Being a Gluten Free Vegan: More than just survival!

Sara Hollwey offers some advice . . .

In recent years, food allergies have taken on the magnitude of a modern epidemic. "We are what we eat" is being held as gospel, ignoring the fact that some people follow extremely healthy diets and yet are ill, while others live on junk food and are irritatingly well.
Diet is much more than eating, and most vegans have selected their food with a view not simply to health but also motivated by wider moral concerns. Attitudes towards food undoubtedly influence our health and this exclusive search for 'culprit' foods which make us ill ignore a range of other contributory causes of disease.
Nonetheless, we cannot ignore the fact that certain food, no matter how nutritious to the majority, is poison to the unfortunate few. These food intolerance can cause skin conditions, respiratory problems, migraines, hyperactivity and digestive disorders among other things. Common foods are dairy products and gluten, and it is the latter that can be devastating news to the vegan.
Picture the scene. You have made a decision to eschew all animal products such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy products and are living predominantly on cereals, grains, fruit and vegetables. Instead of feeling well, you start suffering from migraines, stomach pains or sinus, and discover to your horror that you are allergic to gluten, the protein in wheat, rye, barley and oats. In children, gluten intolerance is known as coeliac's disease and prevents the proper digestion of food, leading to weight loss, diarrhea and vitamin deficiencies. However, it is now suspected that many other illnesses, such as irritable bowel syndrome and myalgic encephalopathy (ME) may also be related to gluten, such that even small amounts can exacerbate problems.
So what can you do? It need not rule out being a vegan but you will have to take more care to ensure a nutritionally adequate diet, seeking medical supervision if possible. Systematically go through the steps in setting up a special diet as outlined below; it prevents unnecessary hardships later on in the process.
The Setting-Up Stages
· Keep a food diary, noting what you eat, when, and assess the severity of the symptoms on a scale of 1 to 10. Even if you are sure that you are allergic to gluten, you need to check if any other foods are involved.
· Stay off the suspect foods for three weeks and an improvement should come about in your health if these are indeed responsible. Gradually reintroduce each product one by one and note the effects.
· Be careful to test each flour on its own. Some people cannot take wheat but can tolerate oats, barley and rye which have lower gluten contents.
Coping
Having clearly identified the food to which you are allergic, it now remains to stock your larder with a range of alternatives. There are several gluten-free flours which can replace wheat, oats and other forbidden ingredients:
· Sago Bland tasting but good for milk puddings and can be mixed with other flours for baking.
· Brown rice and brown rice flour Preferable to white rice products because of its higher fibre, vitamin and mineral content. Rice flour biscuits and cakes turn out rather crumbly due to its poor binding properties but grated apple can help to bind the mixture.
· Maize flour A yellow flour made from ground corn-on-the-cob kernels. Traditionally used to make polenta and tortilas, it can also be mixed with other flours to make biscuits and cakes.
· Soya flour Another yellow flour made from the soya bean and best blended with other flours because of its distinctive flavour. It is an excellent source of protein and vitamins.
· Potato flour A fine white flour without much taste and a good source of protein.
· Millet flakes and millet flour Good for making biscuits and as a base for muesli.
· Carob flour A useful binder in baking because of its pectin content. It is ideal as an alternative to chocolate.
Baking Powder
· 4 oz (115g) rice flour
· 2 oz (55g) bicarbonate of soda
· 2 oz (55g) tartaric acid
Mix the ingredients together and sieve several times. Store in a screwtop jar.
Put your baking ingredients on a special shelf so that they are readily available. You may also need to buy gluten-free tomato sauce, tamari and mustard and these are readliy available in many stores. A simple recipe is provided below for those feeling more adventurous. All of the fruits, vegetables, pulses, oils and nuts are gluten-free so you can use ordinary vegan recipe books for those foods.
Useful Additions
Salad Dressing
· 1 level tablespoon soya flour
· 2 tablespoons vinegar
· 4 tablespoons oil
· 2 level tablespoons brown sugar
· 1/2 level teaspoon salt
· 1/4 teaspoon mustard
Mix well together and store in the refridgerator. Shake well before using.
Tomato Sauce
· 1 oz (30g) vegan margarine
· 1 oz (30g) brown rice flour
· 1 pint (600ml) tomato juice
· 1/4 pint (150ml) water
· Tobasco Sauce (optional)
· salt and pepper
Melt the margarine in a saucepan, add the rice flour and stir over a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato juice and water. Whisk as liquid comes to the boil and thickens very slightly. Add seasoning and a few drops of Tobasco Sauce to taste.
Tahini
· 4 oz (115g) sesame seeds
· 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
· salt

