I am not a gluten-free vegan. Though, dear readers, that’s not really a surprise, is it? I haven’t met a piece of seitan (hello, vital wheat gluten) that I didn’t love and nearly all of the bread I make is with wheat or other glutenous flours.

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I often receive emails from readers who request that I make more gluten-free recipes and / or to indicate when my recipes are gluten-free. The truth of the matter is that any gluten-free recipes on this blog are accidental! When I first started baking bread I complained about how “short” and dense my loaf of Italian Buckwheat Bread came out – and a reader pointed out a I had made a gluten-free bread.

Oops, not on purpose!

In the same why that I explained why so many of my recipes use a rice or pressure cooker, I thought I’d share my thoughts on a gluten-free diet.

Last year I read and reviewed the book Vegan for Life, by Virginia Messina (you know her as Ginny, The Vegan RD) and Jack Norris. Both are registered dietitians. I consider this book my vegan bible. I’ve learned so much about nutrition and living a healthy, easy, accessible vegan life. With Ginny’s permission, I want to share their thoughts on gluten-free diets.

A gluten-free diet is an absolute necessity for those who have celiac disease, a permanent intolerance to gluten. But this autoimmune disease affects only 1 percent of the population. That means that most vegans have no reason to eliminate gluten from their diets. In fact, some research suggest that gluten-free diets are associated with reductions in levels of beneficial gut bacteria and increased levels of harmful microbes. For those who don’t have celiac disease, it may be beneficial to include some gluten in their diet. (Of course, hose who have allergies, including non-celiac wheat allergy, need to adjust their diets accordingly.) Promoting these additional restrictions that have no known health advantage for most people doesn’t do anything to helps animals or promote vegan diets. To the contrary, it creates an image of vegan diets that make them look more difficult and less appealing. If we want others to follow our lead in adopting more compassionate foods choices, it makes sense to avoid unnecessary restrictions and make vegan diets as accessible as possible.

This is essentially my own philosophy when it comes to gluten-free diets. If you aren’t celiac or have an aversion to wheat, why eliminate it from your diet?

To be fair, I turned to an author and friend I trust immensely, Ricki Heller. Ricki writes the blog Diet, Dessert and Dogs (love!) and wrote the Vegan 101 post Vegan Baking Made Easy. I asked for her opinion on the matter.

Gluten Free: Is it for You? Even for those of us not diagnosed with celiac disease, there may be compelling reasons to avoid gluten. Most people can tell fairly quickly whether or not they feel better cutting gluten from their diets, and simply follow the message from their bodies. For others, if they’re tested after being on a gluten-free diet for some time, blood tests may come back negative for celiac: the test requires the subject to actually eat gluten, which would prompt their immune system to produce auto-immune antibodies, the marker of the disease. The only entirely reliable test for celiac is an intestinal biopsy (ouch). On the other hand, people with a condition called leaky gut (or intestinal permeability) may experience a negative reaction to gluten as well. Overconsumption of wheat, sugar or medications, or even exposure to toxins and stress can all contribute to the condition by damaging the lining of the intestines. In effect, the intestinal wall (the cells of which I imagine like a very fine fishnet) suffers a “rip” in its normal fabric, so that partially digested food particles, usually too large to pass through, are able to enter the bloodstream where they cause an alarm reaction in the immune system—much like an allergic reaction. In these cases, the reaction is delayed until the offending foods actually pass through the intestines—sometimes two or three days after ingestion. Whether it’s immediate or delayed, symptoms associated with gluten sensitivity such as pain, bloating or nausea can be distressing and debilitating. If you find yourself constantly bloated or gassy after a wheat-heavy meal, you may be sensitive to gluten. Try a gluten-free diet for a week or so and see if it helps. In my case, it’s made all the difference! Some blogs I turn to for great vegan and gluten-free recipes: Choosing Raw: Mostly raw recipes with some cooked foods; plus a collection of knowledgeable, articulate articles about food, nutrition, body image and more. Manifest Vegan Creative and beautifully photographed vegan and gluten-free recipes. She Let Them Eat Cake Some amazing desserts and all kinds of baked goods, made with every type of gluten-free flour or approach you can imagine. Welcoming Kitchen: The author of the cookbook of the same name both provide a wealth of gluten-free vegan recipes that are also kid-friendly. Xgfx.org The site for all things vegan and gluten-free. There’s also a resource page with lists of other vegan and gluten-free blogs! Diet, Dessert and Dogs: My blog, where I post recipes that are vegan, gluten-free and low glycemic (free of all refined sugars). Plus bonus comments from my dogs! 😉

I admire Ginny and Ricki immensely and appreciate both of their opinions on the matter.

As for me, I will continue to consume gluten as I have no reason to believe it is harming me.

What are your thoughts on gluten-free diets?

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Over the next week or so I will be reviewing three dairy-free / gluten-free cookbooks and will be giving two of them away! Stay tuned for the first review + giveaway!