I was looking for a recipe for marshmallows yesterday, and was surprised they contain gelatin. I don’t eat gelatin because it contains animal parts, and the vegan marshmallows are about five bucks a bag. It made me noodle around online to see what else I was eating that I, per my personal reasons, don’t.
I was aware that certain foods such as Jell-O and canned baked beans contained meat products, but dang there are so many other foods that include them. I will withhold the details of the animal and process, but for the sake of listing, here are only a few:
- gel-capped medicines
- marshmallows
- some cheese including parmesan
- potato chips (not all)
- cake mixes (not all)
- stuffing, even ones listed as cornbread or sage
- many processed breads
- Worcestershire sauce
- yogurt!!!
- gummy candies
- store-bought pie crust
- vanilla extract (not all, and gross)
(The ingredients are tricky and are called words such as animal rennet, isinglass, and carmine.)
I do eat fish once in awhile, and my boys vary in what they eat. I do NOT preach it and I do NOT judge. Most people I know aren’t aware that I don’t eat chicken, beef, or pork until we’re sitting down to eat. It’s personal, and quite honestly, I don’t want to deal with the backlash. People have become quite defensive when they find out, and I never understood how what I eat makes some put up their dukes, so I just hush.
I am missing out on nothing. I’ve always been a veggie lover and dried beans are a wonderful substitute for many dishes, like my favorite, tacos. So at least there’s still that. This new discovery of mine simply makes me realize a lot of what we eat we do not know or understand, so I will pay more attention in the future, starting today.
Teresa Forester Adams 