Awareness Wednesday: Gel Capsules

Hello hello! Time for another Awareness Wednesday post. Today's topic is important because it is about an item that may be difficult to get around consuming because it can be needed for your health.  I am talking about gel capsules. We have all seen them in commercials, in the pharmacy, and maybe even prescribed by your doctor.


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Gel capsules can be filled with vitamins, such as vitamin E or Echinachea, over-the-counter pain killers like Aleve, or even prescription medications. They can be clear as shown in the photo above, or in solid colors; filled with liquid or powder.


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However, they all have one thing in common: they are all made of gelatin. Avoiding these little guys can be tricky. Like most things that are not vegetarian, the easiest thing to do is stop ingesting them.  But when it comes to your health, gel capsules can't always be avoided.

Here are a few different things you can do if you come face-to-face with gel capsules.

1. If you are purchasing an over-the-counter medicine, most brands have many different varieties. Try to pick up medicine that comes in tablets rather than capsules.

2. If this medication is prescribed by your doctor, ask if you can get the medication in a different form.  They might be able to give you the same medicine in a tablet, or liquid form. When I was diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency, my doctor prescribed me vitamin D capsules. Instead, I found out how much I needed to take, and purchased vitamin D oil in liquid form.

3. If there is no way to get your medication in another other form, you can always open up the capsules and dump its contents into some food or a drink, and ingest it that way. I got MRSA when I was in college, and the only way to get the medication I needed was in capsules. Every day I would open them up and pour the powder into apple sauce.

Hopefully everyone stays healthy and doesn't need to take medications, but if you find your self needing gel capsules, hopefully these tips help you avoid them without jeopardizing your health.

Do you need to take gel capsules for anything? Are you going to try a new way to take your medicines?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Pop Tarts

Hello hello!  Today is a special day in the world of Simple. Easy. Vegetarian! Not only is this my very first blog post from my new home in Virginia, but its also my first Awareness Wednesday post in Virginia too! It is unreal to think about how I am living on my own and with my boyfriend of 4 years. I feel like I am living in a dream, the reality hasn't quite hit me yet.

Today's post is about those tasty breakfast pastries that come hot out of the toaster. I am talking about Pop Tarts.


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Pop Tarts are another one for the list of foods that I didn't know were vegetarian when I gave up meat. I think I ate then until I was 16 or 17. Once day I was curious about the ingredients. As I was munching away I saw gelatin.  Pop Tarts meet the trash, trash meet Pop Tarts.


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Oh gelatin, the usual culprit!

If you are looking for a toaster pastry alternative without gelatin, but still want junk food, Pillsbury Toaster Strudels are the perfect option.

If you are looking for a version that is not only vegetarian, but vegan, all natural, and organic, you can always choose Amy's Toaster Pops. They are pretty much the same as Pop Tarts, fruit filling in a breakfast crust.


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While Pop Tarts were a really convenient breakfast, I don't really miss them. Let's admit it, Toaster Strudel and Amy's Toaster Pops both taste way better than Pop Tarts ever did!

Are you done with Pop Tarts too? While alternative will you be choosing instead?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Awareness Wednesday: Miso

Hey everyone, its the first Wednesday of June and you know what that means...time for another Awareness Wednesday post!  This post is about another food that I continued to eat well into my vegetarianism, and only gave it up about 3 years ago.  I am talking about miso.



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Miso is an Asian soybean paste and its usually used to make soup. Sounds vegetarian, right?  Well I thought so too.  I even followed my own rules and read the ingredients on some miso soup that I bought from a supermarket years ago.  I saw that it was vegetarian, and I added another food to my diet.

This is where is gets tricky.  Some miso is vegetarian, and sometimes it can be made with fish stock.  In order to avoid eating fish, but still enjoying the sometimes-vegetarian food requires a few guidelines.

1. Only eat the miso you can read the ingredients for. I still enjoy instant miso soup from the supermarket that I can be sure is vegetarian.

2. Do not eat the miso soup from restaurants.  In my book, if you can't read the ingredients, you don't know what's in it.

