When you're a new vegetarian, it's easy to make mistakes. Chances are, you've already messed up by eating something you thought was safe, only to realize later that it contained, say, chicken broth. Or in my case—yum—stomach enzymes and fish bladders.
If so, shake it off. Consider it a lesson learned and give yourself a pat on the back for caring enough to even think twice about what you eat. And know that by reading this list, you'll have avoided a bunch more potential mistakes, every single one of which I've made during my first year as a vegetarian.
Soups
Many, many soups, especially in restaurants, are made with chicken stock, beef stock, or fish stock. And you'll find ham stock in most split pea soups. Even Campbell's Vegatable soup isn't so mmm-mmm-chicken-friendly; look for their Vegetarian Vegetable instead.
French onion soup is one that seems so obvious now, but when we were fresh new vegetarians, my wife and I most definitely chowed down on some. Thankfully, 1000 Vegan Recipes (affiliate link) has a good animal-free version of this classic.
Salad Dressings
Lots of restaurant salad dressings (often the best tasting ones, sad to say) start with bacon fat, even when the menu doesn't mention bacon. Caesar dressing, of course, contains anchovies, if you're being served the real thing (but here's a vegan one from Post-Punk Kitchen).
There are going to be times when you eat out and salad is the only decent vegetarian choice for lunch or even dinner. Just make sure it actually is vegetarian.
Cheese
Yep, now I'm going to be that jerk who tells you not all cheese is vegetarian. I was traumatized to learn that Parmigiano-Reggiano, the nuttiest, most flavorful, most classic cheese in the world (in my opinion, anyway) is made with rennet. And rennet, for the unenlightened, is a nice way of saying "enzymes from animals' stomachs." And guess how they get those enzymes out?
Parmigiano-Reggiano is actually required by law to be made with rennet, and you'll find rennet in many other authentic imported cheeses (Pecorino Romano is another one). While some domestic cheeses list rennet as an ingredient, others simply say "enzymes," leaving the buyer unsure whether or not any stomachs are being ripped open to get those goodies.
Your best bet, if you're unsure, is to choose "vegan parmesan," a combination of nutritional yeast and, sometimes, nuts that actually does a pretty good job of pretending.
Worcestershire Sauce
Standard Worcestershire sauce is made with anchovies. Annie's Naturals makes a vegan Worcestershire sauce that tastes exactly the same, and in most vegetarian recipes you can probably substitute soy sauce and some spices.
And that's about all there is to say about Worcestershire Sauce.
Tortillas
Remember that elementary school story that kids liked to pass around at lunch about the middle of Oreo cookies being pure lard? Well, it's not true; Oreos don't contain lard anymore, if they ever did.
But guess what does? If you said "tortillas," I say si! Fortunately, many brands have removed the animal fat from their tortillas, but it's still worth a check. And if you're eating out at a Mexican restaurant, it's probably more likely that the tortillas are made with lard.
Now, if you're talking really classy Mexican restaurants, rest assured that Taco Bell's tortillas (andrefried beans, another seemingly-vegetarian food to look out for) do NOT contain lard, according to Vegetarian-Restaurants.net. Neither does anything at Baja Fresh, but I can't tell for sure about Chipotle. Proceed con cuidado.
[Update: Chipotle tweeted to me that their tortillas are lard-free. Their pinto beans, however, are not veggie-friendly.]
Gummy Bears
Image via Wikipedia
According to Wikipedia, some gummy bears are made with pectin or starch instead of gelatin, so these are veggie-friendly.
Of course, a no-gelatin rule means you also need to look at the ingredient lists of any gummy sports chews that you eat. Sharkies and Clif Shot Bloks are both gelatin-free. I'm not sure about GU Chomps.
Marshmallows, Jelly, and Jello
Lots more gelatin here. Since most No Meat Athlete readers probably don't eat much of the sugary stuff, I've grouped these sweets together. For marshmallows, jelly, and Jello-type desserts, your best bet is to check the ingredient list. Most of them, unfortunately, do contain gelatin.
So at your next all-night rager, skip the Jello shots and drink a beer. Err, wait a minute…
Beer
Yes, sadly, even some beer isn't strictly vegetarian. You can get much more info in this guest post on vegan beer by Billy from BillyBrew.com, but the least you need to be aware of is that many beers are clarified with isinglass—that's fish bladders to you and me. Most isinglass probably doesn't end up in the finished product, however. (Gelatin is also occasionally used.)
One of the world's most popular beers, Guinness Draught, is off limits to strict vegetarians, since the beer is treated with isinglass. But all is not lost, Guinness-lovers: Guinness Extra Stout is one product that's thought to be vegan.
What's missing?
Surely there are lots more common seem-vegetarian-but-aren't foods. Which ones have tripped you up in the past? (I hope I'm not still eating them!) Let me and everyone else know with a comment.
This post is a part of a series of posts to help new vegetarians. Subscribe to No Meat Athlete so you never miss a new post!
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I had no clue that's what rennet was. I knew that Kraft's new cheese with bacon bits in it wasn't vegetarian or right in any way, but never would have thought twice about parmagianno
One that I never thought about, but is so true is the rice at Mexican Restaurants.
Much of the restaurants down here in TX actually use chicken broth to simmer their rice in. Gave me a lot of "food for thought"…
Stef, thanks for adding this to the list. I totally forgot about rice, and rice cooked with chicken broth is probably as common as any food on my list.
Sadly (a lot of) wine is on the list as well, for the same reason as beer. In fact, while most beer is vegetarian most wine is not.
Here's a great comprehensive site that lists a huge variety of wine and beer and its status.
http://barnivore.com/
Great post! "Hidden" ingredients are a tricky thing for us veg(etari)ans. And it becomes even trickier for a vegan – just realized pesto isn't vegan (oops).
You can make your own, without the cheese. It's easy and really tasty!
Use hemp seed and a dash of salt instead of cheese for vegan pesto– it is amazing!
What are they putting in your pesto….basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts…what isn't veggie about that?
Most pestos have parm in them… some commercial pestos use anchovy paste as an emulsifier to keep stuff from separating on the shelf. This happens a lot in cream sauces too, something has to keep all that stuff homogenized, and it's usually chicken fat or something of the sort. Chicken fat is cheap, too. Plenty of other things could do the same thing, but when you pick up a 12 oz jar of sauce for less than $4… you can't really expect premium ingredients.
Thanks! I never even considered that as I have always made my pesto w/what I listed…you are all right, some of these are very stealthy. The old maxim is true, never eat anything with ingredients you can't pronounce!
Pretty sure that's a pretty recent maxim.
I believe it dates from WWI soldiers, many of whom had never encountered large quantities of processed and canned foods before, let alone the native foods of their duty stations. Old to me, guess it is a matter of perspective.
