Calling all vegetarians! What are all the not-so-obvious foods we cant eat?

Question

As a veggie of nearly 15 years I'm finding it really annoying how I keep discovering that certain random foods contain animal products and I didn't even realise.

I only discovered that some cheese and white wines aren't OK a long time after I gave up meat. In the supermarket the other day I was looking at the nutritional chart for a chocolate pudding, only to see beef extract in the ingredients list!

This is really annoying, I read a lot of labels but there are some I just wouldn't even think to look at, plus not all animal products are obvious in their naming.

A lot of my vegetarian friends worry about this too so I thought I'd ask if people could share their discoveries of certain things that people might not realise are non-veggie friendly?

In case this helps anyone, I've just contacted Pret a Manger and they've confirmed that all their cheeses are proper vegetarian.

Cameron B- I am a vegetarian not a vegan, so I do eat dairy products, obviously I know cheese is one of those!

Answer 1

I was going to mention wine and also fruit pastilles and stuff.

If you go to the below website, it's a page on the Vegetarian Society website and it lists 'stumbling blocks' which is basically foods to look out for and things you wouldn't think of:

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/stumbling.html

Answer 2

Unfortunately you have to read all the labels.

If it doesn't clearly say its veggie, then you've got your work cut out because you've got to know the potential source for all ingredients.

Tinned Carrots - there you got, not veggie because of the colouring ( which does not have to be listed because its trace )

Bread - the majority has non-veggie yeast

Sugar - all white refined sugar is not veggie

Coffee, Tea, most cakes, most biscuits, wine , beers, frozen veg

Its not SOME white wine, its MOST WINE that isn't veggie.

Orange Juice - for example Sainsbury do about 30 different types, only 2 are veggie - the Basics and the Organic.

The list is endless.

Been a veggie for 26 years now and i would guestimate that 90% of foodstuffs is not veggie. It you don't check, you're just burying your head in the sand.

And you can never trust cafe, resturaunts or sandwich bars, including Pret a Manger ( or however you spell it ) . Go take a close look at how they handle the utensils....thier processes say they use different ones but they don't, you definately get cross contamination.

Stick with it, you get to know the brands you can trust, although i do check the label each time i buy ( no thats not obsessive - its called being a Vegetarian )

Answer 3

I eat a largely vegetarian diet - beef upsets my stomach and other meat makes me fat. At home I eat Quorn, pasta , rice, cous cous , vegetables etcetera, but meat won't kill you. If you accidentaly eat gelatine it is unfortunate but not toxic. I know people who have been vegetarian for years - feeding their pets on vegetarian diets as well - but they never sound paranoid.

There are some very paranoid sounding answers here - not all, but worrying about insect contamination in chocolate? You can get insect contamination at home - have you never left a fruit bowl out? Nowadays the fruit flies will be all over it when you are not looking. You will then eat the fruit complete with insect eggs - but you probably don't know you have done it. it doesn't kill you.

Yes eating meat products isn't pleasant, and it isn't particularly healthy - but it won't kill you.

I would be more concerned about genetically modified foods that are getting into the food chain and being eaten by veggies all the time - such as the recent batches of rice from India. There is believed to be widespread contamination due to bees and other insects carrying the pollen - suprise, suprise. I really think we should worry more about that rice crossed with rat for example, oh dear.

Before anyone gets any ideas that I am having a pop at my fellow veggies I have been veggie or pescatarian for the majority of my adult life - but I am also qualified in non-medical nutrition and am an RN too. I think some commonsense is needed when some people cannot even find enough to eat in our own countries.

Answer 4

I will give you a rough list of some of the foods/items that I have found that contains animal products.

Cheese: (I know you mentioned that you already found out about cheese, but I just wanted to add this to the list incase other vegetarians/vegans missed that in your question. Most cheeses contain rennet). A lot of vegetarians would never guess this, especially when they are first starting out.
Marshmallows: Marshmallows contain gelatin, but I have heard stories of vegan marshmallows somewhere out there-I have yet to find them.
Pills: A lot of pills for medication are made using gelatin. If you look in health food stores, you can find medication that is not made with the use of gelatin.
Sobe drinks: I am not sure if any of you have heard of Sobe, but it is kind of like an energy drink. I was drinking one the other day and found out that it has cochineal in it, which is coloring derived from crushed insects. There are flavors that do not contain it, but be careful. Always check foods for cochineal because it is popular for coloring. Even if I wasn't a vegetarian, this just completely grosses me out. Cochineal is also used in many cosmetics.
Chocolate: I have heard that some milk chocolates, if not all, contain animal fat. Dark chocolate and Carob are alternatives for this.
Sugar: Some refined sugars are made using bone char from cows.
Sodas: Some sodas, especially orange soda, contains gelatin. Make sure that you always check the back of the bottle.
Energy bars: I have found that there are few energy bars that are not made using gelatin, fish gelatin, or any other substance from an animal. I have found vegan ones recently.

There are more that I have found, but these are the ones that I think of off of the top of my head. For a list of things that are vegan-friendly, check out http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan .

Answer 5

Im a veggie too, so always read the labels. Quite a few ready made puddings have animal fat in for some odd reason. Also a lot of sweets contain gelatin. I also think some wines have animal produce in as someone told me you can buy veggie wines which was a surprise.