3. Ask your server if their miso is vegetarian. If you are out and want some miso soup, just ask if there is fish in it.


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Until I learned about miso's semi-fishiness, I used to eat it all the time. Until one time I ordered a soup from a sushi place and the miso tasted a little different.  I decided to do some research and found out about the fish stock.  In order to be safe, I don't order it from restaurants anymore unless I am 100% positive that its fish free, like the vegan miso soup that I had in Austin.

Did you know about the fish in miso? Will you stop ordering it from restaurants?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Awareness Wednesday: Caesar Dressing

Hello everyone and welcome to another Awareness Wednesday post.  With spring here and summer around the corner, everyone is putting away their soup pots in exchange for salad bowls. There is nothing more refreshing than a big bowl of  fresh salad on a spring day.  While I hate the cliche of "vegetarians only eat salads" once in a while its nice to enjoy a salad. People might think and veggies like us just live off salad, but some of you may not know there are salads that we can't even eat!



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Caesar salad is another one of those foods that I ate when I first became a vegetarian because I didn't know any better.  Then one night I was watching that cartoon called Brace Face.  In the episode, the main character decides to become a vegetarian.  There is a scene where she is in the cafeteria asking the lunch lady if there is meat in each of the food options. Then she asked something that had never crossed my mind until then: "Is there anchovy paste in the Caesar dressing?"

WHAT?! Fish in my dressing? I was shocked and confused, and popped right up to do some research.  Low and behold that cartoon was right! Caesar dressing is made with anchovy paste.  Of course I stopped eating it right then and there.


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Then a year or two later, I was at a friend's birthday dinner. She decided to have a big family style Italian dinner at a local restaurant for her friends and family.  There were 3 vegetarians there, including myself, so she was nice enough to include a vegetarian pasta dish for us.  First the salad came out, and it was a Caesar salad.  I politely declined and nibbled on some bread.  But I noticed one of her vegetarian friends eating away.  I informed her that the Caesar dressing wasn't vegetarian, and then she ran to her mom (who was also a vegetarian) freaking out. I over heard her comforting her daughter telling her that Caesar dressing was, in fact, vegetarian.

This is why I have this blog, to inform vegetarians what is actually in the food they eat.  It saddened me that night to see a vegetarian eat animals, and not even know.

While ordering a Caesar salad at a restaurant might be no longer in the picture for us, you can always make it yourself at home! I have found this recipe, among others online, for vegetarian Caesar dressing. While I have not made it myself, I am very excited to try it!

Are you exchanging traditional Caesar dressing for your own home made vegetarian version?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Awareness Wednesday: Nail Polish Remover

Hello and welcome to another Awareness Wednesday post!  This one is a little unique, as its not actually about food at all!  I became a vegetarian in order to reduce the suffering and killing of animals. To me that doesn't just mean I needed to stop eating meat, but also to not use products that contain forms of dead animals.  That means I don't wear any leather, and I am conscious about what cosmetics I use.  As you may know I am a nail fanatic, so this vegetarian unfriendly item is nail related.


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A plain ole' bottle of nail polish remover.  I used to use this all the time, until I found out about an unfriendly ingredient  Any guesses?

Gelatin, again.


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Gelatin is used as a strengthener in nail polish remover.  The main ingredient, acetone, is what actually removes the polish, is a very harsh chemical that really damages nails.  Adding gelatin helps to reduce some of the damaging effects.

Instead of regular nail polish remover, I opt for pure acetone.


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When weighing out the options, I would rather have damaged nails than dead animals.  I just use hand lotion after I remove my polish to moisturize my nails after.  On the plus side, pure acetone can be found at any drug or beauty store, and is usually cheaper.

Another option you have is acetone free, vegetarian nail polish remover.


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I have tried this Almost Natural nail polish remover before, and while it is a cause that I can totally get behind, I found it very ineffective at removing nail polish.  For just the occasional nail painter, this might be the right option for you.  However, in order to keep up with my other blog, and my love for nail art, I am constantly doing my nails, and I can't be wasting time waiting for my nail polish remover to work.

