[Lani]

So ok I already ranted a bit in my introduction post but I want to rant some more. Why on earth does so many products contain dairy/egg/etc?!? Does it really have to contain this stuff to taste good? What are they thinking? ARGH!

Also why the heck is there whey in my nutritional yeast and why didn't I notice at the whole goods store

They have a no return policy and it doesn't matter b/c I opened it already and then noticed whey on the ingredients *sighs* I don't want to eat it since it has whey but I already bought it and it's hard for me to throw things away bleh

And why on earth can't I find bread that doesn't have whey in it? It took me like 20 minutes and finally I found some sarah lee whole grain bread that didn't list whey as an ingredient. And like 90% of the cereals I looked at had honey. Bleeeehhhhh..

Ok yea I'm whining and ranting and I apologize, I know it's not a good first impression but I'm so stressed and need to vent to people who know where I'm coming from. If hear "go hug a tree ya tofu fartin hippy" once more I'm going to go crazy.

So ok that's the end of my rant... Now some questions...

Sugar. I know a lot of Vegans don't eat it. I don't really want to eat it either but it's hard to get away from it in a lot of products. So what do you do about this? Also what about sugar alternatives like splenda? Do they still go through the bone char?

Products that say something like "Manufactured or Packaged in a facility that also handles products with egg/milk/etc" Does this make the product not Vegan friendly because the equipment may have been contaminated with animal products?

Also I can't really go into my reasons for wanting this change in my life. But it has a lot to do with hurting animals as I've always been extremely against animal cruelty (even things that people don't consider as cruel such as chaining an animal instead of letting it run free within the boundaries of a fence, or caging a bird/sugar glider/etc) Don't get me started on people who put shock collars on their dogs >_< But I don't want to be any part of helping companies hurt animals. I think they should have just as many rights as we have. They are living, breathing, feeling, thinking creatures and I think a lot of people have huge superiority complexes to think we're at the top of the food chain. Can't wait for aliens to come down and decide we're so inferior that we will become their food. Won't that be irony? And they'll save the Vegans and animals and let us live a wonderful peaceful happy existence ^_^ Ok I'm ranting again uhm where was I ....

So yea how do you deal with having no choice with some things? Like I seriously cannot afford to go out and get cosmetics that weren't tested on animals or don't have animal products in them. Same with my shampoo and soap and stuff. I mean I'm a broke college student working 2 jobs to cover my price gouged rent. I read that all drugs have to be tested on animals to be FDA approved so I pretty much quit taking tylenol/advil/tums/etc when I went Vegetarian. But I'm sure if I get really sick I'll have to take medicine. How do you deal with that? I even read somewhere that there's stuff that comes from animals in your car tires. I mean it's not like you can really do anything about that. So even though I'm trying my best to not eat meat or stuff that comes from animals (like I know what glucerinephosphate is) I still know that I'm contributing to the problem

I know there's only so much you can do but maybe you can share with me your thoughts so maybe it'll help me not feel so guilty about things *shrug*

Ok I'm going to end this book. Thanks to anyone who reads/replies. I promise I won't post anything else for like a week or two to make up for this loonnnnngggg post

 

[mazikeen]

Hey Lani, and welcome to VB. It's a bit late for me, so this won't be a very long post. But just to answer a few of your questions:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lani

Products that say something like "Manufactured or Packaged in a facility that also handles products with egg/milk/etc" Does this make the product not Vegan friendly because the equipment may have been contaminated with animal products?

No. Manufacturers include that disclaimer in case of allergic reactions. That label just means that said product was made in the same factory as non-vegan products. Contamination shouldn't be an issue, so enjoy your vegan goods!

Quote:

Sugar. I know a lot of Vegans don't eat it. I don't really want to eat it either but it's hard to get away from it in a lot of products. So what do you do about this? Also what about sugar alternatives like splenda? Do they still go through the bone char?

Depends where you are. I understand that some US brands of sugar might be processed with bone char, whereas in other countries that's not usually an issue. Splenda and other artificial sweeteners don't need to go through the same refinement process, so they should be safe in that respect, although I would personally stay away from them, and go for other, natural sweeteners, such as agave nectar, maple syrup or unprocessed raw cane sugar.

