Helping you thrive with plant-based nutrition for a long & healthy life.

81 responses to “Vegan Gluten-Free & Soy-Free Diet Guide”

1. D

   Hello OrdinaryVegan.net:

   Great list, however the protein content listed for black beans is more than double what the general amount for organic canned black beans: Which/what type of Black Beans were found for the information listed; as well, who and where (sources) can the research results be located?

   Thank you, in advance of your reply.

   Reply
2. Dante

   I like your list, but here is a question for you, what does one eat when they can’t have soy, dairy, eggs, or too many lugumes/beans and also gluten free?

   Reply
   1. Nancy Montuori

      Hi Dante – here is a link for a gluten-free, soy-free list of plant-based foods that you can eat. If you can’t eat too many beans, make sure you are getting complete proteins from quinoa, hemp seeds (put them on everything), and chia seeds. Hopefully you can eat chickpeas which can replace any bean you can’t eat.

   2. Dante

      HI, thank you, and no I can’t eat chickpeas.. 🙁
      But I like the sounds of the other items, like quinoa, hemp seeds and chia seeds
      The link you mentioned didn’t show up, or did you forget to include it? 🙂

3. Ann Elizabeth-Nagel

   Hi Nancy,
   Thanks so much for this information. I have celiac, dairy allergy, extremely low tolerance for carbs and sugar (even from natural) sources, and don’t feel well when I eat meat. So, I have been trying the vegan route – eating a LOT of greens, nuts, seeds, some beans – while preparing meat for my husband and mom. I feel great when I stick to these foods! But, sometimes I don’t know what to eat! I’ve gotten into a rut! I get bored and want more variety. SO, I really appreciate this post. I’m printing it and looking for some more recipes! Thank you for doing this service!

   Reply
4. Allie

   Thanks for the article! I am a teenage vegan who has had medical problems relating to non-cancerous tumors in the past, and after reading articles about the questionable relationship relating to soy and ER positive breast cancer, I wanted to find a way to consume as little soy as possible. This list helped so much! Thanks!

   Reply
5. Kylee

   I’m with you on almost everything you wrote about in this post. My only bone of contention is where you warn against saturated fat. Actually saturated fat from foods like avocado, walnuts, and coconut are very beneficial to you, considering your body needs them for healthy function of the liver and other organs.

   In years past saturated fat has gotten a bad wrap because it was said to cause heart disease by raising cholesterol, but that not true. Cholesterol is produced in the body to heal internal wounds, particularly in the heart. These little cuts are not caused by saturated fat from healthy sources. They are caused by free radicals that are floating around in the body from consumption of grains (particularly wheat, rye, and barley), dairy, soy, and corn. So eat the saturated fat daily as long as you’re getting it from quality sources like the avocados, walnuts, and coconut. You’ll reap the benefits, I promise!

   Reply
6. BrittanyDavid

   This is SO helpful. I am allergic to soy, grains (except buckwheat and millet), dairy, honey, etc. etc. I am at my wits end of how to remain vegan and stay away from animals, when my diet is so restricted. You have just given me hope!

   Reply
7. Dawn

   Thank you so very much for this website. I appreciate all the info and everyone sharing. I have been a vegetarian for decades, wanting to be a vegan and not knowing how to get the nutrition I need. I have recently been diagnosed with Hashimoto, diabetes, and I am being tested for celiac. Soy was my go to protein and now I can’t have it. I don’t have any vegetarian or vegan friends, so I am on my own here. I really appreciate the alternative protein info– I have been clueless. I needed to know anyway, it is good to vary your diet. 🙂

   Reply
8. Shannon

   Hey there! Great list! I’m writing a blog post on soy-free vegan protein options soon and was wondering if you’d mind if I referenced your list. Of course, all research credit would be given to you. Can I ask where you found the source for these numbers? When I tried researching online, I got mixed results.

   Thanks!

   Reply
   1. Nancy M

      Yes Shannon you can use the list and link back to this site. I did a lot of research to come up with correct numbers and I agree on the mixed results on the web. Thanks for being part of our community!

9. juli

   I’m just now trying to figure out how to get enough daily protein w/o soy or wheat. I’m reading the above which states that there is 18 grams of protein per cooked cup of quinoa. Every other resource I have found says there is 8 grams. (Also quinoa is not a grain, it’s a seed). I’m very interested in switching to vegan, at least for much of the week, but I have problems absorbing protein so…which is it? 18 grams, or 8?

   Reply
   1. Nancy M

      Hi Julie – Thanks for stoping by and congratulations on your goal to switching to a more compassionate diet. Quinoa is the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. It is frequently called a grain because it is used and cooked like one and is often called an “Ancient Grain”. Since it is recognized as a grain, I put it on the grain list, but any way you look at it, it is a gluten-free super seed grain with lots of protein.

      As far as the protein amount goes, I used the amount of protein in an uncooked cup of quinoa instead of cooked. So a cup of cooked quinoa is 8 grams of protein and a cup of uncooked quinoa is 24 grams.

      Hope that helps and Happy New Year!

