I want to become vegetarian, but there are so many things that contain animal products!?

Question

I thought being vegetarian was just about not eating meat and fish and such, but now as I'm becoming one, I find out you can't eat random things like jello and pudding and marshmallows and stuff like that... I want to be a good vegetarian! How am I supposed to know what and what not to eat?

Answer 1

i'm also a vegetarian and it is hard but just ignore meat and stick to the soy stuff and salads and fruits and veggies and you'll be the best vegetarian ever(:

Answer 2

Be the vegetarian YOU want to be. Don't try to be a "good" vegetarian. You decide what you don't, and do eat. If you don't want to eat meat, but want to drink milk and eat cookies, that's fine. If you don't want to consume anything that contains animal products, that's fine too. It's all up to you.

Answer 3

Pudding, Jello and marshmallow contain gelatin (Gelatin is a protein produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the bones, connective tissues, organs, and some intestines of animals such as the domesticated cattle, and horses) Mini wheats, lucky charms, a lot of candie, yogourt contain gelatin... I said what was gelatin to a friend of mine who is not a vegetarian and he said : "ok... I wont it that anymore" !!!  

Answer 4

drink milk and eat more chicken

Answer 5

just eat grass or stick with being a meataterian like me=D

Answer 6

You sound like you are stressing over it too much. Try as best you can to avoid those things if that is your choice, but be aware that things like gelatin have little to no impact on how much the animals suffer since they are raised for meat, milk and eggs, not the long list of by-products.

Take things at your own pace. It shouldn't be about flashing your vegetarian badge. There's no rush to fit the definition of "vegetarian". Reducing your consumption is more meaningful than a label.

Bread, pasta, cereal, rice, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies can easily offer everything that you need except B12.

http://www.veganhealth.org/sh

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo

All vegetarians should take a B12 supplement regularly since most people eat meat, dairy AND fortified cereals yet still have a B12 status that is lower than recommended.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/b12

If you learn to cook and make your own food from scratch, these sorts of issues stop posing any problems.

Answer 7

well a vegan doesnt eat anything that comes from an animal and they usually have to take vitamins to survive

vegetarians eat stuff like milk and some eat eggs and some dont.

Jello does have hoofs in it but usually people can eat a mirad of possible things. Also if you ever get a craving for something like jello, ice cream (if your vegan), chicken nuggets etc. they make vegetarian versions of most of those in health food stores like Mrs. Greens, Whole foods.

Basically its just the first 20 days that suck then its easy to stick to  

Answer 8

check the label for gelatin that's something you want to avoid. If you want to be really strict on yourself don't at eggs or tofu, but i guess those are ok-ish if you do choose to eat them. you can buy veggie meat some supermarkets although they are very expensive. have more milk products and veggies. You can find lots of vegetarian restaurants if you want to eat out and when shopping look for products that already say vegetarian  

Answer 9

HELLO PEOPLE. jello, marshmellows, skittles, and gummy candy, all have gelatin in them, which contains COW HIDE and enzymes from ANIMAL BONES. Eating it is NOT vegetarian!  

Just make sure when you're shopping that you read the ingredients. Gelatin is NOT vegetarian, so just make sure you don't eat anything with that in it. I haven't found any other tricky ingredients other than gelatin that are not obvious.

If you're not sure about something that is in your regular diet just check it online, I have even e-mailed many companies and ask if i can't find the answer myself.

Answer 10

U can still eat jello and stuff. You cant eat that if u are becoming a VEGAN Two diff. things.

Answer 11

When I first turned veggie I was bummed about all the products that contain rennet and gelatin but I was happy to discover that there are tonnes of alternatives that you can find in health food stores and also there are lots of gummy candies you can buy in regular stores that don't contain gelatin. Don't worry, it gets easier to recognize them as time goes on! Good luck :]

Answer 12

I've been a vegetarian for 10 years.  It's not so hard.  The only tricky things are like soups in restaraunts, like veggie or broccoli, often have beef or chicken broth as a base.  Also, many gravys have beef or chicken fat in the powder mix.  Another one is jello and such as you mentioned.  I am not a vegan, I drink milk occasionally in cereal, and use butter....though mostly veg butter.  I don't eat eggs, but don't avoid foods that have eggs as ingredients.  I guess my rule is more the flesh of any living thing - or the juice, bones, whatever.  Milk, cheese, etc. are not actual parts - just by products.  The animal doesn't have to die.

It just grosses me out to eat something's carcuss.  Something that had a thought, gave birth, took a sh**, or moved of its own accord.  That's my personal feeling.  Just the grossness of it.  Not as good as a reason as some have, like "leaving a smaller foot print on the earth" like some people.

My husband and kids eat meat.  But I never force the kids.  I eat a lot and deny myself very little.  Pizza, veggie burgers, sandwiches, junk food, and almost anything sans meat.  Oh yeah, refried bean tacos, but you have to get the vegetarian or fat free kind.  Otherwise there is a small amt of lard in it.  Jello has something from animal bones in it - but I don't think jello is a big sacrifice.

