| Erica Kusenick, 47 of West Virginia was recently | | | | for vegetarians and vegans with celiac disease, |
| diagnosed with celiac disease, a disease that | | | | resources are popping up for people in this |
| prohibits the consumption of gluten, a protein | | | | demographic. "I think it's really important that this |
| found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley. | | | | site exists to tell you the truth. It would be a |
| Erica can no longer eat such common American | | | | shame for people to drop their vegetarian or |
| staples such as bread, pizza, pasta, cake or beer. | | | | vegan diet after being diagnosed with celiac |
| Needless to say her diet is considerably restricted | | | | disease. That's part of the reason I made Vegiac", |
| due to her disease. So, what could be worse? | | | | the site's creator said in an e-mail. "Vegiac" is a |
| How about also abstaining from consuming any | | | | term describing someone who is either a |
| animal products what so ever? | | | | vegetarian or vegan and also a celiac disease |
| Erica is one of a growing number of people who | | | | sufferer. |
| are being diagnosed with celiac disease but who | | | | As a person living on a celiac disease diet and |
| also face another problem, having another dietary | | | | ingesting no gluten, thankfully, a lot of the |
| restriction such as veganism or vegetarianism. | | | | products on the market that are gluten free are |
| Vegetarians, people who don't eat meat-but still | | | | also vegetarian and some are even vegan. There |
| eat dairy products, and vegans, people who don't | | | | are lines of frozen pizzas, breads and desserts |
| consume any animal products at all, face a real | | | | that are both gluten-free and vegetarian or vegan |
| challenge when it comes to living with celiac | | | | friendly. Brands such as Amy's, who offer frozen |
| disease. | | | | gluten-free and vegetarian or vegan food |
| "Eating out is a big challenge, we have to go to | | | | products are a favorite among "vegiacs". |
| mainly Mexican restaurants where a lot of the | | | | Regardless of the difficult diet and trying to watch |
| dishes are normally safe (gluten-free) since | | | | what they eat people with celiac disease who are |
| everything is made from corn for the most part" | | | | vegetarian or vegan, or "vegiacs" rather, are |
| Erica says, "It definitely helps that a lot of dishes | | | | growing and using the internet to interact, |
| are also vegan or at the very least vegetarian." | | | | communicate, share recipes and offer support to |
| Luckily there isn't any shortage of Mexican | | | | one another. The administrator of who wished |
| restaurants in Erica's hometown in West Virginia | | | | only to go by his member name, edgeyveggie, |
| and she says that traveling to new restaurants | | | | says "I bet by 2012 you'll see a huge number of |
| has become a great thing to plan weekends | | | | people who are either vegetarian or vegan with |
| around. | | | | celiac disease. It's becoming more and more |
| As you may have guessed, being a vegetarian or | | | | common every day." |
| vegan with celiac disease places you in a small | | | | Let's hope for his site's sake he's right, and for |
| minority of people, but thanks to new sites such | | | | vegetarian or vegan bread lovers everywhere |
| as Vegiac.com, an online community exclusively | | | | that he's wrong. |