Most common vegan food allergies

Following a vegan diet can not only reduce your risk of obesity and chronic diseases, it also reduces your exposure to the most common food allergies. But that doesn’t mean you are completely immune to food allergies.
Following a vegan diet can not only reduce your risk of obesity and chronic diseases, it also reduces your exposure to the most common food allergies. But that doesn’t mean you are completely immune to food allergies.

Vegans are not immune to food allergies

According to Joel Warady, CMO of Enjoy Life Foods, the most common food allergens are milk, seafood, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, and wheat, accounting for 90 percent of all food allergies in the United States. Because vegans eschew milk, seafood, and shellfish, they reduce their risk of food allergies by eliminating common food allergy culprits from their diet. However, vegans can still have nut, soy, and wheat allergies.

Allergen-free food

Gluten-Free, allergy-friendly fare may be the current rage for starlets and trendsetters, but for vegans living with celiac disease or vegan food allergies, keeping their meals safe can literally be a matter of life or death. Though gluten-free is a term most consumers understand, the concept of allergy-friendly may be less familiar to the masses. Finding food products that are gluten- and allergen-free can be challenging — always read labels for allergenic (and non-vegan) ingredients. In addition, make sure the food products have been produced in a processing facility that is dedicated to allergy-free foods. Warady says, ” To ensure that every food product is in fact gluten-free and free of the eight common allergens, Enjoy Life manufactures its products in a dedicated nut- and gluten-free facility.”

Vegan-friendly allergy-free sweets

Building on their already sound reputation, Enjoy Life Foods recently launched a few new vegan-friendly food products at the Natural Products Expo. We’ve tried many Enjoy Life products and give the new items a sweet two thumbs up.

Our favorite nibbles:

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• Double Chocolate Chip Crunchy Cookies — ideal for dipping in almond milk or vanilla soymilk (or allergy-free milk)

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• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks — for your favorite vegan blondies, brownies, or cookies

Note: Not all of Enjoy Life Foods products are vegan; some contain honey. As with all packaged foods, read labels before purchase.

More vegan lifestyle tips!