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Non Vegetarian Food
If you walk into a supermarket now days you will be faced with literally tens of thousands of different products. Many of these items would have travelled great distances and be made in far off lands with ingredients sourced from all the four corners of the globe. It takes time to create a product and have it stacked in the shelves of your local supermarket, this is why almost all packaged food has some kind of additives to help preserve the food so that it looks fresh and tastes good when you come around to eating it.
There are many preservatives, colourings, artifical flavours, and more things that go into different food products. These are there to make it a better experience to you, but at what cost to your health. In recent times governments have been cracking down on the more dangerous chemicals in your food and cutting out harmful colours and other additives but there are still many out there that we know little about. Best of all is to try and avoid as many E numbers in your food as possible and this often means buying organic, which can be more expensive but will be much more benificial for you in the long run.
When you look on the back of a food item and read the ingredients you may be shocked to see all the different numbers on there, these are abbreviations for the different additives in there and you will be suprised at how often there are animal derived products in every day food. Things like cheese often contains animal stomach lining and breads often contain a form of animal fat.
There are so many different additives out there, some are bad and some are good and maybe even benificial but there are many that can be sourced from animal means. We will try to compile a list of those numbers for you to watch out for as a vegetarian or vegan.
To see the list please visit our non vegetarian food additives page.
Different Types Of Diets
There are several types of vegetarian diets some more extreme then others. Quite simply vegetarians do not eat food that an animal has had to die to produce it and a vegan is someone who eats only food what has not come from an animal in any way.
More extreme then a vegan diet is a fruitarian. Fruitarians are vegans that only fruit, usually raw as well as a few types of vegetables.
Raw food diets are people who eat only raw, unprocessed foods, they sometimes eat meat.
Other extreme diets are very low calorie diets, the caveman diet, which is all about eating what cavemen had access to thousands of years ago.
There are many types of diets out there. Different peopel follow different diets for a range of reasons, religious, ethical, health, cleansing and many more. What ever type of diet you adhere to, make sure you do it properly and consult the appropriate people and do the correct planning to make sure you get all the necessary vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy functioning human body.
Vegetarian Better For The Environment
One of the big advantages of a vegetarian diet is that it is beneficial to the planet. Firstly it takes a lot less land to supply the same energy as a meat eating diet. Saving this space in the land allows more natural vegetation and forests to grow instead of agricultural land, which allows more wildlife to live in a given area and it may start to resemble its natural state before human interference.
By more vegetation growing this means that there is more plant life to undergo photosynthesis which converts carbon dioxide to oxygen, reducing the greenhouse effect. Another problem with climate change is methane, which is released by farm animals in great abundance, so much methane is released that it is more then any greenhouse gas released from all transportation methods on Earth. You may not think about it, but literally by not eating meat you are helping to reduce climate change.
We have overfished the oceans for a long time now and are starting to see the effects with less fish being caught and fisherman having to venture further from port then ever before to make a profit. This overfishing is so intense that many fish species are on the verge of becoming extinct, or disappearing from certain areas. Many areas in the World that were once abundant with fish are now almost completely void of oceanic life because of over fishing. It has been shown that this process of over fishing can be reversed over time with the banning of fishing, creation of nation parks or strictly regulating areas to fish and cycling different areas to be fished. Or you can become vegetarian and stop eating fish or for those who aren’t vegetarian you can simply limit the amount of fish you eat.
It takes a lot less energy to create a vegetarian meal then it does to make an equal energy meat based meal. This is because it takes a lot less energy to grow plants then it does to grow many many plants to feed farm animals. It also takes a lot less water to accomplish the same thing, which saves valuable water (especially in Australia where long droughts have often occurred).
Farming livestock uses up 70% of all agricultural land which works out to be 30% of all land on the planet. This land uses up valuable space that could be used to feed humans or grow natural forests. With more livestock being introduced each year taking up more and more land it has become a major cause of rainforest destruction, especially in the Amazon rainforest. A huge amount of crops grown are used to feed farm animals and lots of water is used to grow the crops for these animals which takes away many scarce resources in developing countries.
Of course everyone has a right to eat as they please but those are just a few points to consider for the good of the environment before you bite into your next Big Mac.
How to find out if somethings vegetarian
You may pick up an item of food in the supermarket and be wondering weather it is vegetarain or vegan or not. There are a few simple steps to follow to check if something is vegetarian.
Firstly – Check the labels on the food to see if there is a certified vegetarian or certified vegan logo or it says suitable for vegetarians or suitable for vegans.
If there is no logo or suitable for vegetarian on the label continue on
Secondly – Check our list of vegetarian food items to see if it is on there.
Thirdly – Read the list of ingredients on the packet to see if there are any non-vegetarian products on there. If you are unsure about the E numbers and additives have a look at our comprensive list of non-vegetarian e numbers
Forthly – If you are still not having any luck check the manufacturers website, they often have very useful information on their sites.
