If gelatin is not vegetarian...?

Question

Is it better to open up supplement capsules and mix with water weather than swallow the gelatin capsules too?

Answer 1

Well, apparently no one wants to seriously answer your question. I am assuming that you are asking this question because you are vegetarian. (BTW everyone else, she is not asking for your opinion on whether you think that being a vegetarian is "silly" or "ridiculous" or not.) I think that if you were a vegetarian the best thing to do would be to avoid buying items with gelatin in the first place. For Example: You wouldn't buy a microwave dinner with meat and potatoes in it and throw away the meat to just eat the potatoes would you?
However, eating small amounts of gelatin will not have the same bad effect on your body/digestive system as eating meat would if you have been a vegetarian for a long time, if that is why you were asking.

Also, I am not sure exactly what supplements taht you are taking, but if you go to a health food store, you should be able to find some supplements that do not contain any gelatin. I personally take a liquid multivitamin everyday rather than a capsule that has everything I need, and being liquid, I can take exactly the dosage that I want to and mix it into shakes, etc.

Answer 2

No, not really.

Firstly I would ask why you need supplements, there are no reasons for a person to take supplements on a vegetarian diet unless you have a specific medical condition.

The act of buying / receving the tablets is what killed the cow or pig, Once you've bought it, it doesn't make any difference whether you eat it or throw it away. to the meat industry and tablet maker you've bought it, and they will then make more of them. They don't care if you throw it away.

I suppose if you've bought the tablets, found they have gelatin in the capsule and then do the open/mix with water thing that would be one way of avoiding eating it. But I would say a vegetarian would then change thier tablet supplier for the next batch.

Also, if the tablets are not veggie then its highly likely the contents are not veggie either.

Answer 3

"Gelatin is a protein produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the bones and connective tissues of animals such as the domesticated cattle, pigs and horses." Quote obtained elsewhere on the net.

If you are truly vegetarian, you would not even consider using gelatin in anything at anytime or in anyplace. Skip the Jello... In any other use, like the capsules you refer to, it does not matter if you disassemble the capsule or just swallow it whole, the end result is the same when the contents get into your digestive tract, you digest the proteins as you do with any other foodstuff.

Answer 4

You already bought it so the damage has been done (if any)

The capsule serves a purpose and it may not be wise to dispose of it. If you care about gelatin, you should be buying products that don't use it.

If you eat dairy and eggs, it contributes to more suffering than eating gelatin so you might as well just swallow the pills.

Answer 5

If you're serious about it, don't buy anything in gelatin capsules to begin with, since the animal is unwillingly "donating" the same amount of tissue whether you swallow it or throw it in the trash.

Answer 6

You can get gelatin free capsules

Answer 7

Definitely not, you dont know how that supplement, or whatever you might be taking, is released into your body.

If it is time release, well you may just have overdosed. So I recommend a big NO.

Answer 8

The are supplements available that use Vegi-caps. You merely have to read the labels to find out which ones these are.

Answer 9

Hands off supplements of anything. Seems to be an American sickness and Americans seem to be more sick than the rest of the world
The only thing you can overdose and the body rejects is Vitamin C but all others you can seriously overdose

Anyhow, who care whether it is or is not vegetarian?

Question: If vegetarians eat vegetables, what do humanitarians eat?

Answer 10

That's a dangerous habit to get into. Just use them if you already bought them and next time look for tablets and please don't ever think about doing this with medicine!