With the progressive unearthing of food intolerances, and people making ever more health conscious lifestyle choices, gluten-free and vegan diets have become increasingly popular in recent years. This trend is reflected further in the growing menus surrounding intolerance-friendly dessert options for which there has been a surge in the number of new gluten-free and vegan options available.
GF VG options are becoming so increasingly delicious and accessible that I’ve gone from finding myself scraping the bottom of the barrel for a single suitable al fresco option for my dietary requirements, to now having entire menus dedicated to such mouth-watering choice. So it seems only fair that I celebrate the turning of the tides by treating my family to an entire box of delicious GF VG Doughnut Time doughnuts!
What’s In My Doughnut Box?
-Sprinkle Field GF VG- Vanilla cake doughnut with pink vanilla glaze and rainbow sprinkles
-Rainbow Road GF VG – Chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate glaze and rainbow sprinkles
-Sirius Blackcurrant GF VG – Vanilla cake doughnut with almond glaze, blackcurrant jam and flaked almonds
As I sit writing this, nibbling my way through this delightful box of high-end doughnuts, let’s share some thoughts over how GF options are fast becoming everyones new BFF they never knew they needed!
There are in fact several factors contributing to the rise in popularity of gluten-free and vegan desserts and food choices. One factor is undoubtedly the growing awareness of the health benefits of these diets. Gluten is a protein which is found in wheat, rye and barley and can be difficult to digest – as somebody who suffers from IBS this is my biggest trigger. Gluten is secretly hidden within a lot of everyday foods that we eat, so let’s take a look at what to avoid if you have a gluten intiolerance.
Foods Which Contain Gluten:
- Beer, ale, porter and stout usually contain barley, breads, bulgur wheat, cakes and pies, sweets, cereals, cookies and crackers, croutons, french fries, gravy, imitation meat or seafood, malt, malt flavouring and other malt products which contain barley, pasta, hot dogs and processed lunch meats, salad dressings, sauces including soy sauce due to wheat, seasoned rice mixes, seasoned snacks, potato and tortilla chips, self-basting poultry, soups, bouillon and soup mixes, vegetables in sauce to name but a few.
Whether you have a gluten intolerance or not, choosing to lead a gluten-free diet can also help to reduce bloating, gas and other digestive problems, whilst vegan diets which exclude all animal products, with or without having a dairy intolerance, can lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and specific types of cancer. As such, many people are now making the informed decision to leap to GF VG through choice, without undergoing the unnecessary suffering of being pushed due to the relentless symptoms of food intolerances.
Another factor contributing to the rise in popularity of gluten-free and vegan food choices is the increasing availability of plant-based ingredients. In the past, it was almost impossible to find gluten-free and vegan ingredients in supermarkets or local stores, as it was seen as a specialist niche in the market. Now there are so many options readily available from gluten-free flour to plant-based milk and vegan chocolate. It has become far easier for people to make more intricate gluten-free and vegan recipes at home, as well as being spoilt for choice from dietary menus in restaurants or online in just a click.
The rise in popularity of gluten-free and vegan desserts is a positive trend in more ways than one, as it provides those with intolerances with choice at last when satisfying a sweet tooth or craving whilst also offering a healthier alternative to traditional desserts and dishes.
Whilst I adore living a healthy active lifestyle and nutritious diet, I certainly prefer a sweet and sticky sumptuously decadent doughnut with my green tea over the old cardboardesque vegan gluten-free homemade rock-cakes concocted in my kitchen yesteryear. A little bit of what you fancy, in moderation, does you the world of good and I’m over the moon to no longer be left out in the cold because of intolerances. What is your favourite sweet treat?
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