Vegan Life

5 Non-Vegan Food Ingredients

Marshmallows© Photabulous!

A good philosophy is to stick to whole, plant-based foods wherever possible. The more natural, the better. And then there is the old adage, if you can not pronounce it, don't eat it.

But there are still many foods that vegans need to steer clear of - besides the obvious meat, fish, dairy and eggs.

Despite scrutinizing ingredient lists for animal based products, some are more obvious than others. Here are 5 examples of foods that you may not realize aren't vegan.

Gelatin

Gelatin, is a colorless gelling agent used as a thickener for fruit gelatins and puddings, such as Jell-O. It is also found in candies, marshmallows, cakes, ice cream, yogurts and as capsules.

Derived from animal collagen, the soft protein that connects skin, bones, muscles and tendons, it is obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones of cows and pigs.

Agar agar is a vegan subsitute made from seaweed. Other plant-based alternatives that can be used as thickening agents include pectin, an extract from fruit, often apples and guar gum derived from guar beans.

Casein

Also listed as caseinate or calcium caseinate, if you see this ingredient listed, the product is not vegan.

Casein is a type of protein within milk, the other being whey. In fact, casein comprises around 80 percent of the protein in cow's milk, according to the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

All dairy products contain casein. However it can also be found in some "nondairy" creamers and cheese alternatives.

Plant-based milks and products that are certified "vegan" contain none.

Whey

Whey, found in the watery part of milk, accounts for about 20% of milk's protein.

Whey is a common ingredient in many foods, especially bread, and is a by-product of cheese making. Whey is the remaining liquid once milk has been curdled, or churned, and then strained. Once milk has been curdled, it easily separates into curd (solid) and whey (liquid). Whey protein is often added to many nutritional supplements and protein shakes.

No vegan substitute is needed, since beans, nuts, legumes and vegetables contain protein. Vegetables high in protein include lima beans, bean sprouts, green peas, spinach, sweet corn, asparagus, artichokes, brussels sprouts, asparagus, and broccoli.

L. Cysteine

Look for this especially in commercial bread and pastry products, where it is used as a dough conditioner. This ingredient, an amino acid, can be derived from goose and duck feathers, animal hair or pig bristles. Check labels carefully for this ingredient, also known as L-cysteine, which may be hiding in the ingredient lists of many white or wheat breads and baked goods.

L-cysteine can also be derived from a plant-based fermentation process, according to The Baking Association of Canada, but since this distinction is not usually identified in the ingredients, it is best to check with the company producing the food product.

Carmine

Carmine, also known as cochineal, is a bright red dye commonly used to color food, cosmetics and textiles. It is made from beetles; red pigment from the crushed female cochineal insect to be more specific. Reportedly, 70,000 beetles must be killed to produce one pound of this red dye.

As veganism grows in popularly, there has been a growing demand for a natural, non-insect derived red food and beverage color. Beet juice is one plant-based alternative.

As consumer demand for natural, non-insect derived red food and beverage colour grows, the food industry is responding by using lycopene, a red carotenoid pigment present in tomatoes. LycoRed's Tomat-O-RedÂ®, a lycopene red coloring agent, gained increased notoriety when Starbucks announced in April 2012 that it will use this as a carmine alternative in its red and pink food and drinks.





Â© The Vegan Authority