It is easy to avoid the obvious products that are not
vegetarian, but there is a grey zone where it is necessary to understand what
an ingredient is and how it is made. I
have learned through the years that it is not always safe to assume that
certain processed foods are vegetarian. More
often than not, labels can be misleading and sneak meat-based ingredients into
products you would never think to look for.
It is important to read and understand the labels about what
ingredients are made from animal products.
The good thing is, after figuring out what products are not vegetarian,
it is easier to find product alternatives that are.
This list I compiled contains products that MAY have animal by-products. It is dependent on the brand and what kind or
flavor it is. This list is here to help
make you more aware and read the labels of these products closer.
·
Vanilla
Ice Cream may contain castoreum, secretions from beaver’s anal glands, as a
“natural flavor.”
·
Orange
juices can contain fish oil and sheep’s wool.
·
Some salted
peanuts use gelatin as an adhesive to help the salt and other spices stick
on to them.
·
It is common for beef fat to be present in boxed cake mixes.
·
Everyone’s favorite Easter snack, peeps, is made with gelatin.
·
Some bagels
and other bread products have L. Cysteine, which is found in bird feathers
and human hair.
·
Potato
chips have been known to be produced using chicken fat. It is commonly used in the BBQ flavored
potato chips.
·
Boxed mac
and cheese might have rennet, an enzyme in mammal’s stomach, in it.
·
Wines
can be made with gelatin, isinglass, or chitin while being processed.
·
Frosted
Mini Wheat’s contain gelatin as well.
·
Some canned
vegetable soups are made with beef stock.
·
Vitamin
supplements often contain animal bi-products, especially in the capsules or
casing they are in.
It is very important to stay educated on changing
ingredients and processing protocols. If
there are any products I missed of have any questions, I would love to hear
from you!
Go Green and Stay Keen,
Julie
This is so interesting! I not vegan, but I eat paleo... and I've definitely learned to read the labels! Once you start becoming more aware its scary how many "hidden" ingredients there are in some of my favorite foods! Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteWow I had no idea, it's definitely in most things!
ReplyDeleteThis is great info! Thanks for sharing, I definitely don't like supporting products that use animal byproducts or testing.....best to you with your blog!
ReplyDeleteValerie
Oh wow, I can't believe all of those things are in these products! It's so difficult to find products that don't have indecipherable ingredient lists. It's hard enough finding items that don't have nuts and are safe for the kids to take to school, but to look for animal-free products? Yikes.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that about canned veggies. Also vanilla ice scream no longer sounds appetizing to me.
ReplyDeleteYou really do need to read those labels. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat info, thanks!
ReplyDeleteWoa, so many things. Double checking your food labels is always a good practice!
ReplyDeleteEw! And now I don't want to eat anything! Thanks for the info. It's a bit disturbing but I will make better choices from now on.
ReplyDeleteWow... I have been telling myself I need to start reading labels & this post confirmed it. Thank you so much for sharing this information.
ReplyDeleteWow. I am going to have to go look at my labels. I am not a vegetarian but I would prefer to have not have stuff from a beaver's anal gland.
ReplyDeletevery interesting read :-) though at least we have so much to be thankful for from the animals, but sometimes they can be harmful actually.
ReplyDeleteSome very good information to know. Reading labels and knowing about the thing you read on them is important!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea gelatin could be used in peanuts for coatings. That's enlightening. It seems like gelatin is in a lot of stuff!
ReplyDeleteJulie this is great article. I wasn’t aware they use animal by products on those.
ReplyDeleteIt really is so difficult knowing exactly what you are eating without looking at the product contents. We do not eat pork in our home and yet there are so many foods that contain gelatin. Some gelatin is made from beef or vegan however much of it is made from pork so it can be quite the challenge.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is a very informative post. Thank you so much. I read the label for peanut or any nut because my summer babe has a peanut allergy.
ReplyDeleteI am not a vegetarian, but some of these sound gross! One of my favorite candies is Gummy worms and when I found out what they are really made of, it made my stomach turn.
ReplyDeleteWow, the vanilla ice cream really surprised me! Reading labels is so important!
ReplyDeleteMy husband just recently told me about castoreum and it grossed me out. There are so many hidden by-products in our food.
ReplyDeleteOMGoodness, I was totally grossed out reading about the castoreum. I actually read something about the human hair and white bread connection, and stopped eating it for a while.
ReplyDelete