So, you’ve decided to take the leap and become a vegetarian. Hello! Now, it’s time to know the non-vegan ingredients. Some of the trickier non-vegan ingredients can be difficult to navigate as you focus on the obvious ingredients. Yes, meat, cheese, butter, eggs, milk, ice cream, chicken and fish are not vegetarian.
But, what about other non-vegan ingredients? When I first went vegan, there was still a lot to learn. And, honestly nearly a decade later, I’m still learning and often experiment with a vegan ingredient.
However, it’s important to remember that deciding to become a vegetarian is a big deal! And, it’s also important to remember that perfectionism is a concept but there is no such thing as being a perfect vegan.
When reading nutrition labels, these are 7 non-vegan ingredients to look for.
1. Gelatin
Gelatin is a material that comes from animal collagen. And, animal collagen comes from things like animal hides, bones, skins, and even fish. Gelatin is a non-vegan ingredient used as a thickening agent. You can find it in items like marshmallows, ice cream, gummy candies, and gelatin desserts. It also goes by names like collagen peptides, hydrolyzed collagen, and gelatin hydrolysate.
2. Honey
Although honey is vegetarian according to many, it is not. Since we vegetarians do not exploit living organisms or use their products, honey is not vegetarian. Additionally, beekeeping practices can be cruel to bees. Some who collect honey are known to remove the queen’s wings so that the bees can stay in the hive and make honey.
3. Carmine
Next is Carmine. Used as a natural dye in food and make-up, carmine is another non-vegetarian ingredient. Carmine is a red pigment that comes from the cochineal insect. You can find it in fruit juice, yogurt, and candy.
4. Isinglass
Sad news: not all alcohol is vegan. In fact, most wine is not vegan because of its clarification using isinglass. Isinglass is gelatin that comes from fish. You can also find it in other products like candy. Often times, wines and beers won’t be labeled as vegan, but there are solutions. First, you can find vegan wines and order them through Vegan Wines. There’s also Barnivore, an app that has a database of wines and beers and can tell you if they’re vegan.
5. Shellac aka confectionery glaze
I was halfway through my vegan ice cream with sprinkles from a popular ice cream shop when I first learned the frosting was not vegan. I decided to Google it to make sure it was vegan and saw confectioner’s glaze listed. And, that’s when I learned that dessert glazes are not vegan. Shellac/glaze comes from the resin secreted by lac bugs and is used on (you guessed it) sprinkles, candies, jelly beans and more to give it a shiny coating.
6. Vitamin D3
Yes, we need vitamin D But, not all vitamin D is vegetarian Vitamin D3 is a non-vegetarian ingredient derived from sheep wool. This ingredient is often found in fortified foods like orange juice. Fortunately, there are vegan versions of vitamin D that you can use as a supplement.
7. Lard
Finally, there is fur. This ingredient comes from pork and is often used in cooking and baking. When you go to a restaurant, ask if foods like beans or tortillas are cooked or made with lard.
pin it