Will you be switching your bottle of nail polish remover to a gelatin free one?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Awareness Wednesday: Maraschino Cherries

Hello everyone and welcome to March's Awareness Wednesday!  I feel like most of my posts lately were about foods containing gelatin.  While many foods have gelatin in them, I thought it was time for a change.  So today I have a food for you that is not vegetarian, and this time gelatin is not the culprit.



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We all know about these little cherries, though I don't even know if you can still call them "cherries" since they taste nothing like real cherries.  They are super sweet and artificial, and usually found on top of sundaes or drinks.

According to the FDA, "The term 'Maraschino Cherries' is regarded as the common or usual name of an article consisting of cherries which have been dyed red, impregnated with sugar and packed in a sugar syrup flavored with oil of bitter almonds or a similar flavor."


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So what makes them not vegetarian? The ingredient in the red dye: Carmine color.  Just to refresh your memories, carmine color is a red dye that comes from the scales of the cochineal insect.  The scales are ground up and the deep red color is extracted.

Ground up bugs. Yum.

Alternatives to Maraschino cherries?  How about some real cherries!  Not only are they vegetarian, but all natural and healthy, as opposed to all the chemicals and sugar that gets added to the Maraschino verity.


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So next time you are making desert, opt for real cherries from your produce section, and make sure when going out for drinks you let the bartender know to not put any cherries in your drink!

Will you be swapping Maraschino cherries for real cherries for your next dessert or drink?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Awareness Wednesday: Sweethearts

Hello, and welcome to February's Awareness Wednesday!

We all know that Valentine's day is coming up soon, so it's time to start thinking about how you are going to celebrate.  If you plan on taking out your boo to dinner, make those reservations NOW!  V-day is a really busy day in restaurants since everyone is going out to eat that night, if you don't book now you might get stuck with a bad time, a bad restaurant (with no vegetarian options!), or you might even need to go out on a different night.

You also might be planning on having a Valentine's day party for your friends or office, or even helping your kid with their Valentine's activities as school.  And what is the most iconic V-day treat?


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Yes, Sweethearts.  Those little, colorful, chalky hearts with the cute messages.  By now they have covered the shelves of your local drug stores and super markets, and If you are going to a Valentine's party, I guarantee you will see these little guys there.  Just make sure you only look, and don't eat!

Sweetheart candies have gelatin.  Gelatin seems to sneak its way into all the foods.

However there are plenty of other things to hand out for Valentine's day from chocolate, to flowers, or thoughtful cards.

I hope everyone has a fun Valentine's this year, whether you are spending with your other half, family, or friends!

Will you be cutting out Sweethearts from your V-day this year?

Bye from the veggie side!

Awareness Wednesday: Flintstones Vitamins

Hello everyone!  I hope everyone enjoyed their new years, and everyone has recovered, and decided on their resolutions.  I am continuing to try and make conscious vegan choices.  One common resolution is to try and be healthier, for yourself, and maybe even your family too.  Besides exercise (and vegetarianism, of course) one easy way to be a little healthier is so take vitamins.  I am terrible when it comes to taking vitamins, but it is a great habit to get into.  But just when you think something is safe for vegetarians, they find another food to put animal products in. What's that? Flintstones Vitamins!  Yes, those chewable, tasty vitamins with out favorite Flintstones characters on them!  Wanna guess what's in them?


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Of course, gelatin.  Always the culprit!

However, vitamins are one of those things that many vegetarians take, whether it is because they gave up meat because they are health conscious, or they started taking them to get more vitamins after giving up meat, so there are plenty of vegetarian vitamins.

Vegetarian Vitamins  is an online store dedicated to only selling...vegetarian vitamins!  Also, don't forget to check your local Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or any other health food store.  They carry lots of vitamins, and I'm sure it will be easy to find ones without gelatin.