Alot of Asian restaurants use fish oils in their dipping sauce or dishes. I once ordered the Spring Rolls which were marked as vegetarian but later learned the sauce they came with was not.
Also, canned beans sometimes contain bacon or other meats to flavor them, so you have to read carefully!
Some of the best advice I ever got was to go to my local co-op an ask the nutritionist for a walk-through of the store. The store actually had a list of "common mistake" foods much like this one, as well as what product alternatives they had that were veg-friendly. SUPER-helpful!
And, as someone who was knocked on her feet with a nasty stomach bug for two days this week, I heartily endorse Hain Superfruits as a veg "Jello."
This is very interesting… I never imagined that Worcestershire Sauce was not vegetarian. I must say, the isinglass and rennet idea is repulsive. Not too crazy about the gelatin either. I'm usually quite good with reading labels, but I'll have to step it up some!
Another big one is wine/vermouth/sherry and other liquors. There are a few brands of vegan vermouths out there but most likely your manhattan is not veg
Eric, I'd heard the wine thing before, figuring it was along the same lines as beer (though other commenters say it's even more frequent with wine). Yet somehow I had completely ignored the fact that sherry and vermouth are wines. I wonder if even the cooking versions you buy in grocery stores aren't veg-friendly?
[...] appear to be vegetarian friendly but are actually concealing hidden, sneaky meats. Check it out at non vegetarian foods. Some I knew, some I didn't. At least I know if I ever decide to go vegan, I won't have [...]
Matt, Say it isn't so! As an Italian veg, Parm cheese has been a flavorful part of my vegetarian diet. This might be the wake up call I needed to cut cheese all together. I am in shock…need to go walk it off. Ugggggg!!!
Thanks for important info,
Courtney
Matt -
Many wines "fined" with animal products including egg whites, isinglass from sturgeon bladders, and historically, bull's blood. I have a video with winemaker Tim Olson here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di6A5W–Fdg
There are plenty of vegan wines available. First, any unfined wine should qualify, although there are enough nasty additives used that I would want to know my producer. We work with organic growers like Girasole and Barra from Mendocino and Pircas Negras from Argentina that label many of their wines vegan and use diatomaceous clay to fine their wines instead of animal products.
Cheers,
Damien
Another really good thing to watch out for is vitamins and vitamin supplements. Any vitamins that come in those "gel" capsules most likely contain gelatin. I was buying flax seed oil (which is my alternative to taking fish oil supplements since that is obviously not vegetarian) and it turns out the vegetarian option still has animal product in it
. I have always taken an omega-3 supplement, and since this is an unsaturated, plant based oil it is liquid at room temp, so the only way to take it other than a gel capsule is to buy a container of the pure oil and take it by spoon (it's worth a try, it really doesn't taste bad, and i've even started adding it to foods sometimes when I cook)This happened at trader joe's, but i'm sure if one were to hit up Whole Foods they would be able to find a suitable gelatin-capsule alternative if taking oil straight from the bottle is not your thing.
another one that got me a couple of years back is the cup'o noodles, I should have known better I supposed, but i got the veggie cup'o noodles and discovered halfway through eating it that there was chicken broth powder in it. I have heard that top ramen makes a noodle cup that actually is vegetarian, although I have not tried it since I'm trying to eat less processed foods.
Thanks Mina. I learned this when I took glucosamine supplements. I found out that many of them aren't vegetarian because they contain shellfish somehow. And at the same time, I learned that most gel capsules are gelatin.
I thought glucosamine was actually shellfish and didn't know if there's an alternative, so went snooping… "Glucosamine is also the name given to the dietary supplement created through extracting amino sugars from the tissues of shellfish such as crab and lobster. There are also glucosamine sulfates, which are synthetically produced salts derived from naturally occurring glucosamine. These salts are sometimes combined with chondroitin sulfates to aid in the relief of arthritis and other painful conditions affecting the joints, ligaments, and tendons. Sulfates may not be as potent as extracted glucosamine." http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-glucosamine.htm
Add "non-dairy" creamers! They contain calcium propionate (a preservative to prevent mold), which is typically ground up bones
Thanks Gordon. Good one!
There's just too much to watch out for; animal ingredients and by-products are snuck into many many foods. Learning about rennet in cheese is what made me take the plunge from being a life-long vegetarian into going vegan 5 yrs ago. It's hard to be 100% sure that your foods outside the home are truly veg, so my basic rule is that if I'm not 100% sure, I don't eat it.
FYI – Masterfoods, the candy company that makes Mars, Snickers, Twix, etc. uses rennet in their chocolate-making process. Gross!
Also watch out for things that just list "natural flavors" because these can be animal-derived and they don't need to list this.
The list goes on and on. Thanks for sharing this with veggies who might not know about these hidden ingredients.
Bess, thanks for the heads up on "natural flavors." That's the first time I've heard that they can be animal products, legally speaking.
McDonald's puts beef bone marrow on their fries. For the longest time, they listed this under "natural flavors". On that note, avoid fast food fries. You just never know!
WTF – bone marrow in fries, lard in re-fried beans, ground up bones, fish bladders,how on earth do they come up with these things! Thanks for opening my eyes.
Also, in addition to fries just being generally unhealthy, they are cooked in the same fryers as everything else in the place–like nuggets, Country fried steak, corn dogs, etc. Very rarely do restaurants have designated fryers for fries. I have worked in the restaurant business for 15 years and even as an insider and as a manager with access to specs and recipes, it's difficult to navigate around all the animal products out there–like I said above, they are cheap. If I want to hold a sauce hot for 5 hours and I have to distribute this sauce to 100's of locations around the country… what better to make them high temp friendly than by adding chicken fat as an emulsifier? Plus, in the thick of a busy dinner shift, if the cooks run out of bacon crumbles, the easiest way to recover is to throw 5 lbs in the fryer for a min and get back to it… that's what your fries are cooked in now.
Eeeeewwww!!
Eww eww eww eww ewwwwwwwww!!!
What the hell!!!!
(about the rennet in the chocolate-making process)
Matt dealt with this in the "Tortillas" section above, but most refried beans, especially those served in restaurants, contain lard (animal fat). Old El Paso makes a Vegetarian Refried Bean, but by and large it's safe to assume that your bean burrito isn't veg-friendly.
Andy, thanks for reminding me of this. It's so easy to "purposefully forget" when I'm ordering a bean burrito that it might not be vegetarian. The more I hear it though, the more it'll sink in. Although I usually get them at Baja Fresh, a no-lard restaurant.
