Living better and living longer… With Gluten-free and Vegan

There is a gluten-free and vegan craze taking the world by storm. With so much information available on the internet, it’s easy to see why gluten-free and vegan lifestyles are offering a healthier way to live and eat.

One individual responding to the demand for the gluten-free and vegan trend is Matthew Finateri of St. John’s, Newfoundland, who’s got a passion for everything “Bakery.”  His self-expression and vision spanned the Tulip Baroo, a vegan and gluten-free bakery that offers not only customized orders for your special occasions, but it also creates baked products that look and taste amazing.

In his new Water Street location, Matthew Finateri operates a registered vegan, gluten- and wheat-free bakery. Matthew whips up magnificent cookies, cupcakes, squares, and cakes and his creations are not only healthy, but they are a work of art – art that’s so elaborate that he even bakes four-tier wedding cakes.

Recalling how it all started, Matthew says, “You know those book order fliers you’d get in elementary school? Well, I’d always go for the baking books. I’ve always been into baking. And I’m a vegan. I decided to do gluten- and wheat-free products because I saw the demand for them while I was working at
The Sprout, a vegan restaurant in St. John’s.”

Gluten-Free

For people struggling with inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders, gluten-free has proven to be beneficial. The gluten in grain is not recognized by the immune system, so it attacks the intestines and can cause severe damage. It’s estimated that 15 percent of the population is gluten intolerant and that 95 percent of that figure don’t know that they are intolerant.

And that’s just the statistics we have so far. It’s predicted to be much higher as we learn and know more about the results of gluten-free and vegan living. Overall, people are more aware and tend to be staying away from gluten because they just feel better.

People who are unaware they have a sensitivity to gluten are in a fragile situation because gluten can cause permanent damage to their body, and they can suffer from nutrient loss because their digestive tract doesn’t absorb nutrients from their food properly.

Some immediate symptoms of gluten intolerance include gas, bloating, and intestinal pain. As well, people who are suffering from Crohn’s disease and Lupus often stay away from gluten because of the increased risk of inflammation in the joints as well as rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. A clean diet devoid of animal products, high in vegetables, and gluten-free is the environment which can heal all of those illnesses if a person is committed to a gluten-free lifestyle and their
own self-healing.

Vegan

Vegans are frequently misunderstood as the strange “healthy eaters” with a misguided responsibility toward animal rights. While many vegans do feel keenly in tune with animals, that’s not all there is to the decision to be “vegan.” Following a healthy, balanced vegan diet ensures a host of health benefits as well as prevention of some of today’s major health issues including weight gain, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, prostate cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, muscular degeneration, cataracts, arthritis, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Good nutrition coupled with a vegan lifestyle offers many physical benefits in regards to lowered Body Mass Index, weight loss, energy, healthy skin, longer life, eliminating body odor and bad breath, strong bones, strong hair and nails, and a recovery from PMS, migraines, and allergies.

The Tulip Baroo is one place that you can find in the gluten-free and vegan world that doesn’t compromise taste and at the same time provides customers with an artistic expression of the love for food. Thanks, Matthew Finateri – we applaud your pioneering spirit and healthy insight, as well as your commitment to a happier, healthier community.

To learn more about the Tulip Baroo please visit www.tulipbaroo.ca