After awhile, it's easy to eat meat-free, and I am healthy and all my pregnancies were healthy.  I don't take any vitamins and my iron is always good.  Just be sure to eat a variety of foods.

Good luck!

Answer 13

For every animal you don't eat I will eat three.

Answer 14

Labels are very important! And do your research!

Answer 15

When I used to be a vegetarian, the only meat I would eat was fish.

Answer 16

if u dont wat stuff with animal products in it such as milk and stuff

then its called being vegan  not a vegatarian

Answer 17

start with reading a book called Becoming Vegan,or something like that. I saw it at Border's today.

Answer 18

milk && chicken

Answer 19

okayyy ur getting vegan and vegitarians mixed upp

vegans dont eat anything with animal products in it and vegitarians dont eat meat

Answer 20

i have been a vegetarian since i was three and im always so happy to answer questions about vegetarianism! (( btw im 12 now! )) well anyway, those things arn't random, they contain gelatin and gelatin is a substance that is made of the stuff that is around humans and animals body like for instance their ribs! ew. i know! also its boiled animal skins and tendons, basicly anything that can be boiled and is left over from when they slaughter the animal. gelatin is usually found in sticky things like marshmellows and pop-tart filling. so if your eating somthing that has that sticky consistancy make sure you read the ingrediance! but that also goes for anything else that your not certin is vegetarian like some chips contain beef fat or chicken fat or somthing disgusting like that! also NO mcdonals fries! go to their website and see whats in them; an ingredaint is actualy beef flavorings!!!!!! i know its gross! if your gonna eat fast food ALWAYS check their websites first to see what they deep fry their food in and also if they have things in their food you would never think of! i know you can get fries and motzerlla sticks from arbys and fries and onion rings from burger king! =] but like nothing from mc. donalds.! if you need any more help please please please email me [e-mail]!!! make the subject vegetarian so i dont trash it !! hope this helps! and just rember read the ingrediants on everything!!!!! also one last thing check out goveg.com! its wonderful! =]]

~jeanine~

Answer 21

Wow now adays it is so much easier to be a vegetarian first you have to choose what kind of vegetarian you are as in if you are not going to eat any kind of animal products is a vegan but a traditional vegetarian steers away from meats and a few other things you are going to be fine just do a little research  

Answer 22

salads and water

Answer 23

Being a vegetarian is all about personal lifestyle - how strict you want to be on yourself is 100% entirely up to you.

Vegetarians do not eat meat meaning - No Fish, No red meat, No poultry, basically, we do not eat the flesh of any animal. There are many different strictness levels, but at the basis that is what vegetarians do not eat. You may choose to not eat eggs, milk, cheeses.. etc.

If you choose to not eat ANY products coming from an animal meaning eggs milk butter cheese - like you said, Jello which contains some animal products, etc. then you are a Vegan meaning you do not partake in any products which have ANY ingredients that come from animals.

Being a Vegan is a difficult lifestyle in the sense that you basically cannot eat pre-packaged foods, my mother is a Vegan and the majority of her food is home cooked from fresh ingredients. The majority of pre-packaged food out there has some animal products in it, stores like Trader Joes are friendly to vegetarian and vegan needs, and often have pre-packaged food that is vegan safe to eat. Being a vegan means cooking much of your own food fresh, and reading the labels on all pre-packaged food that you eat. The longer you are a vegan, the more you gain knowledge of what foods you can and cannot eat, and it becomes easier.

Being a vegetarian or Vegan is not about being 'a good vegetarian', its about eating what you are comfortable with and that follows your beliefs. If you dont see a problem with eating eggs or jello then eat them. Being a vegetarian doesnt mean that you cannot eat any products with animal-related ingredients, being a vegan does. That choice is up to you. Even within a 'genre' of eating habits, honestly, its what feels right to you. If you want to be a complete vegan, but still eat jello.. its really your choice.

I am a vegetarian, I do not eat meat fish or poultry. I eat pudding and marshmallows. =)

Answer 24

First you need to figure out if you want to be a vegetarian or a vegan, if you want to be a vegan you need to start reading labels carefully and paying close attention to what you are eating. If you were just planning on being a vegetarian, you don't need to worry so much.

Answer 25

First off, congratulations on taking a step towards caring for your health and the environment :)

I think your best bet is to shop at a health-conscious store, that endorses locally grown food rather than large industrial-company products. Instead of a grocery store go for the place that opts for Organic, and more than likely the more natural the products get, the less animal material will be in it.

It may be a little more pricey, but you can't put a price on your health! Congrats again and hope I helped :)

Answer 26

You just have to check the Ingredients section of the Nutrition Information on the box,,,if it says that it doesn't have gelatin or any kind of meat or meat byproduct, then it's okay for a vegetarian to eat. :)  If you're not sure, then it's okay to ask the company or the person who made it.

Answer 27

Well, if you want to be a VEGETARIAN then you don't eat any meat.

If you want to be a vegan, that's a bit harder because that lifestyle excludes anything from an animal (honey, milk, eggs, etc.)

don't get them confused.