My Gluten-free Vegan Manifesto
by LilMissMountainMaven
When I tell folks I am gluten free and vegan (I suppose the more appropriate verbage would be “practice gluten-free veganism” as to not define myself), I sense that they also hear the following addendum:
You are unlike me, so I judge you. Your omnivorous appetite exemplifies your sadistic attitude towards animals. Your gluten ingestion signifies both your disdain for your own personal health and your proclivity to succumbing to the succubi of that most evil of pliable protein substances.
Wow. Pretty loaded statements, am I right? And they are about as accurate as claiming that Dolly Parton has a boyish figure.
I chose to follow the GF vegan lifestyle because it is what my body demands of me at this point in time. I went GF on New Year’s Day, as I had been experiencing digestive issues and figured I may as well give it a try. I had tried GFreedom a few years ago, which ended in a disastrous night of nonstop projectile vomiting (and I have only vomited three other times in my life, once as a baby and twice during college during the stage when I drank to get drunk, nuff said; I am not a puker) due to a GF bagel, but I went about it the wrong way: instead of emphasizing whole foods (vegetables, fruit, and rice/quinoa) I simply stocked up on the current wave of GF foods now making a presence on grocery store shelves: GF bagels/cookies/chips. Not exactly ideal. Again, not saying that is the “wrong way” (let’s refrain from assigning moral values to food please, leads to all sorts of issues and I believe is also contributing to the nation’s current situation with health and diabetes), it just wasn’t and isn’t right for *my* body.
That being said, I do find the eco-friendiness (as I support a CSA, thus eating locally and seasonally) side effect of following a vegan lifestyle to be an added bonus. Therefore I support those who choose to follow a vegan lifestyle on account of their ethics concerning animals.
However, I find that the subject of food occupies a peculiar niche within current American society. It is simultaneously a very personal thing and a very social social thing. My choice of diet is very personal. I would be lying if I said I don’t sometimes miss being able to eat things like pizza and popovers and scones, and being able to get some Ben and Jerry’s with my friends. I don’t miss them too much, but I do sometimes (especially when the scents of baked sugariness wafts over to Fleet Feet . . . daggum you Breadworks!). Not to mention the anxiety of going out to eat with friends (dates? I have learned to try as best as I can to avoid meals as dates unless I’ve been dating someone for a while!) and feeling like a total spaz when inquiring the server about GF vegan options and sussing out the potential for cross contamination. I also feel awkward when I have to ask roommates to not be careless when they make things like pancakes, as seeing the flour form clouds over their stirring bowls and land on our shared cooking surfaces honestly freaks me out a little bit because I know what happens when I am exposed to gluten: my digestive system stops functioning and my body subsists in a severely wilted state for at least a day or two. I read a woman’s blog, and she framed it in a way that I completely empathized with: she shared that as someone with Celiac disease, gluten, for her, is poison. Some may see that as hyperbole, but it’s not unlike sugar for those with Type 1 diabetes, or peanuts or bee stings for those severely allergic to either of those.
I also don’t revel in GFreedom and put myself on a pedestal because of it. To be perfectly honest, needing to follow such a lifestyle on account of how gluten affects my body can not only be frustrating due to the social aspects, but also completely sucks when my digestion acts up due to exposure. Feeling a lack of control over one’s body and feeling like it is, in fact, the enemy is a terrible feeling that no one deserves. Yet I have observed that a number of people, not having personal experience with a similar sensitivity, have almost antagonistic attitudes towards the need to amend their habits to allow some of us to participate in certain activities without fear of feeling terrible. A prime example: this past summer, I rejoined the staff of an excellent summer camp that instructs children in activities such as kayaking, mountain biking, and rock climbing while also emphasizing the principles of Leave No Trace. Near the conclusion of the summer, there was a camper with severe peanut and other food allergies that has been unable to participate in “normal” kid group summertime activities due to those allergies. In preparation, his parents not only held meetings with the staff and directors, but they also supplied snacks in order to create as safe an environment as possible for their son. And what was the reaction of some of those staff members? Saying that the parents were being excessive. Groaning and rolling their eyes when saying they had to stay for a meeting with the parents. I am not meaning to imply that these staff members are heartless, I simply think they lack understanding for the situation.
