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The Artist Formally Known as "Mud"
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Vegetarianism: It's Harder Than You Think
by Jennifer Russo
On road trips, you settle for french fries and a burger minus the meat. At dinner parties you reach for crackers and cheese for lack of other options. And when you go out for Tex-Mex food, you fill up on rice and refried beans. So goes the life of a vegetarian.
But eater beware, all of these vege staples may contain hidden animal products.
French fries are just fried potatoes, right? Not always. Some fries, including those from McDonald’s contain beef products. And they aren’t the only foods that seem vegetarian but aren’t.
The popularity of vegetarianism continues to grow. In fact, according to the American Dietetic Association more than 30 million Americans have tried vegetarianism. But if you think it’s easy to really eat vegetarian, think again.
Diet plays a crucial role in your overall health, so it’s important to know what you’re putting into your body. As a consumer, it’s your basic right to know exactly what’s in the foods you buy and feed to your family. And for vegetarians, avoiding meat and animal-derived products is a way of life. But sometimes being in the know can be quite a challenge.
Meat-Free Foods?
Just because the animal products aren’t obvious, doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Some common animal-derived ingredients are not clearly marked as such. Other additives can be made with either plant- or animal-based sources while food packaging fails to indicate which one was used. Some of these products that may or may not be animal derived include sodium stearoyl lactylate, glycerin, glycerol and trypsin.
Many foods containing animal products don’t appear to require non-vegetarian ingredients. Some varieties of crackers and cookies, particularly shortbread cookies, contain lard -- a soft solid or semisolid fat derived from the fatty tissue of pigs. And many prepackaged rice and pasta dishes contain hidden chicken or beef fat, despite the fact they aren’t labeled “chicken or beef flavored.” Pastries and piecrusts are often made with animal fats to enhance flavor and texture. Some varieties of margarine may contain fish oil. And refried beans also frequently include lard. Even seemingly innocent chewing gum may contain glycerin.
Not even cheese is a vegetarian safe haven. Many cheeses are made with the product rennet. Derived from the stomachs of cows, rennet is an enzyme that coagulates cheese. But there are plant-derived and synthetically-manufactured vegetarian alternatives. These vege substitutions are typically called rennin to distinguish them from animal rennet, according to the International Vegetarian Union.
Another surprise ingredient often made from various animal parts is gelatin. Gelatin is sometimes made from the hides, bones and hooves and tendons of animals, usually pigs and cows. Jell-O™, for example, contains gelatin made from animal hides that are sprayed with a “food approved acid” that turns collagen into gelatin. Gelatin is also widely found in products such as guacamole, gummy candies, jelly and nougat. Gelatin, and other animal products, including isinglass -- a chemical made from fish bladders -- are also used in wine and beer production, although only very small amounts of these are found in the finished products.
An astute consumer can find animal-free replacements for gelatin such as agar agar, carragen, Gelozone and some kosher gelatins. But be careful, not all kosher gelatins are meat-free and may contain the same animal products as regular gelatin.
Animal gelatins can also be lurking in the capsules encasing vitamins, herbs and medicines. And many vitamins themselves are derived from animal sources. Calcium supplements may contain animal bones and vitamin D-3, often added to cereal, is typically animal-derived. But don’t despair. B-12, though found primarily in meat food sources, can be produced synthetically, or from fungi, to provide a truly vegetarian alternative to the many animal-derived B-12 vitamins and supplements.
Many products list “natural flavors” among their ingredients. This vague term is used to describe both vegetarian and meat items. According to federal regulations, manufacturers can extract flavor from any acceptable food source and label it “natural flavoring” without indicating the origin of the extract. This makes it particularly difficult to know what you’re putting in your mouth without calling the manufacturer directly.
Eating Out
When it comes to eating out, knowing what animal products are hiding in your food is an even trickier endeavor. Some meat-free-sounding menu items actually contain things that may surprise you. Pizza, a vege staple, is sometimes made with sauce that contains beef or chicken fat. You should also be on the alert for vegetarian sounding soups that are made with meat stock.
Although most restaurants now use vegetable shortening for frying, the Vegetarian Resource Group warns many restaurants reuse the oil they fry meat products in to fry vegetarian menu items. The only way to be completely sure of what you’re eating is to ask the manager of the restaurant.
Tips
The simple act of reading and deciphering food labels will greatly increase your awareness of potentially hidden animal-based ingredients. But the only way to be totally sure of what you’re eating is to call the manufacturer or ask a restaurant manager. Use the lists below to learn what ingredients you should be cautious of.