Great list, Matt. A lot of these things aren't up my alley, but similarly, it never fails to surprise me how many should-be-vegan things aren't, usually thanks to one tiny indredient or two. Ragu Old World Style marinara sauce, cheap and processed though it may be, was always my favorite jarred sauce (blame my mom for raising me with it), and a few years ago I discovered, and promptly lamented, the inclusion of a probably-microscopic amount of Romano cheese in it. Argh!
Most of the yogurt in my grocery store is made with gelatin.
To Fran and everyone who said yogurt, thanks for teaching me something. I never knew that one. I wonder if the Greek yogurts do—I don't eat yogurt but my wife does, and we always get Greek for the extra protein.
I started making my own yogurt for the taste, and it's really easy! You can even strain it to make Greek yogurt. I buy a box of starter at Whole Foods in the cold yogurt section and follow the instructions that came with my Easiyo Yogurt Maker. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014GU46E
You probably already know this since the post is more than a year old but i'm reading this now eating a Chobani greek yogurt (the best g y out there;-0)and it is gelatin free.
Yogurt used to trip me up too. I've found that most of the organic brands are vegetarian. Look for pectin instead of gelatin as a thickener. I make my own too, you don't even need a yogurt maker – a gas oven make the process really easy (the gas oven usually stays the right temperature for culturing yogurt from the heat of the pilot light). I just buy a carton of plain yogurt that I like for the culture.
Thanks for the heads up! I had no idea that Parmigiano-Reggiano wasn't vegetarian! I'm horrified now since I had a butt load of it on our Tuscan bike tour recently. hmmm.
Nicole, haha! That made me laugh. It's too bad, because Parm-Regg is so good! Hey, you didn't know any better. But now you do.
Wow – I had no idea about the Parm-Reg thing. Damn, that sucks. Like Courtney said above, maybe this is the last shake to get me to finally just drop cheese altogether.
Another non-veggie item: Twinkies. I am sure none of is eat them as NMAs, but Twinkies contain beef fat. mmmmmmm.
yogurt! i came upon the misfortune of discovering that Yoplait yogurt contains "kosher gelatin." After thorough Google-ing I learned that their brand of yogurt (and many others I assume) are made with animal gelatin. So definitely seek out natural yogurts and double check the ingredients!
As you mention, Guinness if iffy. And it breaks me heart! A great resource to find out of your brew, wine or spirit is vegan or not is http://www.barnivore.com/. They've contacted the companies to find out and posted the results. According to Barnivore, they've gotten so many conflicting responses from Guinness that they suggest for those that are concerned about its vegan status to avoid it. :::sob:::
Thanks for the post, Matt!
Is it weird that I am more offended/grossed out by items that surrupticiously include animal parts than by straight out eating bacon? I am in no way a vegan or vegetarian for that matter, but I will take my gummy bears without a side of animal bones, thanks. Great list.
Coffee Mate non-dairy creamer is not vegan (it contains milk derivatives). I haven't checked other brands of non-dairy creamer.
This is a wonderful list from the Vegetarian Resources Group on substances in food and whether they are vegan, vegetarian, or non-vegetarian. There are some shocking ones in there (human hair and duck feathers in your pizza dough?!) and it shows how some ingredients may have many origins (plant, fungal, animal, or synthetic) but companies are not required to put the source information on their labels:
http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php
great great post. seriously. 10 out of 10 on this. very savvy.
One thing that tripped me up initially was reading the labels of cheese packages — I didn't know that "enzymes" likely meant "rennet." (Personally, I think there needs to be a rule that says things should be transparently labeled – no nicer, more deceptive names for rennet.)
I also didn't know that nougat sometimes contains gelatin, but that's okay because I was trying to kick my candy habit anyway.
Taurine is found in the intestines of animals, and while I have read the taurine used in most energy drinks is synthetically produced, I opted to use this as a reason to just nix energy drinks from my diet anyway.
Sometimes, I feel like it's better to just cut it out in case than assume you can have it because surely, it MUST be vegetarian. (Though it was a bit depressing when I caught a cold at work this winter and scoured the grocery store for Campbell's vegetable soup . . . only to find it was made with chicken stock. I was an unhappy camper.)
Robyn, taurine is a great one. I didn't know it came from animals. I don't drink those kinds of energy drinks though. (I kinda wish someone would tell me coffee comes from animals.)
I am not surprised by this list, but now have a new issue.
My (then) 6yo (1st grade) comes up to me one evening and announced she was a vegetarian. I was a little surprised, and after much discussion her reasoning was : Mama I love animals and I don't want to die so I can eat.
It seemed like a logical answer and down that road we went, which wasn't a far stretch for our normal habits anyway.
After reading this list though, I have a new issue for my (now) 8.5 year old. Do I continue to let her eat things (gummi bears), which in her mind fits her vegetarian needs and let her continue to live in ignorance? Or do I educate her (and respect her stance) and make her diet even more limiting? It's interesting.
In the end, I will probably treat her with the respect she deserves and educate her on the hidden ingredients that aren't always obvious. Somehow though, I feel like I'm taking away some of the same childhood pleasures I enjoyed.
typos abound in my post. sorry about that!
JustJenKS, I don't think ignorance is ever a good thing. Some people do though.
That's really neat that your daughter, at such a young age, is so aware that meat used to be conscious. I'd say tell her about gummy bears and let her decide for herself. It's like telling her Santa isn't real, but letting her choose to pretend if she wants!
The way to go is to not think of a veg*n diet as "limiting." I used to think that way when I was a big meat eater. Keep in mind there is an abundance of plant-based foods available, and with the human creativity and ingenuity there's a limitless amount of combinations to put those foods together into something tasty and nutritious. When you think this way, the veg lifestyle then becomes a passion to explore and not a burden of sacrifices.
If she has a sweet tooth (who doesn't), you could probably help her replace the gummies with dates or some other whole-food fruit. There are even web recipes and youtube videos of banana ice cream made from solely frozen bananas. Refined sugar, especially an abundance of it, breaks down the immune system…thus should be avoided.
Thanks NMA and Warren.
I don't think of being vegetarian as limiting in any manner. I was vegetarian through most of my 20s, then the slippery slope began… added back in "just fish", then "just chicken", and then so on. So, when she came home and dropped the bomb, it was not a hard adjustment at all.
I think it was the nostalgia of some of those childhood items that tugged at me a bit yesterday.
But then I have to remember, that many of the ingredients that are common in food today, were not *cough* 25 years ago. (33 really snuck up on me!).
Respect is a 2 way street in my house, and I see no alternative than to let her read this post, then talk about some of her other favorite food/snacks and let her decide for herself.
I really appreciate the response and support.
wholefoods has some vegan gummies(Annies).
"a passion to explore and not a burden of sacrifices." <– I love that!
