Two Parter: Question for Vegans and Vegetarians?

Question

FIRST: I was at my granny's house and I ate a some Doritoes (not sure how to spell it their potato chips, those are the only onces I eat) and I was reading the ingredients and i didnt' see anyting marked for vegetarians or vegans but I also didn't see any animal products. It contained milk, soy and nut oil. So MY QUESTION IS: WHAT JUNK FOODS ARE SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS LIKE POTATO CHIPS AND COOKIES cuz I also ate some Peanut Butter cookie. I know their not good for you, but I was just woundering, cuz I didn't want ot cheat myself. I've been a vegetarian for a year now and I stoped eating fried foods and junk foods, just had a vonurable moment lol

SECOND PART: this concerns animal testing. I want to know HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO TEST MAKE UP AND OTHER CREAMS FOR OUR SKIN WITHOUT USING ANIMALS ? I personally think its wrong and I plan to join an organisation that tries to stop animal testing but I want to know a little more about it before I join.

THX. anyother info

ANY OTHER INFO APPRECIATED. THX

Answer 1

Part1:
The cheese nacho doritos are not vegetarian. I'm not sure about the other varieties, but I wouldn't put too much trust in them.
Here is something from the frito lay website:

"Q. Want to know which products do not contain porcine (pork) enzymes?
A. For a list of products that do not contain enzymes from pork, click here.
http://www.fritolay.com/fl/flstore/cgi-bin/ProdDetEv_Cat_306_SubCat_351852_NavRoot_361689_ProdID_564690.htm "

Nacho cheese doritos aren't on that list that (I guess) would have to mean that they do contain pork enzymes.
Just a warning for the future, beware of products that have "natural flavors" in them. Unless you know what that "natural flavor" is, usually you could contact the company for an answer. They try to get around answering questions like this. Just lie and say that you have severe food allergies or something, that's what I do. If they avoid your question after that, then maybe they aren't the best company to buy food products from anyway.

Part 2:
There are a lot of alternatives to animal testing, and there are companies that have adopted these methods.
There are tons of websites that explain (in detail) the different methods that can be used when testing a product. (Methods that don't involve cruelty)
Just type, "Alternatives to animal testing" in a search engine.
This link might be useful:
http://www.caringconsumer.com/resources_companies.asp
It's a PETA list of companies that "do and don't test on animals"
Although I don't really trust PETA, it's the best list I can find. (I guess that's because I'm not good at searching for stuff, oh well)

Answer 2

There's lots of vegan/vegetarian junk foods out there, but remember, the ingredients list in the USA/Canada is a joke -- only the few main ingredients need be listed, there are many many more hidden ingredients in there. So, purchasing anything that others have made is always taking a risk, vegan or not. You can NEVER know what exactly is in there.

To test creams etc. without animals is very easy, test it on humans. Very simple, isn't it. They test all sorts of other things, including medications etc. on humans. But, they are not testing these things on the skin of animals. What they are doing is some evil crap, like holding the eye of a rabbit open then spraying some detergent in there, and then letting it eat away that the eyeball (very painful; you try it), then they come back and say, "Oh, yes, the eye has been completely eaten away, so we'd better put on the label 'Do not get in eyes. Rince immediately if comes into contact with eyes and see a physician if experiencing any further discomfort.' "

The real reason they continue to do animal testing is all due to $$$$. These companies do not want to go out of business, so they create new ways to use animals for testing. Same as any other industry.

I'm sure someone else can tell you a lot more about the industry than I can. Just read some books and watch some documentaries on the topic. We all know that most serial killers tortured and killed animals when they were young because they are seriously f*cked up in the head, but when people as adults do this for a career, hey, it's totally OK as long as it's in the name of science and money.

Answer 3

As has been stated by others, vegans and vegetarians draw the line in different places as to what they can eat.

Just be careful with the junk food. When I was a vegetarian, I didn't eat very healthy and it contributed to some serious health issues. Now that I'm a vegan, I eat MUCH healthier and it's had a dramatic effect on my health.

As far as animal testing is concerned, cosmetics use many ingredients that have been used and tested for decades. There really is no need to continue testing the safety of something that's been proven safe for so long already. As far as the other ingredients are concerned, there are lots of alternatives to animal testing that are cruelty-free and becoming more accepted every day by the scientific community. Also, keep in mind that you never know what effect something will have on a human until you test it on humans. Period. Everything else is just a false sense of security. Just ask all the families of those who have been killed by medications that have been "proven safe" by animal testing in the past. Large scale human clinical trials are the only way to ensure the safety of any product. But funding animal testing instead of larger scale human testing, we are slowing down scientific progress and increasing the risk of death and injury to humans.

