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Hi all!

BOY DID I GET FEEDBACK!!!  It's refreshing to see that we are questioning
everything that we have been raised to think it true!  Things that we put
in our body *do* matter and getting well is a conscious choice that we make
every day.  I am so amazed by all the positive, wonderful people on this
list.  I have been challenged to look things up and even question myself.
That is always a good thing!

Here are the responses to my post entitled:

"How To Go Vegan While Eating Gluten-Free"

If you missed it, just ask and I can send it to you individually.

Have a great day.

Love, Linda


==============

Just curious - what is the difference between vegan and veggie?  Are they
the same?

[ Note from Linda:  Actually, they are similar, but not the same.
Vegan means no animal products including dairy/cheese and eggs as well as
no meats.  For some vegans, it also means using no leather, silk, wool, and
other animal products like gelatin (from bones) and sugar (processed with
bone char).

Veggie (I assume you mean vegetarian) means no meat (fish, chicken, beef,
pork) but all other animal products are consumed/used. Hope that helps!
Thanks for asking!  :-) ]

==============

Your post was so uplifting!  I'm doing much better with thanks to you and
others who helped me adapt to a vegan lifestyle.  I don't spend a lot of
time cooking.  I live on rice and beans, salads, fruit and I drink about a
quart of soy milk a day.  Just a couple of questions.  Where did you find
GF TVP!  My husband really misses it but I can't find any that doesn't
contain tamari or wheat.  What brand do you buy?  Also if it's not too much
trouble I'd love to see the information on calcium and osteoporosis.  I'm
at high risk, but have not been checked.

============

It was such a pleasure to read your letter.  It summed up what I've always
maintained about living with celiac disease: Keep the diet clean and
simple.  Vegan, Vegetarian, or Omnivore, eating from boxes and cans
certainly ups the chances of illness/unwellness.  Control the diet and
disease, don't let it control you.  I have also found another approach to
food: don't let it be the most important thing to you.  Let it be what it
is: fuel and nourishment.

Don't over-focus on foods during the holidays, childrens birthdays,
get-togethers, etc.  I'm a gluten free, mostly macrobiotic.  Most places I
go to don't have foods I can or will eat.  I can usually select one or two
very small items at a table and be happy with that.  I throw myself into
talking, dancing, visiting, etc...  Life is simpler, and I feel totally
better for it.  Thank you for your wonderful post.  It's so nice to see
other people on the list feel the same way!!

===============

Hi, just wanted to let you know I absolutely agree with you. I went vegan
first (after having been vegetarien for 20 years) and then 3 years later
was diagnosed with cd. I guess one of the reasons why I wasn't shocked or
depressed by this, was that it didn't make such a big difference. I was
already used to eating a lot of stuff the majority of people don't eat,
reading labels, explaining things etc. The only thing I really had to 'give
up' on was eating bread but that wasn't such a terrible thing either.
People do find me a bit weird in this respect though, but I suppose there's
worse... So happy eating to you and greetings from

[ Note from Linda: What made you switch to veganism after that long? I
wonder why you went on and developed CD - could it have been the dairy
products causing intestinal damage and being the trigger (some CD theorists
say there's a trigger *and* a genetic/familial component)? You have a
wonderful attitude! :-) ]

==============

[ Note from Linda: this is part of an intro letter to our list from 11/99 -
please ask if you want to read the rest - it really outlines the importance
of adherence and the hidden damage being done even without "symptoms". ]

For the first 7 years, I was in denial.  I figured anything I wanted to eat
was ok, if I didn't have a reaction.  Well after 7 years of eating exactly
just what I wanted, then it started to take its toll on my intestinal track.
It started with instead of having diarrhea, having trouble with times of
constipation.  In short summary in July of 1994 I underwent Major surgery to
remove the damaged area of intestines.  It was a slow recovery.  I was in
the hospital for 8 days, and off of work for 3 months.

===============

Thanks for the chili recipe.  I would love the info on calcium that I think
you mentioned in an earlier  email. Thanks in advance.

=================

I took you advice and reposted my first post.  You made me realize how much
help that would be to parent with young adult cd persons.  I would not want
to be on a TPN, and I agree it is scarey. YIKES!!

If you have any other situations that should arise, please email me direct.
I would be glad to help.  Hope you whole family will have a healthy and safe
summer to enjoy.

====================

I just can't resist contacting you. My mother is also a celiac vegan and my
sister and I are just celiac (although I am very tempted to go vegan - I
have days where just the sight of meat is too much)

Do you have any plans for a cookbook or web page?

=============

Thanks for posting information for celiac Vegans. Would you be interested
in being interviewed via email for an article in our celiac newsletter?  We
distribute about 750 copies each month. I think an article about being
vegetarian and celiac could be very interesting to our readers.

Also, having a vegetarian celiac in my family, I have tried to look for
information about vegetarian, gluten free foods to include in the database
and pocketguides we sell. Oddly enough, it's easier to get information
about gluten than it is animal products which might be contained in food or
drugs. If you can direct me to anyplace that provides info on vegetarian
foods, I would be grateful. I've found a number of sites that sell
vegetarian foods online. I'm particularly interested in obtaining info
about mainstream products. Hope you can help.  Best wishes,

===================

I have reflected on the matter of the 'trigger' and I suspect it was the
amount of seitan I started eating after I went vegan.  But I suppose it would
have happened sooner or later, so it doesn't really matter.  I decided on
skipping all animal foods from my diet because I became more and more aware of
the suffering the dairy industry causes to animals and the negative effects of
it on the environment.  Bur it's always a question of where you draw the line.
Fruitarians even take it one step further, and there are numerous other ways
in which one can cause dammage or suffering to other creatures.  I suppose all
we can do is try to be conscious of our actions and the effect they might
have.  Appart from all that I also found that it was excelent for my health.
My cholesterollevels dropped (they had always been high despite not eating
meat)and I haven't had a serious cold eversince.  I do take a Vit B12
supplement; the method they used for a long time for testing the amount of B12
in tempeh etc.  wasn't very reliable and I don't want to take the risk.  Mind
you, it takes years untill the B12 depot in the body is used up.  Anyhow, I
feel quite happy with it all, especially because they have really yummie stuff
here in Germany.  I have a health food shop right around the corner and the
coop also has lots of things, just like you said.  Do you have lopino over
where you live?  (where do you live?).  And how do people react when you tell
them about your way of life?  And how do you feel about the genetically
changed sojaproducts?  Here in Europe people are quite sceptical about it, to
put it mildly.

================

Thanks for the articles.  I read them.  Now I'm wondering if I'm taking too
much calcium.  I take about 1200 mg plus the calcium I get in my diet and from
all the soy milk I drink.  I still drink about a quart a day!  I just went to
the dentist and have a gum infection plus two cavities!  I've been having
problems with yeast infections which seem to cause gum infections, but I was
wondering if it could also be from my dietary changes.  I doubt it but I'm
sure some people would say it's because I became vegan.  But I'm not changing
back.  I still eat butter sometimes.  I think I'll cut down on the calcium.
Well anyway.  Thanks for all the help!