Imagine following vegetarianism for religious beliefs or personal sentiments only to discover that you have been indirectly consuming non-veg. There are many products disguised with skillful packaging that does not let us bat an eye on the ingredients. While the quantity might be negligible, we might still choose to stay away from such products. This is why it is essential to have a breakdown of every ingredient before we allow it to pass through our body. Check out the list of the veg food that are actually non-veg to be mindful when buying these again.
Veg food that are actually non-veg
Here is the list of the top 10 veg food items that are actually non-veg. The list below mentions the ingredients that include animal products but are sold without specifications. We have to familiarize ourselves with the ingredients to keep away from such products if we want to remain strictly veg.
1. Salad dressing
Most sauces used for salad dressing require an egg as an ingredient. You might order a vegetarian salad at a restaurant, not knowing that your meal has egg protein. The most commonly consumed mayonnaise includes eggs. While other sauces like Hollandaise and Béarnaise sauce also include eggs, most Indian households consume mayo as an accompaniment.
Next time you are at a restaurant, you must ensure that the mayonnaise dip or dressing you will receive with your food does not include eggs. You should also check the list of ingredients when buying mayo for home.
2. Soup
While a non-veg sweet corn soup will have raw egg white floating all over, it isn’t the same for man chow soup. The warm dark brown soup that makes your cold and cough disappear is originally made with fish sauce. Even Tom Yum soups originally used fish sauce. You might order the veg version of such soups, but the sauces that go into preparing them have fish extracts.
3. Healthy oils and packaged juices
Using healthy cooking oils can prevent heart diseases and cholesterol levels. Healthy oils will include Vitamin D and Omega 3. While there are natural ways to extract these ingredients to process oil, some brands use animal extracts like fish and sheep. It might be hard to confirm how these nutrients are extracted when choosing healthier oil alternatives.
Quite the opposite of healthy oils, we have packaged orange juices that artificially infuse omega-3 and vitamin D. While these products are not healthy because of preservatives and artificial sweeteners, these might also be non-vegetarian. Weird right?
4. Beer
Producing beer primarily includes hops, yeast, grain, and water. But some beer brands use isinglass, a gelatine extracted from fish. Fish bladders are dried and processed for flocculation and isinglass to make this drink clear and bright. So, the next time you visit a brewery, ask the producers if they use isinglass to make their beer.
5. White sugar
What if I told you sugar originally isn’t white? Yes! The shiny unfiltered colours in artificially processed sugar come from bone char. Animal bones go through a process called charring to transform into porous black. This char transforms pale sugar into shiny white. Even brown sugar and confectioners sugar are processed similarly by using natural carbon made of bone char.
6. Naan
Pure vegetarian restaurants will never be able to give you soft naan roti as the kneading process requires eggs. When ordering naan at a restaurant where non-veg is already available, confirm if the naan they will provide is made with eggs. This ingredient creates a soft texture and gives the fat Indian bread the right elasticity.
7. Sweets
Gelatine is processed from the connective tissues of animals like fish, beef, and pigs. From a cup of pudding to marshmallows, jelly, and gummy bears, several packaged products have gelatine. Brands selling ice creams and yoghurt might also include gelatine in their products.
Next time you buy any of these products, keep the ingredient list your priority. You might want to skip such products if you find terms like Rindergelatine or gelatine written on it.
8. Cheese and chocolates
While cheese is made from milk and vegans avoid this, cheese also includes rennet and makes it inedible for vegetarians. It is a complex group of enzymes that develop in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Traditionally, this ingredient helped people transform milk into liquid whey and curd.
Right now, the modern production process of cheese has few chances of including rennet. However, when buying exotic types of cheese, check the ingredient list for this component. It might surprise you, but some chocolate brands also use rennet as an ingredient.
9. Doughnuts
Non-vegetarians would love to include the enzyme L-cysteine in their diet as it relieves their arteries from hardening and treats arthritis. But the extracted enzyme comes from pig trotter or duck feathers.
The preparation of doughnuts requires this enzyme to condition the dough properly before baking. While this enzyme treats lung diseases like tuberculosis, bronchitis, and emphysema, vegetarians have all the reasons to avoid this.
10. Coloured candies
Food dye used to colour bright candies that attract the eyeballs of your kids might not be veg after all. These dyes are often processed from worms and insects like cochineal or Dactylopius coccus costa after extraction.
Final thoughts
Adulterated foods ruin our diets until corrected, but it is more troublesome when they negatively impact our food values. While avoiding products like mayonnaise and marshmallows is best, you must always know what you allow your body to consume.
The rule of thumb is to scrutinize the products you buy in a supermarket. Any packaged food, especially the ready-to-use products like sauces and yoghurt requires you to thoroughly check the ingredients list.
At Half Life to Health, we consult our clients in-depth to ensure they eat the right food. We have diet options for vegetarian and non-vegetarian consumers crafted according to their preferences.
Book a consultation today to find out all that you can consume according to the resources available to you.