These products MAY be animal derived:
sodium stearoyl lactylate
stearic acid
glycerin or glycerol
mono- and di-glycerides
amylase
lipase
protease
rennin
trypsin
disodium inosinate
vitamin D-3
These products are ALWAYS animal derived:
lard
tallow
carmine
carminic acid
by Jennifer Russo
On road trips, you settle for french fries and a burger minus the meat. At dinner parties you reach for crackers and cheese for lack of other options. And when you go out for Tex-Mex food, you fill up on rice and refried beans. So goes the life of a vegetarian.
But eater beware, all of these vege staples may contain hidden animal products.
French fries are just fried potatoes, right? Not always. Some fries, including those from McDonald’s contain beef products. And they aren’t the only foods that seem vegetarian but aren’t.
The popularity of vegetarianism continues to grow. In fact, according to the American Dietetic Association more than 30 million Americans have tried vegetarianism. But if you think it’s easy to really eat vegetarian, think again.
Diet plays a crucial role in your overall health, so it’s important to know what you’re putting into your body. As a consumer, it’s your basic right to know exactly what’s in the foods you buy and feed to your family. And for vegetarians, avoiding meat and animal-derived products is a way of life. But sometimes being in the know can be quite a challenge.
Meat-Free Foods?
Just because the animal products aren’t obvious, doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Some common animal-derived ingredients are not clearly marked as such. Other additives can be made with either plant- or animal-based sources while food packaging fails to indicate which one was used. Some of these products that may or may not be animal derived include sodium stearoyl lactylate, glycerin, glycerol and trypsin.
Many foods containing animal products don’t appear to require non-vegetarian ingredients. Some varieties of crackers and cookies, particularly shortbread cookies, contain lard -- a soft solid or semisolid fat derived from the fatty tissue of pigs. And many prepackaged rice and pasta dishes contain hidden chicken or beef fat, despite the fact they aren’t labeled “chicken or beef flavored.” Pastries and piecrusts are often made with animal fats to enhance flavor and texture. Some varieties of margarine may contain fish oil. And refried beans also frequently include lard. Even seemingly innocent chewing gum may contain glycerin.
Not even cheese is a vegetarian safe haven. Many cheeses are made with the product rennet. Derived from the stomachs of cows, rennet is an enzyme that coagulates cheese. But there are plant-derived and synthetically-manufactured vegetarian alternatives. These vege substitutions are typically called rennin to distinguish them from animal rennet, according to the International Vegetarian Union.
Another surprise ingredient often made from various animal parts is gelatin. Gelatin is sometimes made from the hides, bones and hooves and tendons of animals, usually pigs and cows. Jell-O™, for example, contains gelatin made from animal hides that are sprayed with a “food approved acid” that turns collagen into gelatin. Gelatin is also widely found in products such as guacamole, gummy candies, jelly and nougat. Gelatin, and other animal products, including isinglass -- a chemical made from fish bladders -- are also used in wine and beer production, although only very small amounts of these are found in the finished products.
An astute consumer can find animal-free replacements for gelatin such as agar agar, carragen, Gelozone and some kosher gelatins. But be careful, not all kosher gelatins are meat-free and may contain the same animal products as regular gelatin.
Animal gelatins can also be lurking in the capsules encasing vitamins, herbs and medicines. And many vitamins themselves are derived from animal sources. Calcium supplements may contain animal bones and vitamin D-3, often added to cereal, is typically animal-derived. But don’t despair. B-12, though found primarily in meat food sources, can be produced synthetically, or from fungi, to provide a truly vegetarian alternative to the many animal-derived B-12 vitamins and supplements.
Many products list “natural flavors” among their ingredients. This vague term is used to describe both vegetarian and meat items. According to federal regulations, manufacturers can extract flavor from any acceptable food source and label it “natural flavoring” without indicating the origin of the extract. This makes it particularly difficult to know what you’re putting in your mouth without calling the manufacturer directly.
Eating Out
When it comes to eating out, knowing what animal products are hiding in your food is an even trickier endeavor. Some meat-free-sounding menu items actually contain things that may surprise you. Pizza, a vege staple, is sometimes made with sauce that contains beef or chicken fat. You should also be on the alert for vegetarian sounding soups that are made with meat stock.
Although most restaurants now use vegetable shortening for frying, the Vegetarian Resource Group warns many restaurants reuse the oil they fry meat products in to fry vegetarian menu items. The only way to be completely sure of what you’re eating is to ask the manager of the restaurant.
Tips
The simple act of reading and deciphering food labels will greatly increase your awareness of potentially hidden animal-based ingredients. But the only way to be totally sure of what you’re eating is to call the manufacturer or ask a restaurant manager. Use the lists below to learn what ingredients you should be cautious of.
These products MAY be animal derived:
sodium stearoyl lactylate
stearic acid
glycerin or glycerol
mono- and di-glycerides
amylase
lipase
protease
rennin
trypsin
disodium inosinate
vitamin D-3
These products are ALWAYS animal derived:
lard
tallow
carmine
carminic acid