Answer 6

I'm nowhere near as strict as I used to be but you do have to be careful with so many things if you're really looking to avoid animal products, or those linked to testing/cruelty. I was shocked to discover I couldn't eat Polo mints after munching my way through many packets - when I finally read the label (I had no idea I had to check things like sweets) I found they contained gelatine.

Quorn has only recently become an approved product as well - it was processed using battery farm eggs for many years but since 2004 it's been given the seal of approval, now it is cruelty free.

I heard a rumour that the 'non-dairy fat' in one brand of ice-cream was whale blubber - but the labelling means they only have to state it is non-dairy! Urghhhhhh....

The best bet is to read all labels - even of the most unlikely products - and also check out products on an approved list if you're still unsure. The Vegetarian Society have a fab list on their website (see below).

Answer 7

LOL, that is the one downside to veganism... There are so many things that are off limits now...
Basically, anything packaged for convenience is out, so many things contain meat or fat or broth.
Some labels to read that most people don't think of:
*Worchestershire & Ceasar dressing both contain anchovy.
*Stuffing mixes contain chicken or beef fat.
*Gelatin is used as a thickener in many soups and gravies.
The list goes on... The best thing to do is to carefully read labels everytime you shop. Once you find a brand of something that is good and cruelty-free, remember that name... Eventually, you will get in the habit of buying those brands and you won't have to read it all the time... Peta has a shopping guide that does some of the work for you. Cheack that out @ http://www.vegcooking.com/shoppingGuide.asp

Answer 8

Well, I don't know how scared and paranoid you are now, but even I'm feeling that way reading the answers above me.... If you want more information about sugar, read this page:

http://www.ivu.org/news/2-97/sugar.html

This is one of the things I've just chosen to block out of my head and hope for the best. My diet is already limited, I can't imagine how limited it would be without eating any products that have used sugar. There are absolutely no traces of animal left in the sugar when they get to the final product, but you have to be okay with the thought of them using cow bones in the process. Apparently this bone char cannot be bought or produced legally so it is made from cows who have died of natural causes. I say "apparently" b/c I'm not sure how enforced that is... Beet sugar does not use the bone char method, but cane sugar does. And I don't know about you, but most labels I read only say "sugar" without any specifics. So for me it would be maddening trying to avoid it altogether.

I think the main thing you need to look out for is gelatin/gelatine. Read all your ingred's until you know which products are okay. And if they ever say "new and improved" or change the packaging, make sure to read them again. Gelatin can be in ANY product, so even things you think are safe you should still read the labels.

Vegetable soups often contain beef or chicken broth, vegetarian pizzas normally use regular processed cheese which has rennet in it. In fact, a lot of things labelled "vegetarian" on the packaging often is not. Here in Canada, there is a grocery store brand that has a little symbol on packages that are "suitable for vegetarians" but oftentimes they have cheese in them which is NOT suitable. I don't think it's any malice on their part, just a lack of knowledge. While you might be able to trust vegetarian brands, be careful of brands that offer both meat and vegetarian products.

Sadly, in the area where I live, I would not ever trust *any* restaurant to offer a "vegetarian" meal or option. You just have to take your chances if you want to eat someplace that isn't specifically a veg. restaurant. There are a few fish n chips places that I somewhat trust b/c they fry the potatoes separately in veg. oil. Most restaurants will fry potatoes separately b/c they don't have to change the oil as often as the oil they fry their meat and fish in, but you have to make sure that they use veg/canola oil.

I once had to eat in a restaurant a while back and I ordered a vegetable salad without the cheddar cheese (which was optional). Well, of course they end up putting cheese on it.... So I had the embarrassment of sending it back, only to have it come back to me looking like someone had tried to pick all the cheese out! Give me strength! They also gave me a bloody huge steak knife to cut the vegetables up with. Worst salad experience ever... Moral of the story, even salads aren't a "safe" option sometimes. In high school I used to trust the garden salads from McDonald's until I got one with deli ham bits in it and hadn't even noticed until half way through.

Oh, and some ppl don't consider honey vegan b/c of the belief that some producers kill the bees at the end of the season. This might be true in some places, but here in Canada that isn't the norm. Only the queen bee might be killed every other year IF the whole hive is suffering. You just need to do some research - and bravo for calling pret a manger!

Answer 9

Gosh after reading all this I don't think I will ever eat again!! that solves the weight problem!!! I have been a vege all my life and always check labels, most things that are jellyish may have although nowadays people use pectin as a gelling agent - this is derived from lemons, you can even get vegetarian Gelatine I saw it in sainsburys the other day!!

Answer 10

Cheese is obvious, because the process is often started with rennet, which is taking from a cow's stomach. There are vegetarian cheeses available from vegetarian stores.

Wine, red, white, or rosé has got me flummoxed. Maybe what the wine presser has just stepped in? This is more likely to be athletes' foot, which as a fungi, is classed as a vegetable.

Answer 11

I suppose it depends how strict your diet is? I was rather shocked to find gelatin in one brand of yoghurt the other day!! I never go to a Thai restaurant to eat as they consider the "shrimp paste" present in nearly all their curry pastes as vegetarian??? Some brands of refried beans in a can contains "lard", so I always check for that one. Some pasta's add egg..not sure why, eggless tastes better anyway. Also some vitamin supplements may contain animal products, best to go for a company that produces vegetarian/vegan brands.