I can sympathize with your distress over the lack of vegan products, and about the presence of ingredients like whey seemingly everywhere. I'm lactose intolerant, and lactose seems to be in everything! I recently had to take antibiotics, and had to change my prescription after I realised that the first set of pills contained lactose!

I tend to shop at places where there are many veg*an brands and products in stock (mainly organic stores or health food shops). If you need a product that's not available where you usually shop, then how about speaking to the management and requesting it? It might be easier if you're willing to buy a large quantity, like a whole box of soymilk, or similar.

About the cosmetic thing, as well as the unvegan bread: I don't know about how much time you've got, but have you considered making your own? Bread making doesn't need to take too much time, and you could always freeze a couple of loaves for later, or even invest in a bread machine. And you could mix your own cereal/muesli from various grains/flakes you could get at the grocery store/hfs. You could buy the large bags for a small discount or buy in bulk. As for cosmetics, there are many recipes kicking around on VB on how to make your own.

Try taking it all one step at a time, you're already doing a good thing, and you don't need to be 100% perfect all the time. We all get frustrated sometimes, and it's good to vent. Good luck with everything, and I'm sure you'll work it all out.

 

[tiggybrown]

There is whey in nutritional yeast? I have never seen that anywhere? I get it in the bulk bins at Whole Foods and Wild Goats

 

[rabid_child]

afaik, most sugar manufactured in the US is made from beets, not from sugar cane. Beet sugar does not get filtered through bone char. You could always go with raw sugar as well if you were still concerned. I think sugar is less evil than Splenda, since animals aren't killed for their bones to filter sugar, but animals (including beagle puppies!!) WERE killed diliberately in the process of testing Splenda.

 

[Lani]

Yea I actually did some snooping into Splenda today and OMG I'll never touch the stuff again. Not only is it chlorine atoms but so much animal testing has been done with it, no thank you.

It's really sad how companies can do this and get away with it. I'm going to be sure and educate myself as much as possible and hopefully share that info with friends/family.

Maybe it's possible for me to make at least some difference *shrug*

 

[eggplant]

Just do the best that you can. You don't want to go nuts worrying about every little thing, because it really is impossible to completely avoid harming other living creatures in any way.

Do you have any discount stores like Big Lots, Dollar Tree, etc. in your area? I often find very cheap vegan shampoos and other products in these stores and buy a whole bunch to stock up. If you have a Trader Joe's, they also carry their own brand of vegan shampoos, soaps and lotions that are inexpensive. Of course not everyone is fortunate enough to live near a TJ's!

Regarding cosmetics...have you ever considered not wearing makeup? I don't, and no one has run away from me screaming.

I've never heard of whey in nutritional yeast. That's nuts! In any case, don't beat yourself up over buying it. Just use it as a learning experience that as a vegan you have to get used to always reading labels. For me it's second nature and I don't consider it an annoyance.

 

[anatta]

I like to buy food that has few ingredients anyways, so I don't usually have to check to a frustrating level, but this might help: http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/default.asp

And it seems like you definitely don't have time to make your own bread. =/

 

[Lani]

Eh trust me you don't want to see me without makeup.... I'll spare you details

And there's a Big Lots and Dollar Tree nearby. How do I know if the products are vegan? Do they advertise as such? I'm not sure if the ingredients will be clear enough to know if they were tested on animals or whatnot.

And yea the nutritional yeast is made by Twinlab... Ingredients: Yeast, Whey (from milk), Honey Flavor (contains soy and wheat), Choline Bitartrate, Inositol, Niacinamide, Thiamin Monoitrate, Pyridoxine, Hydrochloride, Cyancobalamin, Riboflavin, D-Calcium Panntothenate, Para Aminobenzoic Acid, Biotin, Folic Acid. Also says it was manufactored in a plant that processes egg, fish, and shellfish... >_< Really bugs me

I didn't think to check the label b/c this was at the whole goods store so blech. I guess I'll give it away to someone and learn from my mistake

 

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

I agree with the others who say they've never heard of nutritional yeast with whey... OR "honey flavor"...what the HECK?

Just do the best you can and keep on reading, reading, reading those labels.

