Ingredients that Vegans Need to Watch Out For

The best way to avoid sneaky non-vegan ingredients in your diet is to base your meals on whole foods that haven’t been processed. Though eating only fresh, minimally processed foods is the healthiest strategy for vegans and non-vegans alike, having packaged goods on hand makes eating at home more convenient. You know to avoid blatant meat, egg, and dairy products, but what about those seemingly vegan-friendly foods that are made with ingredients derived (but not obviously named) from animals. Here are common sneaky ingredients to avoid the next time you’re shopping packaged foods.

Sneaky ingredients that are not vegan-friendly

1. Casein

Casein is a protein derived from cow’s milk. Casein is often listed as sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, or milk protein.

2. Whey

Whey refers to the liquid that is leftover after milk has been curdled and strained. Whey is used to make dairy cheese (which you’d readily avoid) but can also show up in soy cheeses.

3. Gelatin

Unless you were raised vegan, you likely have fond memories of jiggly giggly bowls of Jell-O. The seemingly innocent treat is made with gelatin, which is derived from collagen in the skin and bones from animals. It is used as a thickener or gelling agent in a wide range of foods.

4. Urea

Not as rampant as casein or gelatin, urea is derived from animal urine. You’ll find it in some brands of pretzels. It is also used as a flavor-enhancing additive in cigarettes (need another reason to quit smoking?) and is found in skin cream, moisturizers, and hair conditioners.

5. Carmine

Derived from the cochineal insect, carmine is a “natural” food coloring which shows up on labels as “cochineal extract”, “carmine”, “crimson lake”, “natural red 4″, and “E120″.

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