Vegetarian but allergy to beans & grains

duracell_bunny

I tried this in the nutrition part of the forum but I might get more response in here...

I've been trying out vegetarianism for the last few months. Totally unrelated, I've been having lots of tests done re my ibs. My gastroenterologist has now confirmed the foods I'm super allergic and included in that list are wheat, eggs, cow based dairy products, nuts and any type of beans/legumes along with several other food products.

I know that vegetarians don't eat dairy products or eggs anyway but I was just starting out by cutting out meat and fish and battery farmed eggs etc to see how it went before going strictly vegetarian. Now I'm concerned from a nutrional point of view that vegetarianism might not be an option for me - especially on the protein front. In fact, apart from green & root vegetables and rice there doesn't seem much left to choose from.

I can eat feta/goats cheese but they are very rich and tbh I can't imagine having them as a daily staple.

sweet-rasmus

First, just to clarify

Vegetarian = no meat, fish or slaughter by-products. Eats free range eggs only.
Vegan = above, but also no dairy, eggs, honey, or anything derived from an animal at all.

Your protein intake would be an issue. Vegetarians and vegans base their protein intake on beans, peas, nuts and tofu, all of which are out for you. Vegetables themselves contain minimal protein (if any). Things like pasta and cous cous contain protein, but that's out for you too. You can buy powdered vegetarian protein (not whey, as it's not vegetarian!!!) which I think is derived from algae; you can ask about that in your local health food store. If you aim for vegetarian, you can have goats milk and goats cheese, which would help, but perhaps you'd like to go to a nutritionalist to get proper advice on this. Your diet would be quite limited and your health is of course your primary concern.

Breezer

Sound advice, except:

sweet-rasmus wrote: »

perhaps you'd like to go to a nutritionalist to get proper advice on this.

I think sweet-rasmus means a dietician. While some nutritionists might be very good, anyone can call themselves a 'nutritionist,' you don't need a qualification. Dieticians are qualified health professionals. If you're already seeing a gastroenterologist he/she probably works with one and will be able to put you in touch with one.

Fair play to you for having that sort of commitment by the way, it really makes my day Such a contrast to "Oh the poor animals... but meat is so tasty!"

sweet-rasmus

Thanks Breezer I must remember this for next time.

duracell_bunny

Thanks for all the suggestions. I might give my gastro a ring and see can he put me in touch with a dietician early in the new year.

Thoushaltnot

Hi,

you didn't say anything I the other forum about an allergy to grains, so I've modified my answer accordingly here. If you're craving meat or fish, you're probably already not getting enough protein in your diet and not enough iron.
Fish is the only thing I missed and that was when I was sloppy with getting enough protein.

How about Quorn ? Hemp seeds and Quinoa (a seed but treated like a cereal food) are complete proteins too. Hemp protein powder is great in muesli as are alot of the Linwoods flax products, which are also relatively high in (incomplete) protein, for matching. I haven't seen rice protein powder in the shops here but it can be bought, since rice seems ok for you. Spirulina protein powder might be another option but check the ingredients list, as it's probably mixed with a few of your trigger foods.

Pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds are good for mixing with rice, and the taste of them improves with a bit of toasting. The seeds can be sprouted too. Try spelt - it might be the one grain your ok with.

You might be allergic to legumes (which include peanuts, btw) but if you sprout them (easy to do), that can make them easier on your system for digesting. Fermenting seems to help - you're better with yoghurt, so you might be able to take Tempeh (fermented soybeans). Wheat gluten or seitan (also known as 'mock duck' or 'mock abalone' in Asian food markets) is another veg*n protein source.

And some seaweeds, especially 'nori' ('sleabhac' in Irish) are rich in protein. Spirulina as well. Dulsk and sea lettuce are also decent sources.

Some fruit and veg have appreciable amounts of protein too. Green leafy veg would be the top veg and avocados are another I remember, off the top of my head.

duracell_bunny

Thoushaltnot wrote: »

you didn't say anything I the other forum about an allergy to grains,

Sorry, I was focusing on the protein side of thing at the time kind of forgot that grains would be included in that side of things.