Answer 4

Vegetarianism is more of a diet. Vegetarians don't consume any meat including chicken and fish, but the most common form of vegetarian, lacto ovo, will consume milk and eggs. In addition, most vegetarians will not eat gelatin because it is made from animal bones, tendons etc. Veganism is a lifestyle. There are dietary vegans who will not consume any meat including chicken and fish or anything that comes from an animal, such as honey, eggs and milk. Most vegans are ethical vegans, in addition to following the diet that dietary vegans follow, they will not purchase/use things that came from animals - no leather, wool, silk etc. They also avoid animal ingredients in things like hygiene products and do not purchase things that were tested on animals. Ethical vegans know that it is impossible to live without harming some animals, mice killed by tractors, for example, but they do everything they can to minimize harm to animals.

Answer 5

A vegan is different from vegetarian. Vegans in addition to meat don't consume any animal products. No egg/dairy as you mentioned in your question. Vegans and vegetarians really don't eat junk food! It is a lifestyle change!
The second part of your question: visit your local natural grocer. There a plenty of skin care products that haven't been tested on animals and don't use any animal products. Try Kiss My Face, they have terrific products.
It really doesn't sound that you have researched this lifestyle too much. Don't take that personally but you really should. The Vegetarian Times magazine is a terrific tool!

Answer 6

I cannot answerthe first part for you because I do not know that answer. however, I would say don't sweat it everybody has a weak moment from time to time. The second part of your question is to be answered by saying that human testing is done on a lot of cosmetics. However, the FDA does require certain chemicals or components be tested on animals before being moved into human testing. This is always the case with pharmaceuticals and there is no way around that at the moment and probably there never will be. Now, there are certain chemicals that have decades of animal testing data and they do not have to be tested any more. Namely, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). This chemical is the main component of any soap or shampoo. Just go look o nthe back of your shampoo bottle and it is bound to be the first or second ingredient listed. This chemical can cause a lot of irritation so it was tested for decades on animals and humans as well to see how much can be used without causing irritation. Presently, it is not tested anymore because of the decades of research. However, it is still used as a control.

Now, there are lots of products that you can buy that do not animal test but like I said these have products have lots of testing behind them to know they are safe. However, any new componets will ahve to go through animal testing. They do this by guinea pigs because the pigs have the closest skin to humans. After the product passes through Phase III in the pigs then it is moved to human testing to make sure there are no more of a chance to cause irritation or worse. I don't see this changing any time soon either.

edit- I get three thumbs down because this is the reality? I did not make he rules i just preented my own first hand knowledge. I aologose it is not want people want to hear. I will tell you right now the companies that say the do not testing on animals is the ones who hahave had decades of animal testing data on record. If you think I am wrong call up your local testing facility!

Answer 7

For vegan junk food (and I'm practically an expert on this myself), check out "Skinny *****." Yes, it's a diet/pro-vegan book, but towards the back, they list all sorts of great packaged foods that, at the time of publication, were vegan. I'm sure you know companies change their formulas and ingredients, so you want to check the ingredients regularly. I have yet to find a vegan version of Doritos (sob), but Tings by Robert's American Gourmet are a vegan version of Cheetos. Your local natural foods store or Whole Foods is likely to carry stuff like this. Terra Chips has sweet potato chips that are delicious, but sometimes hard to find. They also have all sorts of root vegetable chips that are pretty good.

I'm sure many companies who don't do animal testing (such as Lush or Beauty Without Cruelty) use ingredients that have long since been proven safe, or they test them on volunteers. I have also read about in vitro testing, where they test on cell clusters in a petri dish. You might want to ask some antivivisection organizations that very question, as they might know better.

And for a dramatic illustration of what's wrong with animal testing, thalidomide was proven safe by animal testing, but pregnant women who took it ended up giving birth to children without arms.

Answer 8

Most junk foods like potato chips, cookies, etcc.. are VEGETARIAN but not necessarily vegan. Vegans don't eat cheese or milk products or eggs...

If you are vegetarian you just want to avoid lard, gelatin, and anythinig that sounds like it has an animal in it ("Chicken Broth" for example.)

Vegans have to watch out for alot more stuff...cheese, etc..

soy and nut oil is not a problem for vegetarians or vegans.

part two: I'm not going to touch this with a ten foot pole, because I haven't studied into it (accept to know that animal testing seems horribly inhumane) But Me's answer sounds really harsh and I kinda doubt it comes to that...

Answer 9

Sometimes it's just inevitable that you're going to want junk food . . . and sometimes that means you're eating something - or supporting a corporation - that you wouldn't really want to. But that's life . . . we can't be perfect all the time. I think being a vegetarian is a great step toward living better for you and the planet, but it's not like you've signed a binding contract. Give yourself a break - and follow the rules that you make that are right for you :) Oh, and there are tons of natural, no-animals-were-harmed products out there . . . they're not tested on animals because they use ingredients that are safe for our bodies to begin with.

Answer 10

part 1, stick with organic products and you shouldn't have a problem. I would still recommend reading the labels though. However, a lot of organic products will list on the front of the package if it's suitable for vegetarians/vegans.
part 2, the testing is done on willing HUMAN participants. Usually they are paid a fee for allowing themselves to be Guinea pigs. But, animal testing can still be done but done in a cruelty free way, just depends on the product. Good Luck!