On Vegetarianism
& What to Watch Out For
On Vegetarianism
In my early teens, I went down the rabbit hole of trying to be a better vegetarian. I grew up in a vegetarian household, so till then, the rules were simple.
Don’t eat anything that harmed or killed an animal (meat, seafood, gelatin, + etc.)
Don't eat anything that, if left alone or altered, could potentially develop into a living organism (such as eggs).
In my quest to be a more mindful vegetarian, I came across a mind-boggling (at the time for my young mind) article that named many common ingredients that contain non-vegetarian components- the most important being cheese. This was heartbreaking, but the quick solution was to be more mindful about the ingredient list on the back of the product.
Spoiler: there is a vegetarian cheese, so do read on. I compiled a list of things to be mindful of as you source your vegetarian ingredients.
Please note- vegetarianism is different from veganism. I am not avoiding all animal products, just meat, seafood, eggs, and anything from within the animal itself. Honey, dairy, and other products are all game.
What to Watch Out For:
CHEESE: avoid cheese with rennet in it. Instead, look for microbial rennet or vegetarian enzymes if more strict. Tillamook & 365 by Whole Foods are great brands
SUGAR: most white sugar is filtered using animal bone char. Instead, use organic granulated sugar, brown sugar, or confectioners sugar.
PASTAS: always check for eggs in the ingredient lists. Barilla’s line of gluten-free pasta doesn’t have eggs in it. Whole Foods also offers more eggless pasta options as well.
STORE-BOUGHT REFRIED BEANS: contain lard; double-check to ensure all ingredients are vegetarian when buying beans.
FLAVORED YOGURTS: usually contain gelatin- especially no/low-fat options. Instead, you can just opt for Greek yogurts.
PROTEIN POWDER: it is not vegetarian if it contains whey proteins from bovine serum albumin and L-cysteine.
WINE + BEER: not a “sattvic” food, but I thought it would be good to know that spirits that contain albumin, gelatin, and isinglass are not vegetarian. Instead, check out Barnivore for vegetarian and vegan options.
