Non Vegan Ingredients to Avoid

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Sometimes I think that switching out meat, dairy, eggs and honey is the easy part of going vegan. It is all of the things that we don’t think about that become the most difficult part of living a vegan lifestyle. For example, did you know that peanuts may contain animal sourced ingredients?! Who would have thought to look there?!

Below are some Non Vegan Ingredients to Avoid as well as some food products that may not be vegan.

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Let’s start with the non vegan ingredients (these are not all found in food. Some are found in furniture, cosmetics or daily use products):

  • Albumin (from egg whites)

  • Leather (from cow hides)

  • Wool (from sheep)

  • Bee products (beeswax, bee pollen, royal jelly)

  • Casein, whey, lactose (from dairy)

  • Bone char (animal bone ash, sometimes used to whiten sugar)

  • Gelatin (a protein extracted from boiling ligaments, tendons, bones, and skin from animals)

  • Lard (from hog abdomens)

  • Lanolin (extracted from sheep’s wool. Found in cosmetics and razors)

  • Rennet (enzyme found in stomach of lambs and baby cows. Used in making cheese)

  • Shellac (secretion of the lac insect. Used in nail varnish, wood finish and food)

  • Omega 3 fatty acids (derived from fish, unless it is vegan)

  • Vitamin D3 (derived from lanolin or sheep oil, unless it is vegan sourced)

  • Cochineal (red dye that comes from the cochineal insect. Used in cosmetics and food coloring)

  • Food additives that start with “E”.

Now that we have that out of the way, here is a list of some of the foods that may not be vegan. Be sure to check the ingredient label or look for it to say “vegan”.

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  • Dark chocolate (may contain milk)

  • Beer and wine (may be processed with isinglass)

  • Bread (may contain L-cysteine, a softening agent from bird feathers)

  • Potato chips (may contain powdered dairy)

  • Fried foods (may be made with eggs)

  • Pasta (may contain eggs)

  • Pesto (may contain cheese, from dairy)

  • “Non-dairy” products (may contain casein, which comes from dairy)

  • Candy and gum (may contain gelatin, carmine or shellac)

  • Roasted peanuts (may be coated with gelatin to make the seasoning stick)

  • Worcestershire sauce and olive tapenade (may contain anchovies)

Alright my friends, I hope that this list is helpful. Of course, I am sure that I am missing some ingredients but this is a good start. Please remember that being vegan isn’t about being perfect; it’s about doing the very best that we can. Knowledge is power! :)

Until next time, peace and plants <3