Animal byproducts in products you wouldn’t expect
Veganism sounds simple: Just don’t eat animal byproducts, right? In fact, a lot of people adopt the vegan lifestyle because it appears to be straightforward. However, if you are an experienced vegan you know that: 1) not all foods are as they appear, and 2) foods and even everyday products that look animal-free may not actually be
If you are avoiding eating animals for either health or ethical reasons, you don’t want to slip up and accidentally consume a product using animal byproducts. For this reason, we put together a nifty list of all those sneaky foods that are far from being vegan.
What to look for
The next time you head to the grocery store, double-check ingredient labels to make sure your foods are animal-free. Some ingredients that are clearly not vegan include:
- Honey — Although many may think honey is a vegan sweetener, it is not since it is made directly by bees. As a vegan, you don’t want to consume anything that was made from or by animals, including insects, so steer clear of honey!
- Casein — A protein derived from animal’s milk, such as sheep or cow, casein is needed for cheese making. Seems natural if packaged as an animal product, but casein will appear in some common vegan products such as soy cheese or other non-dairy products. That’s why it is so important that you check the ingredients of all vegan cheeses and dairy substitutes, or verify that it has the “Certified Vegan” logo. Unfortunately, you can’t identify this ingredient on taste alone, so you’ll have to check the breweries’ websites to see if isinglass is used for production.
- L. Cysteine and Whey — Both are typical ingredients in bread and are not vegan. L. Cysteine is sourced from feathers, and whey is derived from cheese. Just another example of why knowing your food labels are vital for maintaining a vegan lifestyle.
- Gelatin — Gelatin will show up in a wide range of food products from Jell-O to vitamins. Sourced from animal collagen, gelatin is colorless as well as odorless and is used as a gelling agent. Most supplements use gelatin for this reason which creates a catch-22 for vegans in that they cannot consume animals, but need vitamin and mineral supplements to meet their daily requirements for nutrients.
How to avoid being surprised
Here at Vibrant Nutraceuticals, we understand the dilemma vegans face in finding vitamins without gelatin. Almost every pharmacy and grocery store will be stocked solely with supplements made with animal byproducts. That is where we come into the picture.
As a Global Health Trax Company, we make it a priority that our products are not just healthy, but are made of sustainable, high-quality ingredients as well. We design all our supplements to support a vegan lifestyle so you can meet your health goals with peace of mind.
Instead of google searching ingredients of nondescript supplements at your local store, buy your vitamins from us and have them shipped directly to you. Formulated from plant-based ingredients, our supplements will help you get the best of both worlds — good health and vegan living.
7 sneaky non-vegan ingredients. the spruceeats.com