I have a son who is 9 and vegetarian. I always communicate with him and give him the option to know. If I discover a food he likes that has animal products in it, I ask him if he wants to know or not. Sometimes he does, sometimes he learns later on his own, but I had a hard time not being honest about it. It helps him to decide for himself if it is something he wants to continue eating or quit, but I like to let him have the choice.
regarding anchovies…many pasta sauces at good restaurants will contain anchovies for an extra kick of flavor. usually it'll specify, but it's something to look out for.
Good post, Matt!! There are so many hidden animal products in foods these days…just another reason to read labels carefully!
Here are my two cents:
- be very careful with soy cheese. Many contain casein which is a milk-derived product. Look for soy cheese that is labelled as "vegetarian" or "vegan".
- some restaraunts specifically mark vegetarian products on their menu. Do not assume that vegetarian-sounding items that are not marked as being such are safe. I once ordered an artichoke and asiago dip which turned out to be made with chicken broth. I was not happy but only had myself to blame.
Look for a kosher symbol on cheeses. Since cheese is dairy, which you can't have with meat if following kosher laws, kosher cheese won't contain (or be processed with) animal products.
Gummy bears are the awesome and cheap alternative to shot blocks etc…unless you are vegetarian, which has always been what I've told folks. I haven't tried the gu offering yet, one of my buddies that is sponsored by them is supposed to send a sampler out one of these days.
I should really start brewing again…I've used isinglass in the past but most of my favorite recipes that I came up with didn't need it.
Blaine, I've tried the GU chomps and found that of the all the gummies, they're the ones that taste most like energy gels (in the bad way). But I didn't even consider whether they were vegetarian at the time…
Interesting that you've brewed with isinglass. I figured that was something that only commercial breweries used and wouldn't be readily available for homebrewers. It just seems like such a weird ingredient. As someone once commented here, "Who came up with the idea to use a fish bladder product to clarify beer?"
I've got an awesome home-brew store near where I live (which just happens to be next to the fish market I go to) and he's always had lots of good advice about things to try.
In the opposite direction, I've always found it amusing that Bacos are vegan. Yes, there's no real nutritional value to those salty bits and they are full of chemicals, but I found it funny that this over-processed salad topping was actually vegan.
I was devestated when I realized about marshmallows having gelatin…I am a Peep fanatic and it just seemed like such a yucky ingredient in an innocent little Peep..I think Marshmallow creme (although obviously filled with sugar) doesn't have gelatin, does it?
I have been a vegetarian (not vegan) for 13 years, since the age of 28. I have not wavered once in that time from my core commitment. The way that I maintain my commitment to vegetarianism? By saying that I can't control everything and just letting some things be, usually things that I consider to fall into the "vegan" camp. It's not totally rational, but it's how I make it work. I don't eat Ceasar dressing, worcestershire sauce, Jell-o (COW BONES), or any meat-based broth. These are things I find pretty easy to control. What's not easy to control? Rennet. If I cut cheese out of my diet, it would be so difficult to eat out in a restaurant EVER. Since it comes in microbial and animal forms, and most waiters aren't going to be able to tell me what the dish is made with, I let that one slide. It's my violation, and I'm okay with it. I also eat honey and the occasional Junior Mint (gelatin). It's what works for me. I know some may judge my choices but I truly believe that every little bit counts when it comes to animal rights and vegetarianism, and my little bit is acutally a lot, especially over the course of my lifetime.
That said, thanks for the post! I didn't know about isinglass until a couple years ago – shattering for this Guinness lover, but that's one that's fairly easy to avoid and replace.
Oops! I mean I have been veg (lacto-ovo) since age 15 … I'm 28 now.
Great post, I just learned that about Worcestershire sauce last week when I veganized a recipe containing it and thankfully read the label carefully before using.
what about plain parmesan cheese (not the reggiano)?
Nancy, it depends on which "parmesan" you're talking about. That name can now be applied to a lot of things (I believe there was a legal battle over this, the region that makes Parmigiano wanted to protect the name). Anyway, most blocks of cheese labeled "parmesan" list enzymes as an ingredient. I've actually seen cheese that lists rennet and enzymes as separate ingredients, so it's technically possible that the non-rennet enzymes are vegetarian-friendly. I honestly don't know any more than that; probably the best thing to do is contact the producer to find out.
I am confused as to why some are surprised that parma-reggiano cheese or yogurt are not vegetarian… are they not dairy? Are they some forms of dairy that are vegetarian?
Laura, by most people's definition of "vegetarian," including mine, dairy is allowed. But dairy is certainly not vegan. (And I've heard a few sources define "vegetarian" in the same way most people define "vegan"; sounds like that's the definition you know.
Since obtaining rennet requires that an animal die (or be harmed, at the very least), I don't consider it vegetarian. The fact that the animals used for dairy products are the same ones that end up being slaughtered for food is another issue, but definitely a compelling argument for veganism.
Sorry…have to add on:
Regarding animals used for dairy products, there is also the dairy-veal connection. Calves born to female dairy cows are….I'll leave the info to those who wish to further research for themselves. It's all the reason to make pizza with herb-ed tofu ricotta cheese with blended creamy cashews and Daiya cheese =)
By the way…This is a Super informative post Matt!
Warren, you got my mouth watering. I've made pizza and lasagna recipes with tofu- and cashew-based cheeses, as well as Daiya cheese, and they all taste better than dairy cheese any day. Even my non-vegan friends and family agree!
Exactly, that's how I managed to become vegan. [I used to be the guy that made fun of vegetarians.] When I realized there is an infinite amount of amazing alternatives, I questioned why it was necessary continue to make sentient beings suffer? Being vegan is such a win-win-win situation: great tasting alternatives, better health (with good planning), and most importantly I don't have to support factory farming.
labels are a pain. officially, vegetarians don't eat anything that comes from animals (dairy and eggs included). lacto-vegetarians eat dairy. ovo-vegetarians eat eggs. lacto/ovo-vegeterians eat dairy and eggs. then there are vegans who take it a bit further and don't use anything that contains animal products, or that animals were used to produce, including: leather, honey, shampoos and moisturizers with cetyl alcohol (non-synthetic), etc. but that's a lot for most people to remember, so we're now accustomed to vegetarian and vegan labels.
If you go local or to the smaller organic farms with animal happiness first and foremost, as far as dairy obtained from sheep or goats, u can get lovely products that have been created from animal product that was obtained without any harm to the animal.
the main point here was these animals live out there lives on these farms and are let die naturally
I'm always skeptical when I read a label and it says "enzymes" or "natural flavoring." Natural flavoring can come from animals too
oh also, a lot of soy yogurts are actually not vegan since they are often made from milk derived products. I have been strict vegetarian for awhile, and gave vegan a try, and i was eating soy yogurt thinking it was vegan, until one day i got smart and read the label, and the particular brand I was eating which was "Stoneyfield Farm's O'Soy vanilla" said that it used milk derived cultures
btw, this was a really great and useful post Matt, I never had even known or thought about there being lard in tortillas or beans!