 

[veggienurse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabid_child

afaik, most sugar manufactured in the US is made from beets, not from sugar cane. Beet sugar does not get filtered through bone char. You could always go with raw sugar as well if you were still concerned. I think sugar is less evil than Splenda, since animals aren't killed for their bones to filter sugar, but animals (including beagle puppies!!) WERE killed diliberately in the process of testing Splenda.

That's it for me.........I don't even want to see a Splenda packet now!!!!

What do you know about Stevia???

 

[veggienurse]

Lani,

I feel your pain. I want to know why there is so much hidden pork in ingredients??? Why??? YUCK!!!

 

[eggplant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lani

And there's a Big Lots and Dollar Tree nearby. How do I know if the products are vegan? Do they advertise as such? I'm not sure if the ingredients will be clear enough to know if they were tested on animals or whatnot.

Look for a statement that it's "not tested on animals" and another statement saying that it "contains no animal ingredients." They don't always have vegan stuff, but it's worth looking periodically because I've hit the jackpot on occasion.

 

[Pirate Ferret]

I find every loaf of bread i pick up has 'suitable for vegans' stamped on it! oddness. Whey is evil though, they like to chuck it in loads of random things

 

[ariezonastar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lani

And why on earth can't I find bread that doesn't have whey in it? It took me like 20 minutes and finally I found some sarah lee whole grain bread that didn't list whey as an ingredient. And like 90% of the cereals I looked at had honey. Bleeeehhhhh..

But I'm sure if I get really sick I'll have to take medicine. How do you deal with that? I even read somewhere that there's stuff that comes from animals in your car tires. I mean it's not like you can really do anything about that. So even though I'm trying my best to not eat meat or stuff that comes from animals (like I know what glucerinephosphate is) I still know that I'm contributing to the problem

I know there's only so much you can do but maybe you can share with me your thoughts so maybe it'll help me not feel so guilty about things *shrug*

I put granola and chopped fruit in soy milk and use that for cereal. Also, I don't believe in medications. They do more harm than good and come from unnatural resources. I rarely get sick anyways probably because of my meat free, active, laid-back lifestyle. But when I do I just sleep, drink lots of water and fast. Hope that helps.

 

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariezonastar

... I don't believe in medications. They do more harm than good and come from unnatural resources. I rarely get sick anyways probably because of my meat free, active, laid-back lifestyle...

Great thought, but there are many conditions that could be life-threatening if a person does not take medecation. If you are prescribed a medication, there may be a very good reason why you should be taking it. Sometimes a person has no choice but to take an animal based medication (or risk serious consequences). For example, most of the cancer-fighting drugs that actually work succesfully are derived from animal sources - what's a person to do. Unfortunate but true...

Ariezonastar, maybe YOU personally are very healthy and lucky enough to cure yourself with rest and fasting, but this is harmful and irresponsible advice to give out at random.

 

[rabid_child]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariezonastar

Also, I don't believe in medications. They do more harm than good and come from unnatural resources. I rarely get sick anyways probably because of my meat free, active, laid-back lifestyle. But when I do I just sleep, drink lots of water and fast. Hope that helps.

Put quite simply, if it wasn't for medications, I would be dead right now. I would have died right before Christmas last year. I'm sure I went through TONS of animal tested and what not medications and things, but I didn't think about it once. (I did send the trays of Jello away in my hospital room though) As healthy as you can make yourself through diet and lifestyle, there was absolutely no way for me to avoid my appendix having burst, and had I just slept, drank water, and fasted, I would absolutely have died. I think all the meds and stuff they gave me did PLENTY of good because I'm still alive today. (But I guess that part could be argued

)

 

[RiverGuna]

Grocery Outlet is another great source for toiletries that are cruelty free and free of animal products. I am always amazed by the savings I find there. They are great products that I would never be able to buy with out the huge discount.

 

[anthro4veg]

as far as bread goes, check out the bakery section of your grocery stores, most brands of italian or french only have salt, yeast, and flour. TJs has a good brand of sprouted bread that is vegan, and I've bought vegan bread at Cosco, Whole Foods, Albertsons, and Shoppers by going straight to the bakery section.

 

[jackie890]

Yeah, Whole Foods bakery section is a good place to get animal-free bread. They have whole wheat, and it's even pretty cheap!

Tortillas, pita bread, bagels, etc. can be used for sandwiches or "toast" too, and they're usually vegan.