Cacao Powder 500g - dark chocolate for cooking. Gluten free and vegan

Cocao Powder 500g

Gluten free, vegan

Certified organic

Fair trade

From Health Foods, The Park Centre, Victoria Park

$20.95

Aussie Vegan Gluten Free Spreadable Cheese Dip 250g

Aussie Vegan Gluten Free Spreadable Cheese Dip 250g 

from Loving Hut Vegan Cafe (366 Albany Highway, Victoria Park 6100)

Matt's sister got given this for free for buying so much! I think it costs about $8

Disclamer

Each of the food labels I put up have been studied by me (anal retentive pharmacist!) and have been tried and tested by Matt's guts. 

However, I am the first to admit I make mistakes. Plus food ingredients and packaging can change....

So it is up to the individual consumer to do their own due diligence on what they deem safe to put in their mouths! This blog is only an aid to help that decision.

Not a true vegan

 
Confession: Matt is not actually vegan. Because it's his condition

that limits what he can and can't eat and not his stance on animal

rights (don't get me wrong, we like animals), through trial and 

error, Matt has found non-vegan foods that don't aggravate his 

bowels or throw-up reflex. 

Eggs. We eat lots of eggs. No reaction there.
Honey. Dollops on breakfast cereal (when we don't have eggs!)
Fish, prawns and other seafood - Occasionally. This is still a touch

and go category where some things still upset him. 

Unless you're a sufferer of food allergies, you know that 

non-sufferers generally don't understand food allergies and what

happens when these allergies are triggered. 
 
So when we go to a restaurant, we tell people Matt is vegan. 

It's too hard (and dangerous!) to say: 'he can't eat meat or dairy

or gluten, but he can eat eggs and honey and some seafood.' 
 
So Matt isn't really a vegan. But I didn't lie when I named this 

blog: I called it 'Gluten Free Vegan Food Labels.' And that's what 

it'll contain. No labels with Matt's food exceptions. 

No eggs or honey or seafood. Ok?
 
Because I want this blog to be a site everyone adopting a 'true' 

vegan and gluten free diet can use. 
 
 

Why gluten-free AND vegan, you ask

I'm writing this blog for a true minority - for those of you out there who are gluten-free AND vegan, or have the joys of living with someone following this diet.

I'm in the later category - my husband, Matt, who had never had a solid bowel movement for as long as either of us could remember - saw an allergist 6 months ago and was diagnosed with FPIES - food protein induced enterocolitis syndrome. He's basically allergic to the protein in meat and dairy. It's a childhood illness, Matt was told - unusual for adults. 

The allergist ruled Matt out as Coeliac because the blood test didn't come back with an allergy to gluten - BUT the allergist said that didn't mean Matt couldn't still be INTOLERANT to gluten, and that could actually cause the FPIES condition he was diagnosed with.

Since 2010, Matt had already cut out meat and dairy from his diet, as they gave him a persistent stabbing stomach pain and made him nauseous. After the allergist, gluten was eliminated too - and after 3 days, overhearing Matt's number 2 was no longer like listening to someone run a bath. For the first time in as long as we have been together (13 odd years), Matt is now producing solid results!

So no more gluten. For Matt, anyway!