What about chewing gum? People tell me gum is made with sheep's stomach…??
Kristin, I've never heard of chewing gum being made with sheep's stomach, although I suppose it's possible. There's surely more than one way to make gum. I do know that when gum was first produced, it was made from the sap of gum trees; however, today it's made primarily from latex and a host of chemicals. Go to YouTube and check out the episode of "How It's Made" on how gum is produced. I know latex comes from trees, and natural gum comes from the gum tree, but after watching that show I can't help but associate chewing gum with latex paint. I only chew "natural" gums now – if I chew at all.
I really liked this post! I remember first starting out trying not to eat meat (all the way to vegan) and eating the Gardenburgers in the dorms — hellloooo not vegan!
Nowadays, I eat limited dairy and find it appalling how it sneaks into pretty much every food I can put my hands on. Definitely makes me feel like I'm some kind of crazed picky eater, but I'm just taking control of what I put inside my body!
And yes, it's really hard to get pre-packaged goods or eat out in "normal" restaurants. I've had to learn these lessons one at a time — be wary of soups, dressings, etc. All that strain has caused me to be a bit more lax about that stuff than I used to be. If only the rest of the population would catch on…
Even though I knew alot of this before, and some of those things don't apply in my country (Norway) I think this is such an important post! There are so many things that suprised me when I turned vegetarian – like the cheese thing. One of the things that suprised me the most was when I was watching recipe podcasts, and they would insist on "vegan sugar", and I was like heck – isn't sugar vegan by default? My friends told me that in some countries white sugar is being bleached with bones. Yuk. Luckily this isn't in Norway – phiew!
though most vegetarians would probably eat it, any candies with "confectioner's glaze" or "confectionary coating" are not vegan. shellac is made from secretions of the lac beetle. yum.
Excellent post Matt. I'm also loving reading through the replies. Lots of great discussion here.
FYI, GU Chomps (and all GU products) are vegetarian. I just confirmed with GU because GU Chomps are one of my two go-to energy sources on long runs. ~whew~
Amy, great to know! Thanks for finding out. I'm not a huge fan of any of these manufactured sugar products for running, but I do prefer the gummies to the gels, by far. So with GU, I guess that means all the big ones are vegetarian!
I just gave up chicken/pork/beef and kind-of seafood 1.5 months ago so I'm a brand-new veggie! I try not to buy things with gelatin in them but I'm having a lot of trouble finding YOGURT without gelatin. So annoying!!
Trader Joe's used to have a flyer/card that listed out which cheeses in their store used what kind of rennet/enzyme (Plant/Microbial/Animal). Most European labeled cheeses specifically state 'Animal Rennet' – if they read 'Enzymes' those are generally microbial (Vegetarian ok)
Not all cheese is made with animal rennet. Quite a few are made with vegetarian rennet. Traditionally, in Spain and especially in Portugal cheese was and still is being made with artichoke, cardoon or thistle rennet. Any employee at a reputable cheese shop or cheese counter should be able to tell you which of their cheeses are truly vegetarian and which are not.
Here's one for the total vegetarian/vegans – Guacamole can contain milk and/or mayonnaise!
Things that contain gelatin: Planters Roasted Peanuts – glass jar only (!), Peeps, Candy Corn, Junior Mints, Starburst, Sweethearts.
How about some orange juices contain fish oil (!)
Wow – I love this post!
Through 12+ years of trial-and-error,I'm still learning new, sneaky ways that animal products seep into SO many things. It was a big surprise to find out that marshmallows aren't even lacto-ovo friendly. It was a shock to find milk products in Veggie Slices, Veggie Shreds, and veggie burgers too.
I recently made an assumption error at an Indian restaurant – where I later found that my vegetarian veggie balls were actually made with Indian cottage cheese. I've learned to do menu research beforehand if possible, and never be afraid to ask and send back if necessary… then again – most waitress/cook spit probably isn't vegan friendly…
Oh, and how about there is only one vegan-friendly bread I can find at my local grocery store… most contain questionable mono or diglycerides…
We just bake our own bread most days, very easy to know what's in it. Much cheaper, too.
And then there's the animal-based hair care/cosmetic ingredients: keratin, carmine and cochineal (from beetles!), collagen, elastin… I'm a label-reading maniac!
Luckily, for me most of this foods are not a trouble. I hardly ever (if ever) eat out: the only food I consume often outside home is coffee. I don't eat gums because I know they have gelatine. I don't like beer and Worcestershire sauce it's almost impossible to find here (actually, I've never tried it). The same I can say about tortillas. And I don't eat cheese at all because I'm vegan.
About more products that seem vegetarian friendly but are not….many, many Spanish pastries, especially the traditional Christmas like "polvorones". They're pure lard. The store bought puff pastry usually have it too. I haven't found a vegan friendly brand yet
Baked beans aren't. especially "traditional" varieties. The sauce is made with pork. Not meat in it, as an ingredient somewhere else, but it was listed as part of the sauce. I was upset to read that AFTER I had a good helping or two…
Wine is also made/filtered/clarified with Issinglass. Unless it states vegetarian on the wine.
I was so excited to see you wrote aboout how Parmesan-Reggiano is made with stomach lining to hold the cheese together! I just got back from a study abroad trip to Italy, and we took a tour of a certified Parmesan-Reggiano factory where I too learned of this disapointing fact. I only eat cheese once in a while, but when I do I usually stick with parmesan or feta. Now I'm nixed the parmesan and am slowly moving away from cheese completely, cause let's face it.. who wants to eat stomach lining?! Not I.
Oreos most definitely used to have lard in them. They switched the recipe (and got kosher certification) when I was in high school, and it was HUGE at my Jewish school.
Ugh. This list makes me sick to my stomach. Not that I have anything against meat eaters; but I just can't tolerate the actual thought of eating some of this stuff…
I just had this discussion on Happy Herbivore's FB page last week…
http://www.facebook.com/HappyHerbivoreBlog#!/HappyHerbivoreBlog?v=wall&story_fbid=133513300007866&ref=mf
The topic was "Grossest non-vegan find.. something you picked up expecting it to be vegan and it had something nasty in it instead." some of the answers were really shocking.
Hey Matt—-
As a newbie vegetarian runner, this post sucks. Why? Because you are making me realize how many animal products I ignored or had no idea about. Thanks for the heads up about soup. Never really thought of it.
