Meat, fish, dairy and eggs may seem like the obvious things to avoid on a vegan diet, but it can be a lot more complicated than that.
There can also be a ton of animal products that aren’t always as obviously non-vegan. These animal by-products can be a huge grey area so let’s talk about some of the less obvious ingredients you’ll want to avoid as a vegan:
Carmine: This food colouring is made from ground insects.
Gelatine: Often used as a thickener and is made from the bones, skin, and connective tissue of cows and pigs.
Confectionary glazes: Those super shiny glazes on candies are often made from a material that’s secreted by lac insects.
Natural flavourings: These are often made from animal products.
Omega-3 fatty acids: These can come from fish, so you’ll want to look for vegan sources of omega-3, such as algae.
Whey, casein and lactose: These are all derived from dairy.
A few foods that can pose problems for vegans:
Pasta: A lot of pasta contains eggs, especially fresh pasta.
Worcestershire sauce: It can often contain anchovies.
Beers and wines: These are often produced using isinglass which is derived from fish. You won’t always see this on the label as it’s not an ingredient as such.
Bread: Pre-packaged bread and bakery items may contain L-cysteine which can be derived from feathers.
Hopefully, now you’ve got a better idea of how to make sense of food labels and avoid accidentally consuming non-vegan foods.
For a more compact resource on the subject, download Animal Ingredients to Avoid When You Go Vegan Guide from VegFusion Wellness Resource Library. Click here to get access.
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