Fifthly – The final step is to actually call up the company that makes the product, the help desk staff are there to help with your questions and are more then happy to fill you in on whats in the food. Make sure you ask if there are any animal products in the food that they make.
If all else fails write a comment down below and maybe someone will be able to help you out. Good luck.
Vegetarian Foods
If you are just starting out being a vegetarian you may be still trying to get into a rhythm about what you can and cant eat and are still looking on labels and double checking that things are vegetarian. There are many products in supermarkets that you may think are vegetarian but in actual fact contain many non-vegetarian ingredients. Here we will keep updated vegetarian foods that can be bought in a supermarket that are vegetarian, that is lacto-ovo-vegetarian (vegetarian’s who eat milk, cheese, eggs and other dairy). This list is a work in progress so stay tuned.
Remember that we will try to be as accurate as possible, but ingredients may change over time, so best to check with the manufacturer if you are concerned. Also this list is designed mainly for Australia but it may apply elsewhere, sometimes manufacturers slightly change ingredients and the recipe to suit different regions and cultures. Many items on the list may seem obviously vegetarian but you never know.
Vegetarian Foods
- All Sanitarium food items are vegetarian and the company says that it does not use any animal products. Sanitarium make the Veggie Delight range of goods as well as Weet-Bix, Up And Goes and many more items.
- Powerade energy drinks are vegetarian.
- Nimbin make a vegetarian, non-animal rennet cheese (which is very tasty)
- A range of Kellogg’s breakfast cereals including Coco Pops, Special K, Crunchy Nut, Bran Flakes, Frosties and Rice Krispies.
This is an ongoing list and will be updated in time. Feel free to comment about your favorite vegetarian foods.
Non Vegetarian Additives
Are certain emulsifiers and additives Vegetarian or Vegan.
This is an ongoing list and will be updated as we learn more. (The numbers are for Australia but many will apply elsewhere) Some main additives to look out for and to avoid as a vegetarian are…
Animal Derived Additives
542 AD
E904 AD
E920 AD
Can be animal derived
Glycerol – fats, can be of animal origin
Lecithin – can be animal derived
E120
E170
E270
E322
E431
E433
E435
E436
E442
E470
E471
E472a
E472b
E472c
E472d
E472e
E472f
E473
E475
E477
E481
E482
E491
E492
E570
E627
E631
E635
E636
E637
E640
E641
E901
1100
1104
1105
Many of these additives may contain animal products. It is best to check with the manufacturer for correct information. Most companies are very helpful when you call them up about the non-vegetarian ingredients. Some products may seem non vegetarian but in actual fact can fine.
New Year’s Resolutions
Well another year has raced by and it comes to that time when we set out some goals for the following year that in a few months will be long forgotten. But not this year. For those people that are not vegetarian this could be the time to join the club and start living healthy and feeling good about saving the planet.
To start out being vegetarian try just one or two days a week of being veggie and then after a few weeks start to increase the amount of vegetarian food you consume. A good place to start is with meat replacement products such as veggie sausages and veggie burgers. These are great to begin with and are a good way to make the transition.
Remember to not just eat lots of vegetables, you will need a range of carbs, fruits, fats and proteins, some good foods to eat are pastas, rice, avocados, nuts, beans, lentils, tofu, grains and seeds to name just a few. make sure to reward yourself if you are sticking to your goals and for one day a week eat what ever you like (that is veggie), ice cream, chocolate you name it.
If you are already vegetarian and you want to try something new, how about being vegan for a day a week or eating more healthy foods through the week. Being healthy is not just about eating right, make sure you do plenty of exercise aswell.
Good luck if you decide to start being vegetarian this year, its not just good for your health, its also a great way to save the planet. Being vegetarian uses a lot less agricultural land then a meat eating diet and it takes a lot less energy to grow a vegetarian meal then a meat meal.
Happy New Year from Vegetarian Guide
Vegetarian Protein Sources
When you mention to someone that you are a vegetarian, almost always the first question is where do you get your protein from? It is widely thought of that people on a vegetarian diet can’t get enough protein and are all skinny unhealthy people. This is far from true, many athletes, body builders and very healthy people are vegetarian and vegan.
Famous Vegetarians and Vegans
You will be amazed by how many athletes, actors, musicians and famous people through history that were vegetarian or vegan. Here are just a few that you may not have known were vegetarian or vegan.
Leonardo Davinci -Inventor, Scientist, Painter
Carl Lewis – Olympic Athlete
Albert Einstein – Scientist, Philosopher
Mahatma Gandhi – Movement Leader
Each member of The Beatles – One of the highest selling bands of all time
Sir Isaac Newton – Scientist, Astronomer, Mathematician
Claudia Schiffer – Super Model
Adolf Hitler – Politician
Brad Pitt – Actor
Chris Martin – Coldplay Singer
Michael Jackson – Singer/Musician
Lisa Simpson – Fictional cartoon character from The Simpsons