Vegetarian Food Guide with respect to Allergy sufferers, is it possible to be a food allergy sufferer and a vegetarian?
Is it possible to be a food allergy sufferer AND a vegetarian? This is a question many more people are asking these days especially in light of Mad Cow Disease and the more recent outbreak of Hoof and Mouth Disease in Europe. The answer, unfortunately, is 'it depends'.
It depends on what you are allergic too, how severe your reaction is, and on whether or not you are truly willing to fully exchange your current lifestyle for a new one.
Firstly, a vegetarian lifestyle is not just about eating vegetables in place of meats. It is important to know which foods belong to which food group, which contain necessary nutrients and which are deficient. For example, nuts and seeds can be very high in calcium BUT they are also often high in fat as well. Many vegetarians suffer from low iron levels and some are deficient in some of the B vitamins.
Portion size also is important. You may have heard that rice is a complete protein, it is balanced, and that in some countries people live well on rice. However, in North America, we have a tendency to eat white rice, instead of the more healthy brown or wild rice varieties, and this leads us to consume more starch or carbohydrates without the same amount of protein to balance it.
The same could be said for a reliance on whole wheat pastas or breads, and cereal grains. All the food that we take into our bodies is broken down into sugars for use in the cells. The closer the food is to sugar, the faster it can be utilized. Extraneous calories are turned into fats or cholesterol by the liver, which is either stored or used in the process of "fasting" so that food remains available to the cells during the overnight period. Therefore, from this type of diet it would seem then, that the more extra calories we take from carbohydrates, the more fat stores we are likely to produce even on a vegetarian diet.
Self-education is the place to start. To begin, research into what exactly comprises a vegetarian diet is essential. You may wish to take this one step further and pursue a vegan regime which does not include any animal products at all, milk, eggs, cheese, etc. If you do choose this option, you will have to plan carefully to make sure you get calcium, iron, and several other vitamins from sources other than milk products.
Typically the vegan diet uses gluten (the protein in wheat, rye, barley, spelt, triticale and kamut), soy, beans, seeds and nuts to replace animal proteins. Unfortunately, this list also contains three of the top 8 allergens in North America.
If you suffer an allergy to gluten, you still have several choices for protein replacement in your vegan diet. If you are allergic to gluten and soy, you can get by with beans and nuts. But if nuts or legumes are also a problem, your protein choices become pretty restricted and you may wish to consider whether some form of dairy product is appropriate in your new regime. If bovine products are a difficulty for you, you may wish to explore goat or sheep products instead. Bear in mind, though, that traditional immunology theory says that the protein in goat, sheep, and cow's milk is too similar to really make a difference to the body, and most who are allergic to one, are unable to tolerate the others. As well, if your decision is based on humane issues or animals diseases, then this may not make a difference to you.
As well, if you are gluten and dairy allergic you will have other choice restrictions in both the cereal and milk alternatives. The cereals issue is important as a good portion of the necessary dietary fibre comes from this category, but if you experiment, you should be able to find other grains that you enjoy like buckwheat (a rhubarb family member not related to wheat), quinoa (an herb seed), millet (most commonly recognized as that little seed in the bird food), or corn. All of these grains can be made into a variety of dishes from hot cereal in the morning to flour for breads and cakes to compliments in soups. As well, portions of dietary fibre can be recouped from the use of beans and flours to be used in breads and muffins. Whole, well-washed, unpeeled vegetables and fruits may also help maintain an optimum level of dietary fibre.
Alternatives to dairy products do not fulfill the same nutrient role so, while they are easily available (in the form of rice, coconut, potato or nut milks), you will have to be careful to take those nutrients from other sources as well. Soy drink is a good source of calcium without the accompanying fats in cow milk products, and is now being fortified with Vitamin D. A word of warning here too, is that not all Vitamin D is created equal, and the Vitamin D used in enriching cow's milk products is usually derived from an animal source like pig skin, beef skin, or pig brains. The Vitamin D used to enhance soy milk is taken from yeast exposed to ultra violet light and is termed Vitamin D-2. Ideally, since the body is generally adept at manufacturing it's own D from exposure to the sun, most people do not need this supplementation, but the additive is routinely included in the milk products. If you are attempting a vegan lifestyle, you will want to choose an non-animal derived supplement. Better yet, making your own milks will allow you to fully control what is in them. Rice, coconut, nut, and soy milks are easily made at home.
One final concern in regard to allergies and the vegan (or vegetarian) diet is that some states and provinces require that white rice be enriched. In some areas this means spraying the rice kernels with a barley based nutrient spray. If you have a problem with gluten you may wish to investigate this further.
The truth is that massive animals are sustained quite well on a totally vegan diet and while man has grown into the habit of deriving many of his daily calories from animal products, it is possible to take them from other sources. If you suffer from food allergies and wish to investigate a dietary regime based only on plant sources, consult books, on-line sites, vegetarian friends and co-workers, and even a nutritionist to plan a healthy regime which will met the requirements of your own body and which will keep you functioning at an optimum level.
