One important thing you have to learn as a vegan's parent is how to read food labels. We're used to doing this for calories, saturated fat, and sodium, but now you're in new territory. Who knew so many ingredients come from animals?
Some things are obvious and can be quickly spotted - look at the allergy warning at the end of the ingredients list and if it contains eggs or milk, put it back. Butter, whey, gelatin and lard are also no-nos. Look for honey, too, since many vegans avoid it. There are lots of other ingredients to avoid, though, that most of us are not familiar with. Casein, for example, is derived from milk. And what the heck is sodium stearoyl lactylate?
Don't worry - You don't have to buy "weird" or unfamiliar products to make goodies for your vegan and the rest of the family. I like to make blueberry muffins using a package mix and fresh blueberries (lots of them!). I have discovered that some mainstream brands are vegan friendly and some are not. You guessed it - read the label! When preparing the package mix, or even when using your own recipe, substitute soy milk, almond milk, or orange juice for the milk, and replace the eggs with Ener-G Egg Replacer. It's a powder (made from potato starch, tapioca starch and other stuff) that you mix with water. Whip with a whisk until it looks foamy like a beaten egg white, then let it sit for a few minutes to thicken. Otherwise, the muffins will be gummy.
Reading labels was a little intimidating at first, and there was a bit of a learning curve. But now, 20 years later, it is second nature. Even my non-vegan husband has gotten in the habit of checking labels.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to remember, though, is that just because something is vegan doesn't automatically mean it is healthy (or healthier).
A vegan diet is naturally cholesterol free, since cholesterol is only found in animal-derived foods, and can have many other healthy benefits with a little education and planning - as is necessary for any healthy diet.
For me, reading labels is not just to make sure the product is vegan, but to make sure it's something I really want to put in my body. While I'll admit to occasionally indulging in junk food, my general rule is that besides making sure a product is vegan, if something has an ingredient that I can't pronounce, it's probably not something I should be eating.