In general, vegans avoid eating foods of animal origin. Following a vegetarian and vegan diet has many reasons, including ethical, health or environmental concerns. Some foods that vegetarians should avoid are obvious, but others may surprise you.
Veganism is a lifestyle that rejects various forms of animal exploitation, whether for food or for anything else.
For this reason, vegetarians avoid eating foods of animal origin, such as:
Meat: beef, lamb, pork, veal, sirabi, liver, offal, game meat, etc.
Poultry: chicken, turkey, goose, duck, quail, etc.
Fish and seafood: all kinds of fish, shrimp, squid, scallops, oysters, crabs, etc.
Dairy products: milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, cream, ice cream, etc
Animal eggs: eggs, quail eggs, duck eggs, ostrich eggs, fish eggs, etc.
Bee products: honey, bee pollen, royal jelly, etc.
Vegetarians avoid eating animal meat and animal byproducts. These include meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, and bee products.
15-7: Ingredients or additives derived from animals
Many foods contain ingredients or additives derived from animals that most people are unaware of. For this reason, vegetarians should avoid consuming foods containing:
Some special additives: Some food additives can be obtained from animal products. For example, we can mention E120, E322, E422, E 471, E542, E631, E901 and E904.
Cochineal or carmine: skin snails are used to make carmine, a natural red dye is produced and used for food and products.
Gelatin: This thickener is obtained from the skin, bones and connective tissues of cows and pigs.
Eisinglass: This gelatin-like substance is obtained from the bladder of fish, which is often used in the preparation of beer or wine for clarification.
Natural flavors: Some of these ingredients are animal-based. Castorium, for example, is a flavoring and fragrance extracted from the secretions of the anal scent glands of the water dog.
Omega-3 fatty acids: Many products enriched with omega-3s are not vegan, as most omega-3s come from fish. Of course, omega-3s derived from algae are vegan options.
Shellac or shellac: It is a substance secreted by a female insect. It is often used as a glossy coating on candy and fresh food products.
Vitamin D3: Most vitamin D3 is obtained from fish oil or lanolin found in sheep's wool. Vitamin D2 and D3 obtained from lichen are herbal alternatives of this vitamin.
Dairy ingredients: whey, casein (a type of milk protein) and lactose are all derived from dairy products.
These ingredients and additives can be found in a wide variety of different processed foods. It is very important to check the ingredient list carefully.
Vegans should check food labels to make sure products do not contain the ingredients listed above.
16–32: Foods that sometimes (but not always) contain animal ingredients.
There are some foods that we might expect to be 100% plant-based and vegan, but sometimes they contain one or more animal ingredients.
For this reason, vegetarians who want to avoid all products of animal origin should be careful when consuming these foods:
Bread products: Some bakery products such as bagels and bread contain L-cysteine. This amino acid is used as a softener in bread and is often obtained from poultry feathers.
Beer and Liquor: Some manufacturers use albumin, gelatin or egg white casein in the process of beer or liquor production and sometimes add Eisinglass to clarify their final product.
Caesar sauce: Certain types of Caesar sauce use Gypsy fish paste as one of its ingredients.
Candy: Some types of candy and gum contain gelatin. or others are coated with a carmine-red substance obtained from the cochineal insect.
French fries: Some types of french fries are fried in animal fat.
Olive tapenade: Various types of olive tapenade contain Gypsy fish.
Fried foods: The batter used to prepare fried foods such as fried mushrooms and onions sometimes contains eggs.
Pesto sauce: Many types of store-bought pesto contain Parmesan cheese.
Some bean products: Most baked bean products contain ham.
Non-dairy creamers: often contain casein, a protein from milk.
Pasta: Some pastas contain eggs.
Potato chips: Some potato chips are flavored with powdered cheese or contain other dairy ingredients such as casein, whey, or animal enzymes.
Processed sugar: Some manufacturers lighten the sugar with bone char (often called natural carbon) made from cow bones. Organic sugar is a vegetable substitute for this type of processed sugar.
Roasted peanuts: Sometimes gelatin is used to produce roasted peanuts or nuts so that salt and spices stick to the nuts better.
Some dark chocolate: Dark or dark chocolate is usually vegan. However, some types include animal products, such as whey, milk fat, milk solids (the dry powder that remains after the milk is completely separated from the water), clarified butter (a type of milk fat), or nonfat dry milk.
33–37: Harmful Vegan Foods
Just because a food is vegan does not mean it is healthy or nutritious.
Therefore, vegetarians who want to improve their health should stick to minimally processed plant foods and limit the use of the following products in a vegetarian and vegan diet:
Vegan treats: Vegan ice cream, candy, cookies, chips, and dips generally contain just as much added sugar and fat as non-vegan ones. Plus, they have almost no vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds.
Vegan Sweeteners: Nectars, agave syrup, date nectar and maple syrup are high in sugar. Eating too much of them may increase the risk of diseases such as heart disease and obesity.
Processed meats and plant-based cheeses: These processed foods usually contain a lot of additives. They also contain far fewer vitamins and minerals than protein-rich plant foods such as beans, lentils, peas, nuts, and seeds.
Some factory non-dairy (plant) milks: Milks without sweetened dairy generally contain a fair amount of added sugar. Choose unsweetened milk instead.
Factory-made vegan protein bars: Most vegan protein bars contain large amounts of processed foods. They usually contain an isolated type of protein that lacks plant nutrients.
Health-conscious vegetarians should limit processed foods. Instead, choose more foods that are organic, homemade, or naturally preservative-free.
Vegetarians try to avoid eating and consuming foods of animal origin in a vegetarian and vegan diet.
This includes animal and meat products, as well as foods that contain any material derived from an animal.
As mentioned, not all foods made from plant ingredients are healthy and nutritious. Harmful vegan foods are also unhealthy foods.