Toast the seeds for 15 minutes. Blend with the oil until smooth. Variations: substitute sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds, walnuts or cashews for the seeds.
Once you get used to the new diet you will begin to wonder why you dreaded it so much! To get you started, here are a few specific recipes that traditionally use many of the gluten flours and cereals. The substitutes are just as tasty and often more so.
Breakfast
If you are a porridge fanatic, don't despair.
Rice Porridge
· 2 heaped tablespoons rice flakes
· 1/2 pint (300ml) water or soya milk
· salt or sugar to taste
· 1/2 oz (15g) ground almonds (optional)
Stir the rice flakes and the water together and simmer for 5 minutes until the porridge thickens.
Gluten-Free Muesli
· 4 oz (115g) brown rice flakes
· 2 oz (55g) millet flakes
· 1 oz (30g) sunflower seeds
· 4 oz (115g) mixed dried fruit or chopped fresh fruit
· 1 oz (30g) nuts (almonds, hazlenuts, coconut)
Mix together and store in an air-tight container.
Baking
If you have mastered breakfast, baking is the next step to ensure that you don't miss out on breads, pastries and biscuits.
Short-Crust Pastry
· 7 oz (200g) cornflour or sago flour
· 31/2 oz (100g) hard vegan margarine
· pinch salt
Sift together the flour and salt. Rub in the fat until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add sufficient water to mix it until a firm dough is formed. Chill for at least 20 minutes before rolling out and use as required.
For a sweet short-crust pastry add 3 oz (85g) finely grated apple and one teaspoon of sugar before mixing in the water.
Soda Bread
· 2 oz (55g) soya flour
· 10 oz (280g) brown rice flakes
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
· 3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
· 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
· 9 fl oz (275ml) soya milk
Put the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix in the oil and soya milk to form a soft dough. Form into a round shape and place on a greased tray. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
Soya & Rice Bread
· 1/4 oz (8g) dried yeast
· 1 teaspoon raw cane sugar
· 5 fl oz (150ml) tepid water
· 10 oz (280g) brown rice flour
· 2 oz (55g) soya flour
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 200 °C/400 °F (Gas mark 6).
Mix the yeast, sugar and water together and leave to froth in a warm place. Sift the rice flours, soya flour and salt together, adding the yeast mixture when ready. Stir to make a smooth stiff batter, adding extra water as needed. Pour into a greased 1 lb (455g) loaf tin and leave to rise in a warm place. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Millet Flapjacks
· 4 oz (115g) vegan margarine
· 2 oz (55g) light brown sugar
· 2 tablesoons golden syrup
· 8 oz (225g) millet flakes
Preheat the oven to 180 °C/350 °F (Gas mark 4). Heat the margarine, sugar and syrup over a gentle heat until melted. Add the millet flakes, mixing thoroughly. Grease an 8" (20 cm) square sandwich tin. Spoon in the millet mixture and spread flat with a palette knife. Bake for 30 minutes or until evenly golden brown. Mark out into portions and allow to cool before removing from the tin. Store in an airtight tin.
Carob Crunch Crisps
(A favourite with the children!)
· 4 oz (115g) vegan margarine
· 2 tablespoons golden syrup
· 1oz (30g) carob powder
· 8 oz (225g) Jordans or Quaker 'Rice Puffs'
· 4 oz (115g) raisins
Place the margarine in a saucepan and melt with the golden syrup. Add a little of the mixture to the carob powder to form a smooth paste and then return the paste to the saucepan, blending in well. Add the 'Rice Puffs' and stir in evenly until coated. Divide between 20 paper sweet cases. Chill until set.
Rice Custard
· 1 pint (600ml) soya milk or water
· 1 vanilla pod
· 2 oz (55g) pudding rice
· 11/2 oz (45g) vegan margarine
· Raw cane sugar to taste
Heat the soya milk with the vanilla pod and allow to cool. Remove the pod and add the rice to the milk, bring to the boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Stir frequently and add extra soya milk or water if necessary. Sweeten to taste with raw cane sugar, add the margarine and blend until smooth. Serve hot or cold.
Creamy Topping
· 1 oz (30g) cornflour
· 1/2 pint (300ml) soya milk
· 2 oz (55g) vegan margarine
· 1 oz (30g) icing sugar
Blend the cornflour with a little of the milk. Heat the remaining soya milk in a saucepan and pour on to the blended cornflour. Mix well and return to the pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for one minute. Allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Blend the margarine until soft and gradually work in the icing sugar. Add the milk, a little at a time, beating vigorously to produce a smooth consistency.
As you can see, the possibilities are endless, once you are familiar with the basic ingredients. Indeed, you will probably find yourself cooking for the whole family, as gluten-free vegan dishes are as tasty as they are nutritious, and as easy to prepare as their nongluten-free counterparts. Bon appetit!
Further Information
The Coeliac Society
PO Box 220
High Wycombe
Bucks
HP11 2HY
tel: 01494 437278
fax: 01494 474349
email: admin@coeliac.co.uk