8 Ingredients that Sabotage Vegan Diets
It takes discipline, dedication and determination to follow a genuine vegan diet free from all animal-based foods and byproducts. Elsewhere we’ve highlighted a wide variety of foods that on the surface may appear to be vegan, but which often contain animal-derived ingredients or additives.
To give you a clear idea what to watch for, we’ve identified eight ingredients that may sabotage your vegan diet:
- Casein. The most abundant protein in milk, casein is extracted and added to a wide assortment of foods. It creates a smoother, creamier texture, boosts protein values and functions as an emulsifier. It’s sometimes added to non-dairy cheeses and similar substitutes, and it can be found in cereals, whipped toppings, salad dressings, icings and glazes, and meat substitutes.
- Gelatin. Most gelatins are created by extracting collagen from animal byproducts such as tendons, ligaments, bones and hides. Look for foods that feature vegetable substitutes such as agar (kanten), carrageenan and guar gum, which will typically be identified by name on ingredient lists.
- Lecithin. This common ingredient is used to emulsify foods, improve flow or spreadability, prevent sugar crystallization, improve consistency and stabilize ingredients. It can be found in foods as varied as chocolate, mayo-like spreads, prepackaged bread products, food mixes, condiments, cooking sprays and much more. Most commercial foods are prepared with soy or sunflower lecithin, but lecithin may in some cases be derived from eggs, one of the richest sources of this compound.
- Omega-3. This valuable nutrient is added to a wide variety of foods ranging from pasta to orange juice. Omega-3 is found in flaxseed and other plants, but it’s often derived from one of the richest natural sources, fish oils.
- Processed Sugar. Many forms of sugar including white, confectioners and brown sugar are refined using bone char, a natural carbon compound created by incinerating beef bones and used to filter impurities and leach color from sugar.
- Red Dye #4. Found in candies and many food products, red dye #4 is natural but it’s made from crushed beetle carcasses.
- Shortening. This term encompasses a broad group of fats that are solid or semi-solid at room temperature. It’s easy to trip up, however, because some are made from soybean or cottonseed oils, while others are made from animal fats.
- Tallow. Most vegans know lard is derived from pig fat, but many are unfamiliar with the similar but less common ingredient called tallow, which may be found in or used to fry chips, crackers and similar crispy foods. Some tallow is vegetable based, but most is derived from beef or mutton fat.
We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Be prepared. Ask questions. Study labels. Research the makeup of common ingredients. And when in doubt, leave it out of your eating regimen until you learn more.