free, GF and vegan. There were vegan lists out there.

Best of luck.

[runamy in reply to FFNick]

Thanks for the info! I guess I haven't really considered the calcium aspect which I probably should be thinking about. I remember on diagnosis my dietitian advising me that coeliacs need more calcium in their diet than 'normal' people, but I wonder if that is still as much the case for us in adulthood. Something to ask a dietitian if I can see one anyway...

[Penel]

Coeliac Uk has some advice if you're thinking of going vegan.

coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-...

Calcium remains important throughout our lives, osteoporosis can be a real problem especially as we get older. Lack of B12 may also be problem if you go vegan. It's not the easiest of diets.

It may be best to cook from scratch as much as possible to make sure you're getting all the nutrients you need. There are several sites / books that may be useful. "Deliciously Ella" has some good recipes.

[Ukbusybee]

Hi runamy. I have developed intolerances to wheat/gluten, milk and eggs so I tend to look for a lot of gf and vegan foods as a base for meals. I did see a dietician because I was worried about calcium deficiency but when I went through my food list I was advised that as long as I eat plenty of fruit and veg (particularly things like oranges, broccoli, green leafy veg like spinach, cabbage and kale) and try to buy vegan milk and cheese that is fortified with calcium then I should be fine. I've been a 'meat-eating GF vegan' (haha) for about a year now. I tend to have almond milk or rice milk as cow's milk substitutes and there's plenty of vegan cheese out there to try now. I like the violife brand of coconut based cheeses (the creamy one is a lovely alternative to Philadelphia) but Tesco, Sainsburys and Asda are doing pretty good ones too. Yoghurt alternatives are expensive but I like the big pots of Koko yoghurt, which I flavour with vanilla extract or frozen fruits. If you want recipe ideas for vegan meals I'd really recommend following 'BOSH' on Facebook (if you use it) as they have some amazing vegan recipes! The group Grub Without Gluten also give a lot of recipes that are gf as well as for coeliacs that are df too.

[Ukbusybee]

Forgot to add, gf vegan breads would include the BFree range and Newburn Bakehouse do some gf egg free stuff. Holland & Barrett will be your friend. Try vegantown.com if you want vegan chocolate.

[runamy in reply to Ukbusybee]

Thanks so much for all this info! I'll definitely try some of these out

[FFNick]

Dietician through your GP or another health professional. If you do not know three personally.