Gluten Sensitivity and The Raw Vegan Lifestyle

 For a number of reasons the Raw Vegan Lifestyle has become quite popular these days-- one reason that pops to mind immediately is the lack of gluten-containing foods that are eaten by raw vegans... If you wish to eat wheat or oats or other gluten-containing foods on a Raw Vegan diet, you would need to first soak them and sprout them, but even after soaking and sprouting, most sprouted wheat still has gluten or gluten peptides remaining. Although the sprouting begins enzymatic action that starts to break down the gluten (a storage protein for the plant) into peptides and even amino acids. Generally this is not a complete process for sprouts used in foods so some active peptides (active in celiac disease) remain according to US Department of Agriculture research chemist, Donald D. Kasarda. It hardly seems worth the effort, does it?  Better to hang with the more common raw vegan who eschews bread and grain products.  This is really win-win for celiacs and those with gluten sensitivities or allergies.

On the other hand, it is worth noting that wheatgrass is a carbohydrate that contains magnesium-- there is no gluten in it as the grass top is cut off before juicing and so there is no gluten berry in wheatgrass.