Did you used to take Flintstones Vitamins?  Will you be switching to different vitamins, or even begin taking them?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Awareness Wednesday: Hostess (RIP)

Hey guys, I have quite the unusually Awareness Wednesday Post for you guys today.  When I first started my blog, I made a list of foods and topics that I wanted to be sure to talk about, which included a list of non-vegetarian foods for my Awareness Wednesday posts. Well the time came to write another post, so I am looking through the topics, and I see Hostess.  My first thought was "damn, they don't even exist anymore!"

But I have decided to talk about them anyway.  Why? Maybe to celebrate that another anti-veg food is off the market. Maybe just in case they start production again.  Or maybe so you can start using the remaining Twinkies you have stocked up to build that bomb shelter.

Here is another food that I ate in my beginning years of vegetarianism because I didn't even think twice.  Its cake, why would I even bother to check if it is vegetarian.  Well one day I did looked up the ingredients of my favorite Hostess snack, SnoBalls, this is what I found.

Beef Fat. Gelatin. Carmine. BAM, three culprits!

And this isn't just reserved for SnoBalls.  Twinkies, and many of the 100 calorie cakes also have beef fat.



So, thank goodness this "food" is off the market (for now).  Lets focus on some desserts that are vegetarian friendly,and not PACK with chemicals.

Were you a hostess fan?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Awareness Wednesday. Marsmallows

Hey everyone and welcome to today's Awareness Wednesday.  I was saving this topic specifically for November.  When some people think of marshmallows they picture a warm summer night making s'mores by the campfire.  However, my all time favorite season is fall! I live for the cool air, changing leaves, changing fashions, and most of all PUMPKIN!  So when I think of marshmallows I think of Thanksgiving sweet potatoes and hot chocolate.  So November was the perfect month to talk about marshmallows.


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Everyone knows what marshmallows are are everyone has eaten them.  They are sweet and really fun too, with lots of possibilities.  But not too many people know, or even care, about what's in them: lots of sugar, chemicals  water, and...Gelatin!!  I linked to my original Awareness Wednesday post, but again just to remind everyone, gelatin is the bones and connective tissues of various animals like cows and pigs.

Remember, I am not just talking about the big, white, fluffy marshmallows.  Marshmallows are in a lot of desserts and breakfast cereals. If anything says it has marshmallows in it like Lucky Charms, Rice Crispy Treats, Mallomars, or rocky road ice cream READ THE  INGREDIENTS before eating!


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Well I might have to give up fish sticks, turkey burgers, and leather shoes, but I was NOT going to give up marshmallows, especially when they are a staple of my favorite season. One year my dad and I tried a recipe to make our own vegetarian marshmallows and it was a complete disaster, until I remembered about marshmallow fluff! You remember? The amazingly delicious marshmallows out of a jar that's great with peanut butter?  I mean, basically all it is is marshmallows that don't retain their shape, so why would it need to have gelatin?  Well I was right!  Fluff only contains corn syrup, sugar, eggs whites, and vanilla!  Ok so you can't stab it with a stick and cook it in a fire, but you can substitute all your fall favorites with it!


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While most thanksgiving sweet potato dishes call for marshmallows on top, I just cover it with dollops of fluff on top and pop it in the oven.  The marshmallows end up melting and looking like the fluff anyway, and it still gets golden brown and tastes the same just without the dead animal parts. Can't beat that! Try adding a scoop to your hot chocolate too! And if you just can't live without that marshmallow, graham cracker, chocolaty goodness, then try assembling your s'more with the fluff, wrap it in tin foil, and put it on the edge of the fire. BAM! Warm, sweet, melty, gooey summer goodness that's vegetarian!


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My goal is to show people that you can be a vegetarian and still eat just like everyone else does, just with a few tweaks here and there.  And you never know, you might even get a meat eating friend to switch over just for one meal.

Will you be trading marshmallows for fluff this fall?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Awareness Wednesdays. Altoids.

Hello all and welcome to another Awareness Wednesday! As I have mentioned, Awareness Wednesday will now be on the first Wednesday of each month.  Today's food is one that most people would have never even thought of as being veggie unfriendly, and that is Altoids mints.

