Is it true that Vegetarians cant eat gelatin products?

Question

im a new vegetarian... just started March 13th. im only a meat free vegetarian, but im considering cutting gelatin products out of my diet, but im not sure. i love marshmallows. do they really contain horse hooves???? and why????

Answer 1

Gelatin is made from the cartilege of animal bones. Therefore, vegetarians do not eat jello or products made w/ gelatin such as marshmallows.

Whole Foods carries a marshmallow fluff made w/o gelatin.

Answer 2

I think half of the people on here are crazy. What kind of a vegitarian would eat gelatin products? A real vegitarian does not eat gelitain because it's made from meat. Yes, it has horse hoofs in it, but that's not the main thing. It has there bones, and other animal's bones too. How could a vegetarian eat an animal's bones? Sorry, i'm not trying to be rude, but you can't be a vegetarian and eat gelitain. If you are then your just a "person who does not eat most meats"

Answer 3

I'm not a vegetarian, but my sister is.
Vegetarians' diets really vary, depending on what kind of vegetarian you are. A lot of vegetarians don't eat gelatin, because it contains cartilage and such from animals.
Not all marshmallows contain gelatin. A lot of kosher marshmallows don't (although some do). Check the ingredients in the grocery store and if it isn't listed, there's no gelatin in it. That goes for all foods, not just marshmallows. Jell-o also contains gelatin.
My sister says that gelatin is made from colagin (sp?) from the cheeks and behinds of animals. I guess I was misinformed.

Answer 4

Being vegetarian is not like being a zombie in a weird cult. There are no hard and fast rules. Eat what you feel comfortable eating. Avoid labeling yourself, the world is too full of people who will do that job for you!

And as yourself why you want to stop eating certain foods. And why dear, are you asking strangers if you should stop consuming gelatin products? It's your body, you should decide what you should be feeding it. Gelatine is a good source of protien, BTW.

Don't do anything simply because it's the fad or because it's something to do.

All the best with you decisions

Answer 5

I think people have been spreading some half-facts around.

Horse hooves have nothing to do with gelatin. Something in horse hooves has supposedly been used in the processing of cane sugar (I don't know if this is all cane sugar or what) in order to whiten the sugar. Bone char has definitely been used. I don't know if this is still used at all. Beet sugar does not use the same process and doesn't use hooves at all. Many vegans prefer to avoid sugar just in case.

Gelatin is made from dead animals. You can find out more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin .

Answer 6

You can eat whatever you choose.

However, if you choose to be a vegetarian, to subscribe to the typical/accepted definition, you would avoid all flesh, including fish and poultry, rennet (which is the inside of a calf's stomach lining, used in making cow milk cheese), gelatin, and lard.

If you are wanting to avoid more cruelty than worrying about a definition, you might look into cutting back on eggs and dairy, which cause more harm to animals than a byproduct such as gelatin.

Answer 7

Vegetarians can eat many things, they choose not to though.
A true vegetarian would not eat gelatin for the reasons explained above.

You have to consider how strict you want to be, what your lifestyle will allow and how much you want to experiment.

Change your diet according to your answers to those questions, if you truly want to be a vegetarian it will al come in time.

Answer 8

I think it's more vegans who eschew all animal-based foods. Vegetarians are usually lacto-ovo, meaning they eat eggs and drink milk. And yes, gelatin is derived from the collagen in animal tissues (I don't know if it's just in bones; I would think that collagen exists throughout the body).

A good substitute for gelatin is agar-agar. It's seaweed based and has similar qualities to gelatin; you can find it in most asian groceries or health food stores.

Answer 9

It is made from the boiled bones, skins and tendons of animals. An alternative substance is called Agar-Agar, which is derived from seaweed.

Kosher gelatin is made with fish bones, and/or beef skins.

They use it because it is cheap because it is a by-product of the meat industry and because of the texture it froms when boiled.

Answer 10

horse hooves, no. But they do require killing an animal, and they are made of boiled bones, usually from a cow or pig, so not veg. Just like you wouldnt eat the skin of meat, that still is meat, you also shouldnt eat boiled bones.