Eating vegan without soy or gluten

by Carolina
(USA)

Most vegans eat a lot of soy products how can you maintain a balanced diet if you are allergic to soy? You all substitute butter and milk with soy butter, soy milk what will I be able to eat and drink? I also cannot have wheat products because of my fibromyalgia? How can I benefit from a vegan diet when it appears I will not be able to maintain a proper diet?

Similar question submitted by Nani from USA:

Recently learned that tofu isn't so safe for us to consume. Cannot eat wheat or gluten. What burger/pseudo meat is left? I drink hemp & am really tired of it. I need a balanced diet (have malabsorption, ELS lupus, Mytral valve, & celiac). I do not take drugs and only use alternative and homeopathic remedies. Trying to keep on the alkaline side of life. Can you help?

Answer:

Thank you both for your submissions. You both submitted a similar question on the same day, and I believe that's because it's a very popular concern. Many people worry about the soy content in vegan foods.

There is an ongoing debate about the healthfulness of soy. Some people take the position that all soy is bad, others differentiate between soys, and some think it's all incredibly healthy for you. Check out a page on the soy controversy and the discussion of whether soy is healthy.

I personally fall somewhere in between. I think the soy to avoid is the genetically modified soy that is grown mostly for livestock, and the processed soy that is added to processed foods (like soy lechitin, TVP, soy protein isolate, soy powders, etc). What's funny is that people eating meat-based diets actually consume more soy than those of us who stick to plant proteins, without ever realizing it. Many vegans avoid soy altogether and find plenty of other options for both beverages and proteins.

Asian cultures have been eating soy as their dominant protein for thousands of years, and they never have the health problems that Westerners have. Also, from what I understand from my research, it appears that fermented soy products are extremely healthy for us. Those are things like tempeh, miso, natto, and even soy sauce.

As of right now, it seems we don't have a definite answer as to the benefits or drawbacks to soy, but I am sure within a few years we will get to the bottom of it. I would love to hear your opinion on the comments page.

However, to answer both of your questions, you can find many recipes that are gluten-free and soy-free on the internet, and there are also plenty of vegan products on the market that follow both of these trends in food. All it takes is a bit of diligent label reading to find what you need.

You both asked about milk substitutes, so you might find this page helpful. Check here for more complete vegan recipes and perhaps look into one of my e-books that include vegan meal plans for one month of recipes.