I’ve often wondered the same thing that this blogger has asked – where do I draw the line? I feel like I’m doing my best by consuming whole foods and avoiding as much processed food as possible, even if it claims to be vegan. But I question if that is enough. This blogger explores more on this topic.
I made one of my usual tactical errors the other day, and decided to check whether Cheerios, my breakfast cereal of choice, is, in fact, vegan. I’d just managed to wean myself off of traditional dairy based milk onto soy milk (and boy, did that suck — sorry, cows); I was feeling proud of myself and wanted to verify that I’d finally gotten breakfast fully vegan.
The answer is interesting: no, Cheerios is not vegan, because the vitamin D3 which is added to the cereal is made from lanolin, which of course comes from sheep. Technically, this may make the cereal just vegetarian rather than vegan, but since there’s no way to tell if the wool was sheared off living sheep or skinned off dead sheep, it may also technically be “animal based”. This means that any “fortified” cereal (or any “fortified” food, such as orange juice!) may…
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Personally, I describe myself as a plant-based vegetarian, not a vegan. I avoid eating animal protein, but I am not a strict vegan. To be honest, I don’t really understand where vegans draw the line either. My understanding of veganism is that no animal can be involved in the prodcution process, but surely then organic vegetables aren’t vegan? To grow organic you need fertiliser, ie cow manure. As 50% of cows are born male, and they can’t be kept together, most of them have to be killed. It’s an interesting debate, and I’m happy to hear other peoples views on it.
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I think it depends on the vegan on where they draw the line. As a new vegan, I’m still trying to figure out where that line is. I mainly cook at home so I know what’s in my food, but when I go out to eat I tend to ask a lot of questions to ensure it’s vegan. Not too long ago, I found out that “natural flavors” may mean that it was derived from a beetle and that you have to check with the company if it’s vegan. When I find out information like that, I either question the product or I stop consuming it. Take hummus for example, I stopped buying Sabra because they never replied to me on if their hummus is vegan or not. I’ve decided I’m going to start making my own anyway because it seems easy and it’s more natural. I feel like I’m doing my best as a vegan, and that’s all you can do.
I’m not sure I understand your point on the fertilizer issue. Yes, it’s coming from a cow, but that cow isn’t being consumed and it’s not being slaughtered. It’s part of the natural process of our environment. I’d like to hear more on your view on this.
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I see your point, but about 40% of the cows have to be slaughtered because they’re male. Home made hummus is definitely better by the way. I make mine with cider vinegar and paprika, and it is lush!
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Why are they slaughtered because they’re male? Because they don’t produce milk? I didn’t know that and would like to know more. Thanks!
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I’m not very good at explaining things, so I’m going to let Chas Griffin do it for me. He wrote two books about the small holding he set up with his family. This link http://www.freerangecarrots.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/organic-vs-vegetarian.html will take you to one of my old blogs, and in the post is a quote from one of Chas’ books that I hope will help. Let me know what you think. Chas is also a very funny writer 🙂
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