So yes, back to food’s unique role in society. While it is supremely personal, it is also tightly woven in our social fabric. Special event? Food is a centerpiece (weddings, birthday parties, holidays, etc etc etc). Simple gatherings of friends. Schools and extracurriculars. When someone’s dietary needs deviate from the majority, they do not go unnoticed. I simply hope we can reach a point at which we recognize that food’s core responsibility is to nourish our bodies and therefore help us live happily and healthily, and that every body has unique needs with regard to that nourishment.
Lastly, I want to emphasize that this point is not meant to arouse any sort of pity. I do truly enjoy GF veganism! (And it’s fun to play around with baking recipes to make them GF and vegan!) I simply hope to enhance others’ understanding of such dietary needs as well as remind them that one person’s dietary choices are personal to them, not an attack on others. So if your reply when I tell you I am GF and vegan is “I could never live without red meat!” I will in turn respond “I’m glad that it works so well with your body. Have you ever tried buffalo steak with rosemary?”
P.S. No flame wars please. I am trying to foster community and understanding, not detract from it, thanks!
Glad you found a diet that helps and heals!! I originally went vegan because of lactose-intolerance issues with dairy, an egg allergy, severe IBS with beef/pork and an insane episode of food poisoning from seafood in Thailand- my journey continues… I’m still finding myself when it comes to my food/diet (i added poultry/fish for a couple of months this summer) but I have learned that I’m the only person who is going to care what I consume and if that makes me a pain, socially, so be it!! I also found that by “hosting” dinner parties and potlucks I can control the type of food I prepare/serve without having to force someone else out of their comfort zone! I could care less about any judgement issues people may have with the way I eat- and I used to feel sorry for myself but with all the awesome energy/health I’ve gained I now feel sorry for those who can’t/won’t even try to consider my diet as an option to better their own health!
I am about 50 days into an 84 day candida detox- i’ve learned more about myself in the last 50 days and find it enlightening as I approach my 30th birthday-
. Because of this detox, I am now transitioning into a raw food diet. I discovered with all the candida issues, I allowed cravings to drive my food choices which left me under-nourished and over-fed!!
This time of year 3 years ago- I topped out the scales at 184 lbs, I was just starting to refuse SEVERAL types of prescription drugs that were causing all kinds of side effects/issues… I rarely made it out of bed before noon- and was in extreme physical and emotional pain. Today, 60 lbs (!!!) lighter, toned, and physically active, I’ve learned how to control (with my strict diet/sleep/exercise routine) a chronic illness that 3 years ago, promised to keep me bedridden for the rest of my life. So with that being said- I just kind of smile when someone responds with, “oh I gotta have my bacon!!!” I smile because I used to be that person and in my heart I hope they one day can give up the bacon too. I believe in living and leading by example and hope to inspire others to learn to LIVE- and that certainly starts with the focus that food is meant to nourish us- not slowly kill us with chronic illnesses and poor quality of life!!
You go girl!!
~Larrah
ps- maybe send me some ideas/recipes on good pre-during-post race treats? What works best for you? I haven’t amped my distance too high yet but need to start experimenting on training runs! Thanks
Hey Larrah! I started out with lactose issues as well (apparently I used to throw my cups of milk across the room when I was a toddler!) And yeah, I don’t feel sorry for myself due to what I can’t have because I too feel fabulous and get to experiment with fresh veggie deliciousness!
As for race nutrition, I will be writing a post dedicated to it, but I have found that the Vega line by Brendan Brazier works really well for me. It’s all gluten free and vegan, based on hemp and rice proteins but some blends incorporate maca root powder and chlorella (the which is what I use as my post run protein) and some include rhodiola and witch’s claw (the pre-race/pre-workout stuff) I had tried another rice protein that worked pretty well too, I’ll include that in the real post! I also use a lot of whole foods, like frozen blueberries and GF tortillas before longer races, or apples or figs. It’s all about experimenting during workouts leading up to the race so you have what works for YOUR body figured out by race day:)
Love it, very eloquent and honest. Have you been diagnosed with celiac?