I am a lenient (not lazy) vegetarian. For example, if I had a Caesar (as you note) salad and it ended up having anchovies, I am not going to jump off a bridge. I think trying to make a conscious effort is the biggest thing at least for me.
David Damron
RunningSomewhere
That is how we are as well. I know it doesn't count in some people's books, but the fact that we are more conscious of what we eat than 90% of other Americans makes me feel better about my choices.
Same here!
I hear ya about the the French Onion Soup. I made that very same mistake when I went meat-less for Lent. I also forgot that gravy is not vegetarian (what a stupid mistake!) I wish you'd written this post six months ago!
Hi! I just found your blog and as lifelong vegetarian and now vegan, I'm curious about how you have made the switch. I wanted to mention that "organic valley" parmesan cheese is suitable for vegetarians, as are most of thier other cheeses.
I was shocked when I found out my soy cheese had casein (milk protein) in it!
GUM. Can you believe it? My mom brought over the new Trident Layers. My vegetarian daughter has me reading labels and I was shocked. Seems gum is one you must read the labels before chewing.
how old is your daughter?
i'm twelve and I'm a vegetarian.
Just found your blog. Love it!
Another thing that seems like it should be vegetarian, but isn't is hamburger/hot dog buns. Most of them – at least in the store we frequent – have dairy in them.
Hey Kendall, thanks! I had no idea about hamburger and hot dog buns. Is it butter, or weirder dairy products?
some breads apparently have pig hair in them… no kidding! check out this talk: http://www.tedxamsterdam.com/2009/video-christien-meindertsma-on-pig05049/
pretty interesting… there is pig products in car paint!
No, just milk.
I feel as though the term you were looking to use in your original comment, Kendall, was 'vegan'. I suppose vegans are classified as vegetarians at times, but I am certainly not a vegan. Milk products (excluding things that have harmful outcomes for the animal) are okay in my diet. I'm curious to see how other people use the terms, though. This was just my understanding.
I've been a vegetarian since fifth grade (I'm now in tenth) and I've been caught off guard many times. I have to make everything myself now. I don't mind it. I like the feeling of knowing exactly what is going in my food, and into my body.
I've been doing some research, and it appears that cane sugar is not vegetarian, due to the filtration process including charcoal made form animal bones. I'm not completely certain, so does anyone know for sure? I know organic beet sugar is definitely vegetarian, if not completely vegan.
Many restaurants (and people) prepare rice in chicken broth, rather than just boiling in water.
Cochineal or carmine is a bright red food/beverage coloring made from the dried bodies of a beetles (Dactylopius coccus).
Capsulated medications also typically contain gelatin. Don't skip your meds, but see if there is a liquid or tablet form instead.
I was at a winery/field a few years ago and these huge boxes of grapes, like 4X4X4, were ready to be shipped to get smashed, there were centipedes and ladybugs all over the grapes. Another fine mess….
Hostess Cupcakes. Yup–animal lard.
Jiffy Muffin Mix–also animal lard
Try Dr.Oeteker's cornbread mix it is vegan and delicious! I use energy egg replacer in it.
Why use a mix? If you start with cornmeal or masa, you can control the rest of the ingredients. Maybe it's because I'm southern, but I always start with local coarse-ground meal or, at the least, White Lily cornmeal.
Well if we're not talking about vegan here, then what about Yogurt? there are natural yogurts that don't use gelatin, but many have gelatin in them.
I like Silk if your vegetarian and Whole Soy if your vegan, it is the only vegan yogurt I can find at stores.
[...] vegetarian? Either way, there are many foods that may appear to be meat-free, but actually are not. This list points out 8 common foods that are not vegetarian friendly. I found a few of these items shocking, [...]
Thank you for clarifying the hidden ingredients. I also learned to watch out for mono and di-glycerides which are fancy words for lard. Most breads and tortillas contain it as well as JIF peanut butter, ice creams, sauces, margarine, and tons of other food items. I find it in places you wouldn't dream of. I think the best thing is always read labels or stick to things labeled vegan to just plain avoid anything from animals.
Baked bbq lays have chicken fat, though the original bbq ones don't list chicken fat as an ingredient
Wow, gross. When you say the originals don't list chicken fat as an ingredient, are you implying that they contain it but don't list it? Or just making the point that it's strange that they don't, when the baked ones do?
Thanks for the tip!
Although, the bbq lays (and most flavored potato chips) have milk in them – therefore they are not vegan. =( I'm pretty sure the Buffalo Wing flavored Pringles are okay, but after reading this post, I think I'll re-check!!
I almost died reading this!!! These are some of my favorite chips, and though I rarely eat them, I did just eat some the other day. I am so dejected now.
[...] recipe originally called for parmeean cheese, which apparently is made with rennet, gotten from extracted animal stomachs. Shit. So I changed the recipe a bit from the original version, substituting gouda for parmesan and [...]
Thanks so much all…I forget about how they sneak animal products into so many things…Another I have found, maybe it has been mentioned is mashed potatoes, which are often made with bits of bacon, and spinich salad, which is often served with bacon dressing…:(
[...] October 12, 2010 by kendalljeann After reading an article by No Meat Athlete, I learned that there are many products out there that you might think are [...]
someone may have mentioned this, but many curry pastes are not vegetarian as they have shrimp paste or fish sauce in them
Whoa. I'm a relatively new vegetarian, and I'm glad I read this tonight, before my work potluck. This is semi-off-topic, but how do you navigate potlucks? Some things are obvious, but I don't want to go up to each and every person and ask if their food has broth in it.
Chrissie, that's a tough one. It's hard not to offend people and make it seem like you're too good for their food. I hate that feeling. This Thanksgiving, the hostess told the guests were vegetarian, so if people were using broths in their dishes, it'd be nice if they could use veggie broth for us. Otherwise, I would probably just not eat anything except my own thing. Kind of an awkward situation, but I really don't know what else I'd do there.
Thanks! I ended up only having my dish and a few others that I had explicitly asked the people who brought them about. I would definitely be more upfront with my family, etc., but since it was work, I decided to err on the side of politeness.
Chrissie, I find that I can usually de-awkward-ize the situation by 1)asking what's in it and explaining that I have certain dietary restrictions, 2)telling the cook that it looks/smells delicious, and I'm bummed that I can't give it a try, and 3)asking if they'd mind sharing the recipe, since my husband and the rest of my family isn't vegetarian/vegan, and I'd like to try making it some day for them. I find that if that doesn't help them understand that I'm not snubbing them, then more often than not their problem isn't with my not eating their dish, it's with something else.