My list of allergies in order to severeness is: beef & cow based dairy products, garlic, egg whites, wheat, nuts of any type, beans or peas of any type, most spices, pineapple, plums with a very mild reaction to rice & corn which I intended to keep eating in small amounts

Thoushaltnot

duracell_bunny wrote: »

Sorry, I was focusing on the protein side of thing at the time kind of forgot that grains would be included in that side of things.

My list of allergies in order to severeness is: beef & cow based dairy products, garlic, egg whites, wheat, nuts of any type, beans or peas of any type, most spices, pineapple, plums with a very mild reaction to rice & corn which I intended to keep eating in small amounts

Ah. Right, you can eat sheep and goats milk products - one thing to bear in mind is that calcium rich foods can inhibit the absorbtion of iron. There are other tips and tick for boosting your iron absorbtion. Herbs are good, especially parsley.

Quinoa and quorn are really good to get into and are easy enough to find. Hempseeds might be a bit trickier but not much. The other seeds are readily available. Focus on wholefoods and try sprouting - it's easy but easier in the spring. You don't need anything fancy.

I just soak overnight in a mug, then drain, then wash gently twice a day for 3-5 days.

Are you ok with barley and oats?

duracell_bunny

Thoushaltnot wrote: »

Are you ok with barley and oats?

Yeah they are both 100% okay.

duracell_bunny

Thoushaltnot wrote: »

one thing to bear in mind is that calcium rich foods can inhibit the absorbtion of iron. There are other tips and tick for boosting your iron absorbtion. Herbs are good, especially parsley.

I do like liver so I could eat lambs liver say once a week. Also I love spinach. So if I avoid eating iron rich foods at the same time as calcium rich foods?

Ouchette

I know you can't eat beans, but some varieties of tofu are fermented so perhaps you'd be ok with those. No idea how widely available that would be but you could look into it. Soy beans are a complete protein source, so it would be great if you could find a way to get them into your diet somehow.

Ouchette

duracell_bunny wrote: »

I do like liver so I could eat lambs liver say once a week. Also I love spinach. So if I avoid eating iron rich foods at the same time as calcium rich foods?

Or you could have dried apricots, kale or watercress. Spinach really isn't that good as a source of iron because the iron in spinach is hard to absorb. Yes I'm biased, but this is a veggie forum Take some vitamin C e.g. a glass of fruit juice at the same time to help with iron absorption.

Or just take some vegetarian iron supplements if you think you won't be getting enough.

duracell_bunny

Ouchette wrote: »

Yes I'm biased, but this is a veggie forum

That was a blonde moment on my part - I forgot that liver was meat!!

Thoushaltnot

duracell_bunny wrote: »

Also I love spinach. So if I avoid eating iron rich foods at the same time as calcium rich foods?

Exactamundo!
And take vit C (vit c and vit e together are greater than the sum of their parts too) with the iron rich meals.
For the calcium rich meals maybe vit D (and if you can, some vinegar cos it boosts the absorbtion of vit d and vit d boosts the absorbtion of calcium, as well as magnesium - theres an optimal 3 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium absorbtion ratio as well as a few other minerals - are you still there? )

Though the best thing to do is to rely on good food for nutrients and just use supplements to get you back on track till then.

Barley is quite restorative - good recovery food. Check out www.101cookbooks.com
to figure out tasty ways to use these (I'm guessing, mostly) newish foods.

Sprouted and fermented foods are well worth investigating.

Allosergo

duracell_bunny wrote: »

I tried this in the nutrition part of the forum but I might get more response in here...

My gastroenterologist has now confirmed the foods I'm super allergic and included in that list are wheat, eggs, cow based dairy products, nuts and any type of beans/legumes along with several other food products...apart from green & root vegetables and rice there doesn't seem much left to choose from.

If you have this many food sensitivities you should consider a more unified approach to long term treatment. For example, check out the possibility of underlying issues with gut fermentation. Also, consider a desensitisation treatment which would allow you eat foods that currently cause trouble.