Like you, I do my best to avoid coming across as self-righteous at all about my choices — any choices I have made. For example, Zen Buddhism turns out to work for me in terms of helping me find inner peace and mental clarity far easier than anything else I have been exposed to. Yet I recognize that other spiritual traditions work better for others based on upbringing and culture, etc. I do like the outlook of not focusing on being ‘pure’ (vegan, Buddhist, whatever) but rather on doing the best that one can with what one has where one exists. Not long ago, I gave GF a shot (chiefly to support my s.o. at the time, who it turns out is likely orthorexic/anorexic, but that is a whole other topic unto itself) and came around to understanding that while gluten causes inflammation to different degrees for any human body, if gluten does not cause me acute symptoms with even minor exposure then it would likely be more constructive for me to strive towards gluten-reduced — looking for opportunities to cut out gluten while at the same time not making myself too unhappy with the process.
I approach veganism similarly, I stick to it consciously yet if a server at a restaurant brings out my meal with some cheese on it even though I attempted to be clear that I wanted dairy left off then I will simply accept it. The dairy is essentially already consumed at that point and sending the meal back to be remade sans the cheese would simply result in waste. Granted, these are items that do not cause me significant g-i distress so it is a little different if a server were to bring you a sandwich instead of a GF wrap. As indicated above, it is a process. One becomes aware of challenges (or opportunities) along the way. Like with the social eating situations, I simply accept that if I am going out with amigos that I should 1) choose the restaurant so I know I will have acceptable options, 2) investigate the menu for acceptable options if it is not a restaurant of my choosing, 3) eat something before if there are few acceptable options and simply have a vegan app and a drink when I get there.
Anyway, enough out of me. I presume you have also tried various probiotics?
Just out of curiosity, what do you do for iron? I know you put in a fair bit of volume, so along with the iron you lose during shark week, you’re also looking at footstrike hemolysis (how’s that for medical terms and very non-medical terms being thrown into one sentence?). Looks like you’re running pretty well now, so obviously your ferritin must be pretty normal. I know if I don’t keep up with the red meat, my performance starts to tank, iron supplements (either ferrous sulfate or ferrous fumarate) or not. I don’t know if you remember when my ferritin dropped to 7 that one fall (it was the same fall I pulled out of the Denver Marathon because I couldn’t manage much faster than 90 second 400s), but that was a result of not getting heme iron. Do you supplement (and if so, with what?) or has your body just gotten really good at absorbing from non-heme iron sources like leafy greens, beets, etc? It’s always something I’m curious about, since while I do like red meat and shellfish, it would be nice to have alternative sources of iron too.
Glad to hear you found something that worked for you, btw. I remember hearing you talk about your first gluten-free excursion. Ha! I’m surprised you tried it again. Good for you for figuring out what works for your body though.
I use Vitanica (the brand made by Dr. Torie Hudson, a naturopathic doctor in PDX) Iron Extra, which has a bunch of iron and also lots o Vit C and Vit B12. I also take a Vit B complex and calcium post run (the iron is pre run, separate the two because they inhibit each other’s absorption, and also I have green tea after running, which also affects iron absorption). I think my iron was in the single digits too before I started taking IE. However, from talking to other vegan athletes (like Brandon Brazier, the guy who makes Vega), the body does do well with absorbing nutrients from plant sources, AND when they are derived from plants, they don’t inhibit each other as much (case in point: the iron and calcium in spinach). I’ll probably be posting about nutrition soon, too, so I’ll go more into detail then! And yeah, the last time I went GF, I totally went the wrong way, the processed/storebought GF route (GF cookies! The evil GF bagels that did the experiment in!) Training for anything in particular right now?
Oh nice, I’m sure the Vitamin C helps with the absorption too. I don’t know why my body did so poorly with absorbing plant-based iron…I guess it’s possible I was just using it faster than I could eat it.
No training right now, I had surgery to repair a torn tendon in my ankle over the summer, so I’ve been rehabbing.