I recently discovered that generic versions of Airborn contain fish! It's in tiny print on the back of the package. Sure it's in bold, but considering some people have allergies, it should be more obvious. I usually read labels before buying a product but slipped up in this case. Interestingly, the real Airborn does not say anything about fish on its label.
Thanks for this post, Matt. I knew about the gummy bears (sadly one of my very favorite sweet treats!) but had no idea about the parmesean!!! WOW! Vegetarianism is CERTAINLY a wonderful learning experience.
I thought all or most cheeses were made with rennet. I am not strict enough to eat only vegetarian cheeses, but I do buy them when possible, and I know that most Whole Foods brand cheeses are labeled vegetarian, including their parmesan.
[...] is actually quite a few foods you thought vegetarian but aren't. The first time I read this post, I cried tears of sadness as it meant that I [...]
A coworker of mine told me that her husband delivers the food to fast food restaurants around here and that Taco Bell's refried beans do contain lard. I wonder if things have changed.
Hi Matt
I really like your blog! I wanted to comment on the tortilla having lard. I am Mexican and have lived in Mexico for most of my life, tortillas rarely have lard, traditionally were eaten by our native American ancestors before the spaniards came and they are made from nixtamal a form of processed maiz or corn. Even today most mainstream Mexican tortillerias do not even add oil or lard to the dough. Having said that unfortunately i have not found any acceptable tortillas in the US. Be wary of retried beans those are routinely cooked with lard!
I'm a vegan and found that most tortillas contain l-cysteine. A customer service rep clued me in to the fact that L-cysteine is most often derived from human hair or duck feathers, and to a lesser extent from pigs' bristles and hooves. She was not even a vegetarian but said that she wouldn't eat the tortillas for this reason.
Also, McDonald's stopped using beef fat in their french fries but replaced it with synthetic beef flavoring that contains milk.
Wow I'm shocked that people had no idea these things weren't vegan! Do people not read ingredients? I assumed everyone knew what gelatin was. People, if you're going veg, for the love of God, do some research. It's not hard to google animal ingredients.
[...] Sure, there are times when you need to ask about broth or gelatin or some of the other surprise non-vegetarian food. But it's not often. (Although I did bite into a pork burrito the other day that was [...]
Sugar is often processed with bones or gelatin, but USDA certified organic is veg-safe.
That's good to know! I don't know that I'll ever get to the point of avoiding sugar for this reason, but if I have the chance to choose organic, I'll do it.
This is a good reference for ingredients…where they come from, where they are used, and if they are vegan, vegetarian, or non-vegetarian.
http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php#acesulfamek
Not that they are worth eating, but many chips have chicken or beef fat. The most common ones are BBQ flavored, but I noticed once that one of the Sun Chips flavors had beef fat.
I think the main point is that if you care what you eat- vegetarian or not, read the ingredient list of everything you eat. If the list is so long that you don't feel like reading it all, then you probably shouldn't eat it.
Thanks for the tip on Sun Chips! Didn't know that. Now that I'm vegan, I'd check the label anyway, but I'd have never thought to look when I was vegetarian.
Cheese isn't vegetarian, period. It's an animal product that's for infant cows, not for human consumption. Cow's milk and related products (cheese, ice cream, yogurt) contains casein, which promotes tumor growth and is linked to many auto-immune disorders. It also contains IGF-1 which promotes tumor growth. Avoid this dangerous food!
Altoids have gelatin
I also look for capsules that are gelatin free when I buy vitamins or herbal supplements.
Altoids have gelatin?
wow i cant beleve ive been eating all these foods
[...] to eat something that is not totally vegetarian, I don’t beat myself up over it. Check out No Meat Athlete’s list of things you thought were vegetarian friendly. I still love a good smore! Alas, marshmallows are maid with gelatin…an animal [...]
Sweet and Sara makes an awesome vegan s'more!!
The common theme here is that everything seemingly vegetarian (or vegan) but not is processed by someone else. After 3 years of eating vegan the only thing left in my cupboard that is "processed" is the occasional can of tomato sauce, oils and spices. Nothing with an ingredients list that you can't read and understand in 2 seconds.
As for eating out – the world won't end if you accidentally get something made with animal products. If you're eating 100% vegan at home and get the occasional meal out with a tortilla made with lard, your health won't suffer.
It's not food, but most homeopathic remedies are carried in or derived from animal products. I work in a store that sells homeopathic remedies and has a large vegetarian/ vegan client base, and I am always surprised at the number of people who don't know this.
Aaaaaaah!!!$$ Just dairy or other things too??? Are there any homeopathic companies that produce veg remedies?
Michelinas instant dinners such as their 'penne primavera' is most often made with chicken fat/broth. Watch out!
Hello!
First off, let me say how AWESOME your site is, and how much I appreciate people like you putting the world out on tasty, meat-free living.
I wanted to contribute to your list of potential veggie 'no-nos'. You probably already know this one, but two flavor enhancers found in MANY prepared foods are disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate. These are most often derived from animal sources, such as fish.
Apologies if this has ruined Doritos for anyone. Please keep up the good work!
I have a friend who makes his own cheese (like mozzarella) in order to avoid the rennet problem. He has found vegetarian "rennet" at some specialty health food stores and online as well. Whatever it is made out of accomplishes the same thing as rennet, which causes the milk to "gel" into cheese.
Just recently found out that my favorite spinach "vegetarian" enchilidas are not so much….they cook the spinach in chicken broth! Yuck! Also, spinach artichoke dip….same story!
I had to thank you for this article! I read I feel like the dumbest vegetarian on the planet…going on 12 years and I had no idea what rennet was, and that it was in my feta cheese that I topped my salads with. It completely mortified me.
If you are a vegetarian, you are still eating animal products, so what's the difference between eating something with rennet (from a cow's stomach) than eating a unborn chicken (egg) or milk that a cow makes that is meant for baby cows? No judgement here, just curious. As a vegan, it seems a little strange to make that distinction. I have no problem with people eating it, or meat, or whatever, just struck me as a little strange.
The main distinction is that an animal doesn't have to die for a person to eat an egg or milk. An unfertilized egg isn't a life and is never going to be a life. So eggs and milk are not actually animals or animal parts.But eating rennet or isinglass means the animal has to die to get that ingredient and they are animals/animal parts.
The most surprising non-vegetarian foods I've found are Frosted Mini Wheats (they contain gelatin) and most yogurts or foods with yogurt coatings. Avoid trail mix with yogurt covered raisins, many granola or protein bars also contain this gelatin filled yogurt coating. I've even found a yoplait smoothie mix that contained gelatin. It is sooo frustrating to me how companies try to hide the fact that their products contain gelatin. Why can't things be clearly labeled.