Altoids

Even I didn't think to read the ingredients for many years after becoming a vegetarian. One day, just to see, I red them.  3 guesses as to what I found...

Gelatin.

Yes. Even in a crunchy mint, they figure a way to add gelatin!  So far, I have found that most of the super strong, chalky mints are the only ones with gelatin (well those and the gummy mints).  So most mints are A-OK for us to enjoy.  Still concerned? You can always double check the back label to see what is in it.  As a general rule I do that for all foods.

Will you guys be swapping out Altoids for a gelatin-free mint?

Bye from the veggie side!

Awareness Wednesdays. What's Hidden in Yogurt.

Hello all! Today's post is about yogurt.  If you are a vegan, that is already a food that you have cut out of your diet, but us veggies still eat it.  However, if you don't read closely you'll see that most yogurt might not be vegetarian.  What is in it that makes it not vegetarian? You guessed it - gelatin.

Yoplait Yogurt

Right there in the middle, Kosher gelatin!  What is Kosher gelatin you might ask.  Well if you are familiar with Jewish traditions and eating Kosher, you would know that it is not Kosher to consume and dairy products with meat.  This threw me off.  Of course gelatin is meat, and yogurt is dairy, so how can this possibly be Kosher?  For a few years right after I became a vegetarian I still ate yogurt because I figured Kosher gelatin must not have any meat in it, like a veggie alternative.  Otherwise it couldn't be Kosher. Problem solved.  When I got older I did some research and I found out what Kosher gelatin really is.

Kosher gelatin is made from animal skins and bones, not from the actual "meat" of the animal.  Therefore it is Kosher to eat it with dairy since it its not actually meat in the Kosher sense. It also has gone through so many changes that it can no longer be considered "meat" by Kosher standards (Credit). 

So there you have it.  I might be considered Kosher, but it is certainly not considered vegetarian.  As a rule, I will not eat any yogurt that I can't read the ingredients before hand, like at a restaurant, since you can never be sure if there is Kosher gelatin in it.  

Still want yogurt? Well me too! But that is not a problem.  Many organic yogurts do not have any gelatin in them.  My favorite brand is Stonyfield.  They make delicious and organic yogurts that are always vegetarian.  The come in a lot of flavors too so it is easy to find ones that you will like

Will you be cutting out regular yogurt and opting for an organic and vegetarian brand?

Bye from the Vegie side!   

Awareness Wednesdays. Nerds.

As you can tell most of my Awareness Wednesdays will be about gelatin.  So this week I decided to change it up and talk about another sneaky food ingredient.  This one isn't even a food, it's a coloring.  I am talking about carmine color.  Carmine color is a red pigment.  While most red foods usually use Red 40 as the coloring agent, a rare few use carmine, since it is more expensive.  What is carmine exactly? Carmine comes from the scales of the cochineal insect.  The scales are ground up and the deep red color is extracted.

Most foods that use carmine are candies since they usually need some form of red coloring to be added.  One candy brand that uses carmine is Wonka.  Most commonly it is used in Nerds.

photo credit

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The alternative?  Well most candies do not use Carmine since it is more expensive.  So it is most likely that your red candy is colored with Red 40.  The reason some companies prefer Carmine is because it is natural while the Red 40 dye is artificial.  Or you can just get the best for both worlds and opt for natural candies colored with fruit juices. Yum!

Will you be cutting out Carmine from your diet?

Bye from the veggie side!

Awareness Wednesdays. Gummy Candy.

Hello and welcome to another Awareness Wednesday!  Today's food is another gelatin based one.  You guys will soon see that most of my Awareness Wednesday posts will be about gelatin.  Gelatin is a very diverse substance that can be in many foods as well as other commonly used products.

http://www.frugalcouponliving.com/2012/05/29/haribo-gummy-bears-coupon-67-each-at-walmart-4/gummy-bears-2/

Gummy candies are a favorite among many, but not vegetarians.   The majority of gummy candies are made with gelatin.  This includes gummy bears, gummy worms, and even gummy vitamins that are becoming popular.  The best way to avoid these foods is to read.  Always check ingredients before eating anything.  You might find something that might surprise you!

