Several people have asked me about gluten free food products and some have commented that it can be hard to find gluten free vegan food. That’s why I am going to compile a list today, to make vegan and gluten free shopping a little easier from now on.
Before I share the list, I would like to include some information about gluten. If you already know that or you just want to see which vegan foods are gluten free, you can skip this and scroll down to find the list 🙂
Why Gluten Free?
I eat food with gluten, but I understand that for many it may be a health issue. Gluten provides no essential nutrients and they may trigger an immune reaction with people who have celiac disease.
Why did Gluten Become a Problem?
Several years ago, gluten were never mentioned. When you went to a restaurant, hardly anyone asked for gluten free foods and few restaurant staff members were aware of it. Then, how did it become such a known issue?
Like I mentioned before, someone with celiac disease may get an immune reaction when he or she eats foods that contain gluten. According to the Medical News, a person with celiac disease can become very ill when he/she eats gluten.
Why, though, do so many people now have a gluten intolerance? Where did this gluten intolerance suddenly come from?
It is certainly true that some people are sensitive to certain foods, such as lactose, fruits, nuts, and also gluten. Gluten, however, are not entirely evil. They are a protein and they are found in some grains. Gluten holds food together and has a stretchy substance.
According to the Harvard edu website, studies have linked whole grains with improved health outcomes; gluten may also act as a probiotic, feeding the good bacteria to your body.
So, When are Gluten a Problem?
Gluten are an issue when you have a wheat allergy, or your body identifies gluten as a toxin which causes your immune cells to attack it. If such a person continues eating gluten rich foods, this may lead to inflammation. A skin rash could also be a consequence of a bad reaction to gluten, but before you blame any rash on gluten, it is best to check first with a doctor.
According to Harvard, many people eat gluten most of their lives without any side effects; it only provokes reactions in people who test positive for celiac disease and for those who react negatively to it.
Gluten Myths
Unfortunately, this sudden awareness of gluten has also given rise to some myths that are taken as truths.
- Gluten makes you fat? ==> No, not true
- Gluten is bad for you? ==> No, it is not, there isn’t anything bad about it, unless you belong to the category of people I mentioned in my previous paragraphs. Although gluten contains no nutrients, foods that contain gluten tend to be higher in fiber, vitamin B, zinc, and iron.
- Gluten causes cancer? ==> No, again not true. There is no proof of that, and false rumors like that only cause panic.
Source: ABC news, 5 gluten myths
Gluten Free Vegan Food List
So, here comes the list.
-
- Rice noodles
- Soba noodles
- Most Asian noodles
- Fruits
- Dried fruits (figs and raisins)
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- quinoa
- brown rice
- wild rice
- millet
- polenta
- popcorn
- amaranth
- sorghum
- buckwheat berries
- Gluten free flours (rice, corn, soy, and potato)
- Seeds and nuts
- cashews
- walnuts
- almonds
- pistachios
- pine nuts
- sunflower seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- chia seeds
- hemp seeds
- Almond milk
- Coconut milk
- B12 fortified nutritional yeast
- Gluten free products
- Gardein Chik’n Scallopini
- Gardein Chipotle Black Bean Burger
- Beyond Meat’s Beast Burger
- Beyond Meat’s Chicken-free Strips
- Amy’s Bistro Veggie Burger
- Amy’s Sonoma Veggie Burger
Final Thoughts
I hope I answered the question whether you can be vegan and gluten free. The answer is yes, and the list of foods and vegan products provide plenty for a wholesome and nutritious diet. If you suspect that you have a gluten intolerance, don’t just eliminate gluten from your diet, assuming you have found the famous culprit.
It is best to check with your doctor, so that he or she can determine what is really causing you any discomfort. Poor gluten, everyone is pointing the finger at them nowadays … 😉 I would say, innocent until proven guilty 😉 Let’s give them a break and let the experts decide.
Disclaimer: as an Amazon associate, I earn a small commission if you purchase any products through the links I share in this article, at no extra cost to you. This is how I maintain my website 🙂
In the second paragraph I think you may have meant to write, ” I would like to include some information about gluten “, but you left the word ” like ” out of the sentence. No big deal. Hey this is a bunch of valuable information for anyone asking that question. I didn’t know gluten could be bad, in fact, I don’t know much about it at all. I will eventually become a vegetarian and I will keep this info in mind. I was vegetarian for a little while then i switched back. I know that sounds horrible but I will return. Have a nice day.
Hi Jontae,
Thanks for pointing out the error. I corrected it, I must have typed too fast and skipped the word 😉
Gluten are not really that bad, only if you have celiac disease or a gluten intolerance. Feel free to check out more articles here if you would like to be vegetarian again. There are many great recipes here 🙂
Thanks for your comment!
