Stepaniak - Gluten-free tips and tricks for vegans: all the fab food you thought you couldnt eat

FOR VEGANS

ALL THE FAB FOOD YOU THOUGHT YOU COULDNT EAT

Jo Stepaniak, MSEd

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Stepaniak, Joanne, author.

Title: Gluten-free and vegan : what to eat when you cant eat gluten / Jo Stepaniak, MSEd.

Description: Summertown, Tennessee : Book Publishing Company, [2016] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015036705| ISBN 9781570673313 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781570678615 (e-book)

Subjects: LCSH: Gluten-free diet. | Veganism. | Gluten-free diet--Recipes. | Vegan cooking.

Classification: LCC RM237.86 S745 2016 | DDC 641.5/636--dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015036705

We chose to print this title on sustainably harvested paper stock certified by The Forest Stewardship Council, an independent auditor of responsible forestry practices. For more information, visit https://us.fsc.org.

2016 Jo Stepaniak

Book Publishing Company

PO Box 99

Summertown, TN 38483

888-260-8458

bookpubco.com

ISBN: 978-1-57067-331-3

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Disclaimer: The information in this book is presented for educational purposes only. It isnt intended to be a substitute for the medical advice of a physician, dietitian, or other health care professional.

Going gluten-free is among the hottest new dietary crazes of the twenty-first century, and vegans havent been immune to it. The trend has resulted in a resounding response from food manufacturers eager to ride the latest culinary wave and reap the financial rewards of catering to a rapidly growing segment of fashion-forward foodies.

Although for some vegans avoiding gluten is a choicea way to participate in the trendiest diet du jourfor many others its a vital necessity, and for some people its even a matter of life and death. While there are indeed health benefits for people who are forced to abandon gluten because of a true intolerance to it, omitting something this ubiquitous can be overwhelming and life changing. So for everyone else, its crucial to know that giving up gluten can mean unnecessarily cutting out important sources of nutrients.

Even though a gluten-free diet is recommended by some health practitioners for certain conditions unrelated to overt gluten sensitivity, such as autism spectrum disorders, please be aware that ditching gluten isnt a fast track to weight loss or a cure for chronic diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Its always a good idea to check with your health care provider before embarking on any diet that would entail eliminating broad categories of foods.

This is particularly significant for vegans, especially newbies. Thats because moving to a gluten-free diet entails not only adopting an entirely new way of eating but also learning which additional foods, ingredients, and situations must be avoided, beyond those that arent suitable for vegans in general. It can be scary and overwhelming.

This book provides an overview of the reasons many people have given gluten the heave-ho. It also covers the basics of celiac disease and gluten intolerance, how vegans can make the leap to a gluten-free diet, what to look out for when shopping, and how to stay safe when dining out. In addition, youll find tips on gluten-free vegan cooking and baking, along with a slew of easy, delicious recipes to get you joyfully started on the right track... and stay there.

Approximately one in 133 Americans suffers from celiac disease, also known as coeliac disease, celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy. An estimated eighteen million Americans have a sensitivity to gluten, and three million Americans have celiac disease. Unfortunately, most of these people live unaware of the disease and remain undiagnosed. In fact, it has been estimated that 95 percent of people with celiac disease dont know they have it.

Gluten is one of the primary proteins found in wheat and the various strains related to wheat, such as einkorn, emmer, Kamut, triticale (a grain thats a cross between wheat and rye), and spelt. Its also prevalent in barley and rye. Gluten gives bread its elasticity and helps baked goods retain their shape. For people with celiac disease, eating a food or even crumbs of food containing gluten leads to a wide array of adverse symptoms ranging from general discomfort to malnutrition and, in children, failure to grow. Wheat, barley, and rye are the primary but not only grains that people with celiac disease must avoid. They ).

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that can occur in genetically predisposed individuals. For people with celiac disease, the ingestion of gluten mounts an immune response in the body that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage of the villi, the small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine and that promote nutrient absorption. When this structural damage occurs, nutrients cant be absorbed properly into the body, and this typically leads to malnutrition and related complications.

Celiac disease can develop at any age, but it will only occur after a person begins ingesting foods or medicines that contain gluten. If celiac disease remains untreated, it can potentially lead to or may be associated with additional serious health problems, including anemia, dermatitis herpetiformis (a skin manifestation of celiac disease that results in itchy bumps or blisters that resemble herpes lesions), early-onset osteoporosis or osteopenia, epilepsy, infertility, intestinal lymphomas and other gastrointestinal cancers, migraine headaches, miscarriage, multiple sclerosis, other autoimmune disorders, pancreatic insufficiency, type I diabetes, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

People diagnosed with celiac disease will experience various combinations of symptoms and levels of severity. Many of these symptoms tend to mimic those of other illnesses, such as Crohns disease, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and ulcerative colitis. Consequently, its not surprising to learn that people often live with the disease for a long time before a correct diagnosis is made.

Because the disease originates in the small intestine, which is where we absorb much-needed nutrients from food, celiac disease can wreak havoc on our health. Beyond nutritional deficiencies and digestive issues, such as abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea, a wide range of additional symptoms could result. A few of the possible consequences of untreated celiac disease include the following: anxiety, bone and joint pain, depression, fatigue, hair loss, infertility, migraine headaches, muscle wasting, neurological manifestations, skin rashes, and unintentional weight loss.