Single packaged cheeses also contain gelatin! I don't eat them anyway because it's not vegan but the gelatin makes it non vegetarian as well. Also some sunflower seeds have gelatin to coat the outside and some cranberry sauces.
[...] his posts and found one entitled "Warning: 8 Common foods you thought were vegetarian" (http://www.nomeatathlete.com/non-vegetarian-foods/) and now I'm pretty much screwed. I read the post, the comments, clicked through to other [...]
[...] did you know that parmesan cheese is actually NOT vegetarian? Ya, turns out it isnt. So I guess this should be called Eggplant in the Parmesan Style. There are some vegetarian options [...]
Doritos Nacho Cheese : (
In fact, many chips that have a cheesy flavor aren't vegetarian.
Don't cook with your oil-based supplements, this often changes their composition and can negate the very benefits you were taking them for!!
I've been a veg with increasing levels of discipline since the age of 3 (starting with " Mummy, why's that meat cow shaped?" hanging in the butcher shop window). I'm now 28 and confess I'm guilty of being lax on gelatin and rennet, though shudder to think :/. However this is the first I've heard of the beer/ wine issue. The worst is the feeling of being duped by hidden ingredients. I'm always suspicious of "unidentifiable food" i.e. Soups , sauces etc and was recently horrified to find my boss had fed me veg stir fry with fish sauce, blech! Tempting to get really serious and go vegan properly but imagine I'd really seem a control freak then.
Sorry if this is a duplicate post, I didn't read the whole comments section.
"Carmine," usually listed in ingredients as "Red #4," is an insect that produces red coloring. They grind up thousands of the little guys to make a bit of dye. It's in a lot of candies, red juices and yogurts, basically anything that is dyed red.
It's a super sneaky non-vegetarian ingredient and makes even red grapefruit juice non-veggie friendly!
Research any generic ingredients if you don't know how it was made- that's usually a sign of animal ingredients. Or just stay away from anything processed and with more than 5 ingredients that aren't all real foods.
Thank you so much for this remarkable article. As of last Thursday, I've been veg for 20 years now and did not know about a few of these. Beer and wine? That's shocking! I also wanted to add, for anyone that is interested, that Angostura makes a good worchestershire sauce.
Hi, I'm veggie for about two months already and I almost started from the beginning today by eating some YOGHURT. I was lucky, I saw the ingredients list a few seconds before opening the package. I'm not sure if that was mentioned already, since I didn't read through all te comments, but there's some gelatine in it as well…
I used to work in a restaurant in Seattle that was Mexican themed. I once had a customer ask if there was lard in the refried beans. I had no idea, so I asked. The man was a vegetarian, and unfortunately the beans did contain lard. I felt bad for him, and I wondered why they would even use lard. I guess it's more authentic and traditional. Seriously though, this restaurant was neither authentic nor traditional. It was really just cultural appropriation at its finest.
Rennet is used in most cheeses, but it can be derived from plant sources like nettles and thistles. You might want to check with the manufacturer.
I've been debating whether to give up cheese and after googling rennet this convinced me:
Natural calf rennet is extracted from the inner mucosa of the fourth stomach chamber (the abomasum) of slaughtered young, unweaned calves. These stomachs are a by-product of veal production. If rennet is extracted from older calves (grass-fed or grain-fed) the rennet contains less or no chymosin but a high level of pepsin and can only be used for special types of milk and cheeses.
Yeah, not all beer/wine/liquor is vegan. To find out what kinds are, here is a very useful site: http://www.barnivore.com/
Thanks for the link to Barnivore. I'm thrilled to see that my usual brands – Corona, Tecate – are vegan friendly. Unfortunately, my favorite, Indio, was not on their list, but it shouldn't be hard to find out.
What an eye opening post! Thanks for shedding light on these stealth ingredients. Will pay extra care from now on! And perhaps stick to home cooking – saves cash, too!
Great article and comments. I just learned today that skittles are now gelatin-free. I've been avoiding them for years. http://www.vrg.org/blog/2010/12/30/new-formulation-skittles-are-gelatin-free-starbursts-gummibursts-contain-non-kosher-gelatins/ In addition to some yogurts, some sour cream brands (and sour cream-based dips) also contain gelatin. Mac and cheese in restaurants and delis often contains chicken fat or chicken broth. I'm sure I'll think of others to add.
Couple other things: Cochineal and carmine (red dyes in food) are made from ground up beetles.
Also, many processed miso soups contain bonito flavoring, which is fish. Miso soup is easy to make and so much better (tasting and healthy) when homemade fresh, anyway. (As a sidenote, miso soup–with wakame sea vegetable–is great to eat after getting an xray or ct scan because it pulls radiation out of the body. Get at a Japanese restaurant or google for ingredients.)
Thai food (which I love) often has fish sauce in it. I found a vegetarian mushroom-based 'fish' sauce at my local Asian grocery (called vegetarian fish sauce). It is really savory and delicious–adds that extra something to my Thai cooking.
Lastly, after I read the comments above, I read http://www.petakids.com/candy.asp. I found some really terrible and gross ingredients that I didn't know about: Cetyl palmitate (in some margarine and is a waxy oil from the heads of whales or dolphins), Urea (which I knew was from urine and in some cosmetics, but didn't know it's in some pretzels!), Stearic acid(another word for lard), and pepsin (from a pig's stomach lining).
I'm certainly going to be cooking more from whole foods to control what we eat. Here is a detailed/complete list/dictionary of animal ingredients: http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/animal-ingredient-guide.aspx
Good grief! That sent me scurrying to the cupboards… After checking everything I can report no untoward gelatine inserts or chicken stock backdrops. Really useful information on all the stealthy ways meat can wander into a vegetarian diet though and I'll be more vigilant in future.
It's maybe a bit easier here in the UK. There is some pretty sound legislation on labelling vegetarian and vegan food (http://www.vegsoc.org/page.aspx?pid=767 and http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/vegitermsgn.pdf). 'Safe' foods usually come with a big green statement of suitability for vegetarians or vegans as well.
I don't eat meat or fish (seafood of every type is beyond disgusting) but other than that…I could care less. I eat S'mores with my kiddos in the summer, cook with vegetable broth, but don't sweat it if my mex. rice/wine/beer/parm. cheese is not 100%veg*an.
[...] cheese NOT vegan?" you may be wondering… and yes, you are right! Cheese is definitely not vegan (and I guess according to that link, not even vegetarian, but okay), so why in the world am I [...]
I did not read thru every comment, but I while looking up the gluten free status (my son has celiac's) of certain french fries, I learned that mc donalds uses some form of beef in their fries
I was surprised to find that not all hummus fits the definition for vegetarian.
Mentos. but who the hell eats Mentos anyway?