When I started out as a Vegan there was quite a few websites and blogs that really helped me along the way to become more familiar and settled in the cruelty-free way of living. Below I have done a list of the websites that really helped me and continue to help me now. I have placed a link to each in the title to make it easier for you to find. This is specific to the UK mainly but Chronometer is a US site and I would assume there would be UK versions of others sites such as the Vegan Womble in other countries. A few of these websites also have Apps such as Happy Cow which you may find useful. Enjoy!

Double Check Vegan

This site allows you to copy and paste a list of ingredients into the search bar which will then highlight any ingredients that you may need to be wary about. It will tell you if the ingredient ‘may ve vegan’ or likely isn’t vegan. Really helpful when you’re unsure about some ingredients or new products. Here’s an example of a non-Vegan item (Maltesers):

It may be obvious to some people but you will be surprised how difficult it can be sometimes, especially when they use E numbers, flavourings and all that fun stuff. Over time you do learn what everything is and it becomes a lot easier. The trick then is to make sure you check the accidentally vegan products everytime you pick them up just in case they change anything as they will often add milk and other things to products that were once vegan.

Vegan Womble

One of my go to sites for Accidentally Vegan items and my personal recommendation. This and Double Check Vegan are my two most commmonly used sites as a Vegan of nearly a year. Vegan Womble is a blog dedicated to Accidentally Vegan items across the UK. Not just food but also Beauty, Household goods, Makeup. Pretty much everything you could ever think of will be on this list.

If I want to know if something is vegan I will usually avoid it if it’s not on the Vegan Womble list. They update there website regularly with the help of the Vegan Community sending in pictures and information from prodcts they’ve found. It’s a great team effort thatr is super helpful. You can also sign up for there newsletters which is a great way of keeping up to date with any new products they add.

Peta UK – Accidentally Vegan items List

Peta, in general, is very good. They are great for helping you understand why certain things aren’t vegan. They show the truth in the industries and give you plenty of helpful articles along the way such as this one which gives a great list of accidentally Vegan products. A lot of which are quite surprising such as Skittles, Pot Noodles and Betty Crocker Cake Mixes. It was a big help for me at the start as it makes that transition period less daunting. They also offer the unfortunate gory truth around various industries because they go undercover to exploit the truth. The videos are shocking but really open your eyes to the truth.

Peta has had a lot of abuse over the years for this and that but they really are doing good. They have recently stopped another company from using Fur in there fashion clothing which is awesome news. Anyone can help with this, not just Vegans as they always have petitions going around that need signing in order to help the various animals and stop businesses added to the cruelty in the world.

The Vegan Society

They have everything you could hope for in terms of Advice and help. The truth behind specific industries. Advice on nutrients and vitamins. Help with the Vegan lifestyle. There’s so much useful informtation on this site and it really explains things clearly rather than using lots of fancy words and terms which I like.

I also buy my go to multivitamins from here. FYI Vitamins aren’t just important for Vegan. The general Population is more likely to be deficient in a vitamin than Vegans are because we’re more aware of what’s going into our bodies….well according to statistics anyway. Go take a look, the site is great.

Barnivore

For the alcohol consumers, Barnivore is the go-to website. Mush like double check Vegan but specific for alcohol. You input the name of the brand you want to check and it gives you a list of which ones from the brand are Vegan.

Personally, I don’t drink but I know a lot of people do and this is the site for that. They also have an app that I’m pretty sure is free which can be useful when you’re out and about.

Cronometer

Allows you to track nutrition. Not Vegan as such but it’s handy for new vegans as I often hear new vegans worrying about getting the right nutrients and having everything they need. You use it just like other trackers. Put in the food you’ve eaten and it will show you a breakdown of the nutrients and vitamins you’ve had. A great way to see if you need to add anything to your diet.

The only issue with the website is that they are American based so we don’t have a lot of the same foods which makes it somewhat difficult when you’re searching for some items. I usually just use this website every now and then and input generic foods I eat most days to make sure I’m at the level I want to be.

The Vegan calculator

Now this may not seem like a helpful site as such but every Vegan has those days when they question ‘Why am I doing this’ because we often get a lot of hate and we get shunned for not wanting to inflict cruelty so it can make it difficult to still focus on why we chose to be Vegan in the first place. This is where The Vegan Calculator becomes helpful. Put in how long you’ve been Vegan and it will give you a little insight into all the benefits from it.

It’s also a great one to shove in people’s faces to prove a point….not that I would do that…….

Cruelty Free Kitty

This website is another blog but rather than food it’s focused on Makeup and Beauty products. They have a very similar format to The Vegan womble and even offer a free Cruelty free shopping guide.

A great website to have in your bookmarks bar or folder. If you want a specific type of product such as Mascara, this is a good first point of call.

Other sources of help

TV and film

‘Cowspiracy‘ and ‘What the health‘ are just a couple of amazing films that reveal the horrid truth behind the industries. A lot of people have turned Vegan because they watched one of these shows.

Motivational People

Earthling Ed and James Aspey Are just a couple of the many inspirational Vegans I follow (there are so many out there) these guys are two of the most well-known people and aren’t afraid to stand up for the voiceless. they’re amazing people to follow and James Aspey is actually one of the people who helped me make the transition to Veganism.

Vegan Online stores

Such has The Vegan Kind, Alternative Stores and V Bites are very good for new Vegans to invest a little in the search of exciting new products and Vegan Versions of Junk food favourites such as chocolate and doughnuts. (I’m currently working on a list of good go-to food shops, these three will be included on that list)

Subscriptions boxes

The Vegan Kind and The Goodness Project are a couple that I know of and have experienced myself. Very helpful at the beginning of being Vegan as they allowed me to try new products and find some great favourites during my time getting their boxes. The prices of each are pretty good for the amount you get and the customer service is fab. I recently switched from The Vegan Kind to The Goodness Project as it’s more up my street and is damn right awesome. There are others out there you just have to do a quick google search to find them.

I’m currently working on a website for my recommended shops for Food items, Supermarkets, Small Businesses etc so keep an eye out for that. If there is anything else you would find helpful for me to write about then please do let me know and I will try my best to make it happen. A list of good Beauty and Makeup brands would be an option, Superdrug, for example, isn’t Vegan but is a great go-to website for cruelty-free, vegan items and they have even started doing Vegan only pop up shops now.

Let me know what you would like to see by commenting below and make sure to like this post if you enjoyed it.