I am not vegan, nor do I have a gluten allergy, thank goodness. I love way too many foods with gluten in them, however I do have a nephew with a gluten allergy. I am constantly asking his mom what he can and can’t have while at my house. Even though none of us, not just me, are vegan this list can still come in vary handy as just a reference of good gluten-free snacks and foods my nephew can eat. This is not something I have to think about with my own children, so I am going to print this out and put in on my fridge. I will need to refrence it while cooking sweets when my nephew is here.. I appreciate the list of gluten free flours.
Hi Cheyenne,
I am happy this list is useful to you, great that you can use it 🙂
Thank you for your comment!
Hi Christine, as far as I understand the research, gluten was less of a problem in the past because there was less modification of crop back then. Nowadays there is more modification, more pesticides and herbicides that are part of the cause for the food allergies?
Thankfully I don’t have food allergies. I do avoid grain products to some extent because of the carbs. I love my fruits and hence get a lot of carbs already. 🙂
Thanks for your list – it’s always practical to have a list!
Hi Hannie,
Very true, in the past there was less crop modification and fewer pesticides and herbicides.
Yes, lists are always practical, you never know when you might need them for something 😉
Thank you for your comment!
Hi Christine, this is so helpful. I have a friend visiting soon that I know is vegan and has just told me she has been diagnosed as having celiac disease now and I was at a complete loss as to what I could get in for food so you are a lifesaver. I also had no idea what celiac disease actually was.
Thank you!
Hi Madeleine,
I am so glad that this list of vegan gluten free foods is useful.
Thank you for your comment!
I want to first thank you for this awesome review. When it comes to frozen or canned fruits or vegetables,
single-ingredient products almost certainly will be vegetarian/vegan.
They may not be safely gluten-free, however, depending on how sensitive
you are to trace gluten. You’ll need to read labels carefully to look
for warnings that the product.
Hi Lucas,
Agreed! I always recommend reading labels. I usually read the label when I am not sure if a product is vegan or not (I eat foods with gluten).
Thank you for your comment!
hello there awesome article you have here, i mean this is both creative and educative i really think that this is going to help any one that comes across it as it has helped me. you talked about gluten free vegan food list and i must say that you have done a very great job ad you have made things easier for me cause am sure going purchase these goods in this list of yours.
Thanks for sharing this very important information with the public
Thank you for your comment. I’m glad this was helpful 🙂
I have first heard of celiac disease some 40 years ago, when a neighbour’s daughter returned from Australia with that diagnose. I was astonished-as it was explained as she was allergic to flour in general and anything made with it. Poor child-how is she going to eat anything except meat and vegetables-I thought. Only many years later I found out it was not ALL the flours, but the gluten in those that contain it.
I really do like to cook and to bake especially, but, as my husband has been diabetic for the last couple of years, and gluten tends to raise his blood sugar, we switched to gluten-free food. Sometimes, it is hard to think of something new, and, although we are not exactly vegan, nor even vegetarian, we do like vegan food, so I’ll surely make a very good use of your list.
Hi Kerryanne,
It is good to know that there are some gluten free flours, it certainly makes things a lot easier. I am happy that my list will be helpful for you 🙂
Thank you for your comment!
This list is so handy, thank you! Although I’m not intolerant to gluten, I’d say that over the last year or so, if I’m ever given the choice to between a product with or without gluten, I would probably go for the non-gluten option. Now I’ve read your post, I can see how silly that was really. Thank you for the info!
Hi Susan,
I’m happy this was helpful 🙂
Thanks for your comment!
Hi there,
Thanks for sharing this information in such a clear and easy way to interpret. There’s obviously the possibility to be both gluten and vegan so. I had a friend who was vegan, gluten intolerant and lactose intolerant. I asked her what she’d eat at restaurant she was going to that evening and it practically consisted of salad leaves. At least with this list, it can help people get some ideas.
Looking forward to your next post.
Best wishes,
Sharon
Hi Sharon,
Thank you! Yes, I hope that with this list, people will get some ideas to prepare meals 🙂
Have a great day!
Hi Christine,
You’ve provided us an amazing article about gluten free vegan food list. I’ve not come across this kind of information before where there is a mention of both of these. It’s absolutely amazing. I am gluten and dairy intolerant and therefore would highly benefit from this list of gluten free vegan foods.
I’ve tried many but there are some that are new on the list.
Many Thanks for helping us out.
Hi Habib,
I am glad that you can use this list. Being gluten and dairy intolerant can make food preparation sometimes appear like a challenge, but there are so many healthy options available now.
Thank you for your comment!
Many people have no knowledge of what good is gluten free, and some times we just go ahead eating this food at our own detriment. Thanks for this really clever article that is an eye opener to lots of us. Staying with a particular diet means you’re trying to get the best food plan and seeing how to avoid certain things in that diet is really great. I really love the vegan diet, and with the aid of this article, now one can get a gluten free food.