   2. Bett

      Nancy M,

      Thanks for this info! The grains info is very helpful, but I don’t know how to interpret the others. I would love to have each item identified as to whether it is cooked or not as you list it. Otherwise I just don’t know what it means. You’ve done this for grains, but could you either make a note on the others? If some aren’t cooked perhaps you might separate each category into a cooked and an uncooked column. Thanks again 🙂

   3. Nancy Montuori

      Hi Bett – all the fruits and vegetables are uncooked. Thanks for stopping by and for being part of our community!
      Nancy aka Ordinary Vegan

   4. Bett

      Thanks! That was the missing piece of the puzzle, and makes this very helpful indeed!!

10. Louise

    love your articles and recipes !!!! merci…day 696 for me 😉

    Reply
11. Jen Rietveld

    I have been struggling with many food allergies. I have celiac and besides wheat I am also allergic to all stone fruits ( peaches, cherries, plums, apricots, nectarines, etc… Also apples, pears and raw onions). I can only have soy in very small doses and many other foods cause severe inflammatory response in my body. Let’s just say it can be overwhelming. I am so grateful for wonderful people like you who take the time to share their knowledge with others. Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Trinka

       Jen, have you riled out a systematic Candida infection? It can cause many food allergies and maladies in the body. You do not need a doctor to diagnose yourself either. What I basically did was stay away from high sugar fruits, breads, dried fruit and beans for 1 month, and ate steamed protein ( vegan obviously for this site), raw and cooked veggies, herbal teas or water ( I did cheat with coffee and tea no sugar, stevia instead). Also use grapefruit seed extract tabs and olive leaf capsules (if your not allergic to them) as candida and fungal killers. After a month, start testing certain foods back in to see how you react., and add probiotics back in. This may just do the trick…..does not reverse gluten sensitivity or soy sensitivity though.

    2. Amy Barker

       Hi Jen Thank you for posting about how you have to eat certain foods while leaving out others for inflammatory reasons… That’s why I am here too, my reason may vary from yours but I’m here because I am vegan but recently found out that to help prevent autoimmune disease episodes that eating a diet free from corn, dairy, eggs, gluten, soy could very well help with this. I am already vegan and had been wondering for a while now if I should be eating soy and possibly gluten too, but its something I have just begun to explore.

       Thank you for creating this site, it’s nice to hear everyone’s opinions but maybe we should have to site what we post for comfort for others and whether its a trusted source and trusted pieces of information. cuz I know us vegans think we know, but sometimes we don’t. 🙂

    3. Nancy Montuori

       Hi Amy – Thanks for stopping by and for your insight. You should join our Facebook community and private group. They are both good resources for like minded and compassionate people. Happy Holidays!
       https://www.facebook.com/ordinaryvegan
       https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinaryvegan/

12. Miri

    Just so you know…..I bought several packages of Asian noodles, soba noodles made with buckwheat and one of the ingredients is wheat , so they have gluten. I could not find soba noodles made 100% of buckwheat . Also if you eat hummus with pita bread , the bread has gluten unless it says gluten free.

    Reply
    1. Nancy M

       Wheat flour is a major source of gluten, so yes most traditional pita bread made from wheat flour are not low in gluten. You can replace the soba noodles for other kinds of Asian noodles like acorn noodles, harusame, kelp noodles, buckwheat vermicelli, rice noodles, tapioca noodles and sweet potato noodles. Always check the ingredients. Thanks for the info Miri!

13. Monica

    I’m in exactly the same boat – gluten-free, soy-free, peanut-free, (gmo-free) vegan. And I thought your post was awesome. I do need to tell you that spelt does contain gluten. It’s not gluten-free. But other than that – great post!

    Reply
    1. Nancy M

       Thanks for the heads up Monica – Now I understand the confusion and debate about spelt and gluten http://www.food-allergy.org/spelt.html

    2. BrittanyDavid

       I just read the article. Very interesting. I think I’ll give spelt a chance again to see. Thanks

14. Nicholas

    Thank you for this handy list – but must warn that both BARLEY and KAMUT are NOT gluten free.

    Reply
    1. Nancy M

       Thanks for the heads up Nicholas – You inspired me to do some more research and you are correct. They are coming off the list.

15. Lauren

    Thanks for helping us out! Just wanted to be sure to point out that if one eats wheat-free, the grains above are okay. If one is gluten-free, as a celiac must be, the spelt, barley, and kamut are also out. Also rye would be and regular oats as they get contaminated with gluten during processing. Gluten-free oats are okay though.

    Reply
    1. Nancy M

       Thanks so much for the info Lauren!

16. Alex

    Thank you!! I have been vegan for nearly a year now, and I am soy intolerant. It gets difficult to figure out what to eat occasionally, but finding posts like this make things that much easier! My friend has celiac disease and has been vegan for about 3 years now, so I’ll also pass this along to her!

    Reply
    1. Nancy M

       Hi Alex: I think many people are surprised that they can be vegan and not eat soy. I only eat it a few times a month and could easily go without it. Thanks for the feedback and Happy New Year!

