Vegetarian vs animal byproducts?

Question

I'm fairly new to being vegetarian (ie. ovo-lacto-type for a few months). And I'm wondering what you good people think --

While I've cut out all meat, I knowing still consume foods that may contain animal byproducts eg.

* cheddar cheese - which I haven't checked source of rennet used

* ice-cream with gelatin in it

* beer that likely has been clarified with finnings

* possibly food coloured with cochineal, again I haven't been checking

Am hoping for some good advise from seasoned vegetarians, as I have found it hard to give up meat, I'm still not sure I'm ready to the stuff above. I know some vegetarians even give up white sugar, so how far to I have to take it?

Answer 1

Hi I feel you should omit these products when you are ready too, sometimes it is easier to do things gradually.

A change in diet always takes time to get used to.

Maybe when you are ready, gradually change the things to vegetarian, for example, find some lovely ice-cream that is suitable for veggies, there are loads to choose from, then go down your list.

As men like their beer, I've found this link for you to find beers that are veggie! :)

http://www.veggiewines.co.uk -

Answer 2

Vegetarians don't, by definition, eat slaughter byproducts.  Dead animals are dead animals, even after their rendered.  But cutting out meat is the logical HUGE first step.  The rest can come in time.  And it's really not that hard.

Tillamook brand cheese is made with vegetable rennet and is widely available in grocery stores.  I've never seen ice cream with gelatin in it (most commercial ice cream is thickened with carageenan, which is seaweed derived.)  So, just read the ingredients; if you happen to notice gelatin, just know there are dozens of other varieties to choose from.  Gelatin is a bigger concern in candy, yogurt and sour cream.  But, of course, for every gelatin-laden brand, there's another that's not.  In the bottom section, I've included a link to a site that tracks which beers are veg-friendly and which aren't.  You'll probably be pleasantly surprised that there are SO many veg-friendly brews to choose from.  Most red foods are colored with red-40, which is coar tar derived.  Cochineal is more prominent in cosmetics than food these days (my guess is red-40 is cheaper) so that's probably not something that's going to cramp your lifestyle much.

Once you get the hang of reading ingredient lists and once you have a few products you know you can rely on, it gets a whole lot easier to avoid slaughter by-products.  You'll get there.

Answer 3

I am a vegetarian and I use thoes morning star farm products. I am so happy you are becoming a veg. cause now its a few less animals being tortured. (HIGH FIVE!) Anyway dont take it TOO far...Just dont eat meat, you can have cheese as long as its not SHARP cheddar becuase it contains cow stomache, you can have milk as long as its organic, and eat egg beaters. Dont go over-board though. Good luck!

Answer 4

Congrats on going vegetarian. That's a good question. It's impossible to be 100% cruelty-free, so it's up to each person to decide where exactly to draw the line.

I would really try to avoid eggs as much as possible, especially eggs from factory-farmed hens. About 95% of eggs come from hens who are crammed into tiny wire cages so small that they can't even flap their wings. Each bird is given less cage space than an 8.5 by 11 inch piece of paper. One egg represents about 25 hours of suffering in these conditions, so cutting back on egg consumption would have a powerful impact.

I wouldn't worry about marginal / obscure animal by-products like gelatin and sugar filtered through animal bones, etc. Being vegetarian or vegan isn't about personal purity; it's about doing what we can (within reason) to reduce suffering. You might enjoy this essay:

How Vegan?

http://www.veganoutreach.org/howvegan.ht...

I hope this helps!

Answer 5

Take it as far as you feel comfortable. No one can decide for you but yourself.. I think its already good enough you gave up meat, as that is a hard step for alot of people. My advice would be to just go at your own pace. After a year of just being vegetarian, I just recently became a strict vegetarian who doesn't eat eggs or dairy (from a cow). All I mainly eat is raw fruits and veggies and occasionally raw nuts and seeds, with afew exceptions for now (I'm getting there). Occasionally I will buy goat milk if I feel I should have it or if a recipe calls for it. I'm just taking it easy and not jumping into anything too quick, that sometimes is the perfect set up for failure later. My best advice to you for becoming a successful veg would be to do the same.

Oh and don't scold yourself if you ever should slip, thats the worst you can do.  Just forgive forget and jump back on the boat  :)

Answer 6

There is no vegetarian rule book. I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian, but I don't read all the small print on the ice cream containers, etc. Vegans get into the no animal byproducts thing more then we do. My roommate is a vegan and I'll get after her for putting an animal byproduct (gas) in her car, and driving on a road made from animal byproducts (tar) :-)