Still craving gummy candy? Well so am I! One of my favorite gummy candies are Sour Patch Kids. And guess what? They don't have any gelatin! Dots, Mike and Ike's, and Swedish Fish are other popular gummy candies that leave out the gelatin.  For heathier alternatives try Annie's Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks.

http://www.brainsurgeonsbabe.blogspot.com/2009/10/vegan-junk-food-substitutes-for-dead.html

Remember, it is always easier to cut out a food when you have plenty of alternatives.  While my friends get their gummy bears at the movies, I can get my Sour Patch Kids. Just because you are a vegetarian does not mean you have to eat rabbit food!

Bye from the veggie side!

Awareness Wednesdays. Jello. It's Alive.

Jello all!  Today's awareness Wednesday food is Jello.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jell-O

 Of course Jello is a brand name, the actual food is called gelatin dessert or gelatin snack. Ding there goes the red flag, gelatin!  In last weeks post I discussed what is in gelatin and why it is not vegetarian friendly.  But to recap, it is made of out the bones and connective tissues of animals.  Jello is the most popular brand of gelatin snacks and most people just call all gelatin snacks by the name "Jello."  These gelatin snacks are just pure gelatin with some sugar, color, and flavor. The problem with that is it masks the reality of what you are eating.  Steak is called "steak" and not "dead cow muscle" for a reason, the latter sounds less appetizing.   So everyone is walking around eating their Jello fruit snack without even knowing what they are putting into their bodies.  And I will admit that for the first year or two after becoming a vegetarian I too ate Jello out of sheer ignorance.  But all that stopped as soon as I learned about gelatin.

But alas, all hope it not gone for those Jello lovers!  There are food brands out there that do make vegetarian and vegan "gelatin" snacks.  My favorite is Trader Joe's Natural Gel Cups.

http://www.eateryoutlet.com/?p=564

Like Jello, they come in the small plastic cups with the peal back foil top which made me feel like a kid again.  They come in two flavors: Black Cherry, and Peach Mango.  I only tried the Black Cherry flavor, but it was really reminiscent of the classic Jello flavor.  There are also loads of vegan gelatin recipes online.

I will end this awardness wednesday with a story.  I took AP biology my senior year in high school.  A very common (and easy) method of separating and observing DNA is Gel Electrophoresis.  The gel part, meaning gelatin.  So I am in the lab making and pouring my gelatin so I can do the procedure, and our teacher is walking around making sure we are all doing it right.  He stopped at my table and watched for a bit and then said "Mmmm, doesn't this make you hungry for Jello?"  Which I replied "No, I am a vegetarian."  He just walked away in silence.

Will you be trying out vegan gelatin snacks?

Bye from the veggie side!

Awareness Wednesdays. Gelatin.

Hello! I am so excited about my first Awareness Wednesday! This is where I will be highlighting foods that are NOT vegetarian friendly, that most people might not know about.  For the very first awarenss wednesday I want to discuss a sneaky ingredient that is in a lot of food, but it isnt always obvious: Gelatin. From Wikipedia, "Gelatin (or gelatine) is a translucent, colorless, brittle (when dry), flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen mainly inside pig skin (hide) and cattle bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin

Gross.

As you can see, gelatin is almost entirely composed of animal parts.  Gelatin can be in the form of sheets or powder that when added to water and cooled, forms a solid gel.   As you can see here, gelatin is very clearly not vegetarian friendly, but the kicker is that gelatin is added to many foods, some you might know about, and some you may be surprised to hear about, making THOSE foods not vegetarian friendly as well.  There are SO many foods that have gelatin snuck into them, that even I learn about more and more each day.  Over the course of Awareness Wednesdays I will be showing you guys all different foods that have gelatin in them, and hopefully some meat-free alternatives.

Bye from the veggie side!