    2. Bita

       Hi I just started to be vegan and can’t eat soy. Basically I’m starving. Lol how do u figure out foods? It’s so difficult.

    3. Nancy Montuori

       Hi Bita – You don’t need soy to be vegan. My recommendation is to keep it simple – a grain, a legumes like beans or lentils, vegetables, fruits and healthy fats like nuts, seeds and avocado. This can be a simple plate of food, a soup or a stir fry. I would also recommend having 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds or ground flax or combination of both every day. You can put them in your morning oatmeal, in a soup or on top of a salad. I personally don’t eat soy often and you don’t need it for a healthy, filling vegan diet. Good luck and thanks for being part of our healthy community. Sending you lots of compassion.

    4. Lindy

       I have a dealthy soy allergy and I have really wanted to be a vegan for a long time. But most nuts are manufactored in the facility that makes soy products. Soy is used in almost all grain products as a filler.

    5. Patricia Ann

       I cannot have soy and therefore cannot have lentils. Unfortunately, they are in the soy family and I cannot tolerate them. I react the same as when I had any soy.

    6. Nancy Montuori

       Hi Patricia – thanks for sharing – Soybeans are legumes. Other foods in the legume family include peanut, navy beans, kidney beans, lima beans, string beans, pinto beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), lentils, peas, black-eyed peas, and licorice. Some people with soy allergy may have a reaction after eating other legumes. If you have soy allergy, you should talk with your doctor about what other legumes you might need to avoid.

17. Beth

    Love this post! I too am sensitive to gluten and soy, as well as trying to adopt a plant based diet. One small concern about your Whole Grain list. Celiac & Gluten sensitivity means no wheat, barley or, rye. You have barley is on your list!

    Reply
    1. Julie

       Thanks for the information. Another small concern. Oats is mentioned a few times. As a Coeliac, I’ve been told to not eat oats at all. I’ve also been told that in some countriesoats is OK for Coeliacs. This piece is interesting. http://glutenfreefamily.com.au/2010/04/oats-gluten-free-or-not/.
       Regards

    2. Chris

       Oats only contain gluten from cross-contamination, due to being processed on the same equipment as gluten-containing grains, like Wheat, Barley, and Rye. This is true for most Oats. That’s why it’s important to buy Gluten-Free Oats. However, recent research fount Oats to contain toxins from mold. Do your research before eating. Also, brown rice contains massive amounts of Arsenic. Stay away, or at least don’t buy from south-eastern US grown areas, and use 6:1 water to rice ratio (cook like pasta) to reduce Arsenic by 30%.

    3. Georgina

       Regarding oats, (I have Coeliac Disease, been diagnosed over 50 years) it is only in recent years that oats have been deemed to be gluten free providing they are not processed in the same place as other gluten containing grains. But also oats do contain a protein called Avenin which causes problems for many Coeliacs. I cannot eat oats, not even those labelled gluten free.

    4. Nancy Montuori

       Thanks for the feedback Georgina! and thanks for being part of our community!

    5. Wendy Anne

       I wouldn’t have oats at all. I have Celiac. I got gluten free oats and they made me really sick. There is some kind of protein is oats.

    6. Audrey

       I thought most oats are full of glyphosate so I gave up oats!🙁

    7. Nancy Montuori

       Hi Audrey – You are right – Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit advocacy organization, revealed traces of glyphosate, the main ingredient in the pesticide Roundup, in several types of oat cereal, oatmeal, granola, and snack bars. Almost three-quarters of food samples tested “showed higher glyphosate levels than what the group’s scientists believe to be ‘protective of children’s health” . Even Bob’s Red Mill organic oats were sued over having glyphosate so we may all need to take a different stand about eating oats. Thanks for stopping by and sharing.

    8. Sam

       I absolutely love this little list thank you so much for sharing x

    9. Nancy Montuori

       You are welcome Sam – Thanks for being here!

18. Jessie Halbrook

    Thank you very much for sharing some great and useful information. I am a vegan, and I find it nice to know that there are health-conscious bloggers like you. Keep em coming!

    Reply
19. Cissy

    Good job on this post. Very informative. Mahalo!

    Reply
20. Zakiah

    Your list overall is good. I would add that many asian noodles DO contain wheat flour-soba noodles are often mostly wheat flour with a small amount of buckwheat so only buy them if they say 100% buckwheat. Ramen, udon, and many others are wheat, so always read the ingredients!

    Reply
    1. Lisa Braun

       Yes, so true! It’s not easy finding wheat free sobo or Asian noodles. When you look at the majority of their labels, you will find wheat flour (not even whole wheat, in most cases) is the first ingredient, buckwheat is second.

    2. Jackie

       Check out pancit bihon noodles at the asian market (used in Filipino pancit). There are two different kinds that I use. One is made of rice and corn starch and the other is made of mung bean and potato starch. Both of them are super yummy. I soak them in water for a bit. I sautee veggies with a little garlic. I then toss them in wet and add a little more water and a sprinkle of salt. It’s a stir-fry without the soy sauce, gluten packed noodles, and meat. 🙂