Vegetarian and Vegan... I'm Confused!

[PaintBrushPanda]

Allright, I've been skimming through the forums, and I realized people are asking about eggs and milk... so I have a few quick questions.

If you eat eggs and drink milk you're vegetarian?

I don't eat eggs, or drink milk and I've been calling myself vegetarian... I'm guessing from the other threads that perhaps I'm vegan, but I don't eat strictly fruits and veggies. I mean, I check ingredients thoroughly and if there is even a hint/confusion of it containing eggs or milk (even the 'whey' from milk or non-fat, powder, or skim I won't get it) I won't eat it. So NO meat, eggs, or veggies.

Would that make me vegan? I thought that they ONLY eat veggies and fruits.
If I've confused anyone by this question and my description, I'll explain it better if I can...

Any explanations are VERY welcome. I just want to clear things up for me, my friend and my boyfriend (who are all doing the same thing, and calling ourselves vegetarians!)

THANK YOU! :D

Miranda <3

[Kenickie]

if you eat cheese, you aren't vegan.

if you don't, you are.

[PaintBrushPanda]

if you eat cheese, you aren't vegan.

if you don't, you are.



:D THANK YOU! lol no I don't eat cheese. Thanks for clearing it up for me.

[Kenickie]

vegans do not eat anything that comes from animals in anyway, or any things like whey, etc.

which sounds like you do the vegan check the label thing, i think you are vegan.

for people who don't avoid whey and other small things like that, i think those are strict vegetarians.

[PaintBrushPanda]

Yeah, that makes more sense to me now. I know to avoid gelatin, milk (any derivitives), eggs, and meat.

Are there any other specific names that would be derived from animals that might not be so obvious? (I had to search when I began, and I never knew about gelatin before, so I'm glad I found that)

[Clarita Osita]

To be a little more broad, vegans eat more than just fruits and veggies. Basically, they eat plants, period. Fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, grains... No meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, or honey. Vegans also avoid animal products in non-food items - leather, wool, silk, honey, beeswax, lanolin, cochineal extract/carmine, etc.

Vegetarians run the gamut from eating all that stuff plus milk and eggs, to only eating milk or eggs as ingredients in other things.

Some things to keep an eye out for besides gelatin and whey, which you already know, are:

carmine/cochineal extract (made from crushed red beetles) - common in red dyed food or lipstick

casein - comes from milk

lactose - milk sugar

rennet - if it's animal-based rennet, it's made from the stomach lining of calves

lanolin - comes from sheep's wool

beeswax and honey - from bees, of course

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Welcome to VB! If you ever have a question about a particular ingredient feel free to ask. :)

[Indian Summer]

To be a little more broad, vegans eat more than just fruits and veggies. Basically, they eat plants, period.
I think a better description would be to say that vegans can eat all non-animal foods. After all, we can eat non-plant foods like mushrooms, seaweeds (surprisingly, most seaweeds are actually not plants, scientifically speaking) and minerals such as salt.

[Sevenseas]

If you don't eat flesh (or its byproducts), eggs or dairy, I'd say you're a strict vegetarian or close to one. To be vegan, you'd also have to avoid all the other animal stuff, not just in "food", like rockindancer86 said.

[Clarita Osita]

I think a better description would be to say that vegans can eat all non-animal foods. After all, we can eat non-plant foods like mushrooms, seaweeds (surprisingly, most seaweeds are actually not plants, scientifically speaking) and minerals such as salt.

:yes:That's true. Okay, we eat anything that doesn't come from animals.

Didn't know that about seaweed, though. Learn something new every day! :up:

Oh, and mushrooms should be excluded from that list solely based on their vile nature. :evil:

[cerealkiller]

also things like l-cysteine, mono- and diglycerides, and vitamin D3 can come from animal sources. if you're committed to being vegan, you should look into these when products you buy contain them. l-cysteine and the "glycerides" are in a lot of commercially made bread products; vitamin D3 is in some orange juices as well as cereal products.

[PaintBrushPanda]

Thank you very much for all of the help! I've already cleared out my wardrobe, and threw away a bunch of other things (like shoes or leather books) I don't want anything to do with being made from animals.

I will definately bring a list with me when I go to the store of all the things you guys have listed! I wish the names were more appropriate, like they hinted to what it really was, but I'm sure in time I will have them all memorized.

You guys have been very informative, I really needed to know this stuff!
Thanks again :D

Miranda

[cerealkiller]

http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients.html

that's a link to all ingredients that MAY possibly come from animal sources. i stress "may" because some of them can also be made from plant or other non-animal sources. with the questionable ones, you just have to contact the company yourself... or google the product to see if anyone else has already done the homework for you. :P

oh... and if anyone tries to steer you to PETA's "i can't believe it's vegan" list... beware! many of the foods they list aren't actually 100% vegan. >:/ for example, i found out myself (through contacting the companies via their websites) that only about three kellogg's cereals are actually consistently vegan and also that Lenders brand bagels are NOT vegan (contain l-cysteine from animal feathers!).

anyway... best wishes!

[TornadoChaser]

oh... and if anyone tries to steer you to PETA's "i can't believe it's vegan" list... beware!

Yeah even thought it's on the list (any "vegan foods" list) you should still check labels the first time you buy anything and check again at least once every couple of months. Recipes change without notice and something vegan things can go non vegan. Annoying as hell.

[Carl85]

Oh, and mushrooms should be excluded from that list solely based on their vile nature. :evil:


First of all, I completely agree with this statement, mushrooms are vile. However I did have a question, why exactly is it wrong to eat honey? Is it simply because an animal makes it or is it produced in cruel ways?

[TornadoChaser]

First of all, I completely agree with this statement, mushrooms are vile. However I did have a question, why exactly is it wrong to eat honey? Is it simply because an animal makes it or is it produced in cruel ways?

Vegans don't eat anything produced by an animals, which includes bee vomit. That is the big reason but also honey is the bees' food to get them through winter and it is stolen from them. Many conventional bee farmers actually have to give the bees sugar water during the winter months because they took too much of their honey. That is pretty messed up and that's not even accounting for the many bees that will die just in the harvesting. I had a really good link to an in depth article about why honey isn't vegan but I can't seem to find it. I'll keep looking.

However there is a honey discussion thread here (http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=99644). :)

[cerealkiller]

I had a really good link to an in depth article about why honey isn't vegan but I can't seem to find it. I'll keep looking.
here (http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=99644). :)

oooh... i have one...

http://www.vegetus.org/honey/honey.htm

[PaintBrushPanda]

The happycow website was a big help. I actually think I almost bought a few things with some of those items listed in them. I checked everything else, so far so good!
And thank you for helping me out so much, I couldn't have done this without some guidance! The honey topic is very interesting, good thing I never really like it :D But I'll be sure to look closely and avoid that as well!

Thanks again! I'm going to print out the list :)