Are you a gluten Free Vegan or Vegetarian?

"Can I be a gluten free vegan?" is a question I am often asked. Sometimes the query comes from someone who has just been diagnosed with coeliac disease and wants to continue their vegan or vegetarian way of life. Others want to know if they can change to a vegetarian life-style even though they have to stick to a gluten free diet.

Vegan or Vegetarian?

There is no reason why you cannot be a gluten free vegan or vegetarian. Let me start by explaining the difference between the two definitions.

A vegetarian refrains from eating meat, poultry, game, fish or shellfish, either on moral, environmental or religious grounds.

A vegan, on the other hand, will not eat or wear anything of animal origin. This includes those foodstuffs mentioned above but also eggs, milk, gelatin, honey, animal fats, and rennet. If you are a vegan the idea of killing something and eating or wearing any part of the animal is morally wrong.

What can a gluten free vegan eat?

If you need to follow a gluten free diet there are a number of wheat, barley or rye based foods containing gluten that the coeliac vegan must not eat. photograph of dried beans

Cereals are an important part of the vegan diet as they provide energy and some protein. However, there are alternative grains and starches that can be used for gluten free bread and other baked goods.

The gluten free food list includes:

  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Pulses/legumes
  • Rice, nut or soya milk
  • Tofu

Starting a gluten free vegan diet

If you have been a vegan for quite some time, and have just been diagnosed with coeliac/celiac then you need to learn how to substitute gluten free grains for the more common wheat, rye and barley. Also you may need to beware of foods made from HVP (hydrolised vegetable protein) as they could contain gluten. You probably already steer clear of highly processed foods or ready meals and eat healthy whole or raw foods.

If, however, you have been following a gluten free diet and decide to become a vegan or vegetarian you will need to make quite a few changes to your diet. It is wise to ask for advice from your dietitian before making the change. I would also recommend you take things slowly and start by just cutting out red meat from your diet. Then move on to removing poultry and fish.

Pulses (check out the tasty recipe for mexican dip), vegetables and grains contain enough protein to replace that which you used to obtain through eating meat.


You can replace cow or goats milk with soy, rice or nut milks. Try to pick ones that have added calcium. Avoid Rice Dream as the manufacturer uses barley to polish the rice, rendering it non gluten free.

Eggs, in addition to their value as a protein food, were also useful for binding and adding moisture to your food. Alternatives include flax seed, arrowroot, apple sauce or commercial egg replacer.

Flaxseed mix to replace eggs

Grind 3 teaspoons flax seeds in a coffee grinder and whisk into boiling water. After leaving it to stand for 5 minutes use as a substitute for eggs in baking.

Health benefits of becoming a gluten free vegan

If you have been diagnosed with coeliac, sticking to a rigid gluten free diet for life is the only thing that will help you to recover.

There are health advantages to becoming a vegan in addition to this. A vegan diet is low in fat and higher in fibre than a "normal" diet, which helps to reduce obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure. It can also help you to avoid certain bowel cancers, a disease that undiagnosed coeliacs are more at risk of than the general population. Reducing your chances of diet related diabetes is also important as type 2 diabetes often goes hand in hand with coeliac.

If you have decided that becoming a gluten free vegan or vegetarian is the way forward for you, please remember to contact your dietitian first. Then you can look forward to a healthier way of life.

For more information . . .

For a crash course on vegan cooking and nutrition visit Sassy, at the Vegan Coach. You'll learn the ins and outs of putting a vegan meal together without recipes, including food selection, cleaning and preparation tips, cooking techniques, and Vegan Flavor Matches which makes whipping up a delectable vegan dish easy and fun.

For more information about the vegan and vegetarian diets the vegetarian hub is also a useful place to visit.

You may also find the free Gluten free vegan cookbooks that can be downloaded from vitalita.com useful. They were developed by a professional chef and include some wonderful recipes. The books are in pdf format and contain over 300 pages so may take a while to download. Enjoy!


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Copyright© 2007. Please note I am not a doctor, just a fellow sufferer of coeliac disease.
Therefore no information on this site should be taken as medical advice.
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