I'm a vegetarian. Should I eat marshmallows (they have gelatin in them)?

Question

Or...does Kraft Jet Puffed Marshmallows have regular gelatin in them?

Answer 1

You can eat whatever you want. Just don't call yourself a vegetarian if you're eating gelatin.


Jen: Gelatin is gelatin. If it's agar-agar or carageenan, it'll say so.

Answer 2

In response to 'gomanyes562': anyone who claims to be a vegetarian and consumes foods with gelatin - knowing where it comes from - is NOT a vegetarian. Sure gelatin is not technically "meat" (or more correctly, muscle tissue), but there are many animal products that are not "meat" but still wouldn't be consumed by a conscientious vegetarian. For example, blood is not meat... could a vegetarian consume the blood of an animal and still be considered a vegetarian?

Gelatin is derived from a disgusting process which involves boiling the bones, skin and ligaments of animals. DEAD animals. How is that vegetarian?

I am now vegan, but I was a vegetarian for 10 years and never ate gelatin, except when I took necessary prescription medications which were in gelatin capsules. It was a pain sometimes, but as far as I'm concerned, anything that is derived from the death of the animal is not vegetarian.

To the original asker of the question:

There are other 'sneaky' ingredients in many things that a veggie should be aware of, particularly animal fat (lard or beef tallow) in baked goods and fried foods. There is also tallow (cow fat) in many bar soaps.

Kudos to you for becoming vegetarian, and being conscientious enough to look into these things. You're making a bigger impact that you realize, just by not eating meat.

P.S. Being vegan rules, so you should check it out ;)

To "MikeL" --
I have to respectfully reply to this statement: "What higher Honor to a natural food source to so completely utilize its life to become part of ours." This is one of the most misguided bullsh*t statements I've ever heard. Seriously, 'honor'? Go to www.peta.org and check out some undercover videos from everyday factory farms and then tell me again what an honor it is to be tortured and never see the light of day until you're on your way to being slaughtered, then having your parts mixed with everyone else's and distributed into who knows what types of products (the poor cow went to: your Big Mac, your bar of Ivory soap, your marshmallows, your doughnuts, etc.)

And I must ask the question, how does the refinement make the killing any less inhumane? Would you eat the gelatin derived from your dog or cat, or even a human being, if it was refined enough? I don't think so. Sorry to sound rude, but your statement is so off the mark morally and intellectually, I couldn't help myself.

Answer 3

Look, I am vegetarian and I gave up gelatin. Why? Gelatin is made from the tendons and ligaments of animals in addition to hooves. Tendons and ligaments connect bone to bone or bone to muscle. Now most of meat is muscle. What is the logic in calling yourself a vegetarian if you eat the parts in the body that connect to "meat"?
I used to LOVE gummy bears, but I gave them up because of gelatin. I am not vegan yet, but gelatin is definately not vegetarian in my book. I would not call you a vegetarian if you ate gelatin. It does not make much sense.
There are alternatives to gelatin like agar-agar. I have even heard of vegan marshmallows. Try looking for them.

Answer 4

Vegetarians don't eat slaughter by-products, which is what gelatin is. If you just can't live without marshmallows, you can get vegan ones (they're not that easy to find and expensive, but the Sweet & Sara ones, which you can order online, taste just like the dead animal ones but denser.) Gelatin is frustrating because it turns up frequently, but there's pretty much a gelatin-free brand of everything.

Answer 5

Marshmallows are going to have animal-derived gelatin in them unless they say they're vegetarian. There aren't that many brands. I use RiceMellow marshmallow fluff made from brown rice syrup. It's very yummy. You can also get vegan regular style marshmallows from some online stores, but I haven't tried them. Here's a link to one:
http://www.veganessentials.com/catalog/vegansweets-marshmallows.htm
Also, for the person who questioned "regular" gelatin - yes, there are different kinds. There's agar agar which is made from seaweed. Most commercial foods use animal-based gelatin, though, unless it's specifically made to be vegetarian.

Answer 6

Vegetarians do not eat products with gelatin in them. However, there are vegan marshmallows available at www.veganstore.com. They're not so good for eating alone, but they do well in recipes that call for marshmallows.

Answer 7

Regular gelatin? I did not know that there was more than one kind. As far as I know all gelatin is made from animal by-products. You might want to look for products made with carrageenan which is derived from seaweed, however I'm not sure if it is used in things like "Jell-o", gummy candies or marsmallows. Typically it used as a thickening agent and is found in many foods.

Answer 8

check out the natural food stores near you or perhaps even your local grocery may have a vegan section. I've seen vegan marshmallows made from a plant that produces the same effect as gelatin (sorry I forget the brand name)

Answer 9

No, but I read somewhere in a recipe for vegan/vegetarian s'mores, and they used marshmallow creme. I suppose that is an okay thing to eat...not sure if that helps very much.

Answer 10

ALL GELATIN COMES FROM ANIMALS.

If it contains gelatin, it's not vegetarian.

There is no such thing as vegetarian gelatin. Alternatives include agar agar, carrageenan, corn starch, vegetable gums and many others.