We all know that these are vegetarian people who have refused to eat animal products.

There are many reasons to follow a vegan diet, including ethical issues, caring for the health and well-being of the environment.

Obviously, much of the list of what is unacceptable to them may surprise you. Some vegan foods are best avoided.

We offer readers a list of 37 foods and ingredients that vegans should avoid.

1–6: animal products.

In this case, a person tries to abandon any form of exploitation of animals and any cruelty, regardless of what these operations and cruelty are caused by – the desire to remove food or other purposes.

For this reason, vegetarian foods of animal origin, such as:

1. Meat: beef, lamb, pork, veal, horse meat, offal, etc.
2. Game: chicken, turkey, goose, ducklings, partridge meat, quail, etc.
3. Fish and seafood: all kinds of fish, anchovy, shrimp, squid, mussels, crabs, spiny lobsters, fish sauce.
4. Dairy products: milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, cream, ice cream, etc.
5. Eggs: chicken, quail, ostrich and fish.
6. Products produced by bees: honey, bee pollen, royal jelly (other royal jelly), etc.

You can refuse to eat dense animals and animal by-products. We are talking about meat, game, fish, dairy products, eggs and products produced by bees.

7–15: Ingredients or nutritional supplements derived from dense animals.

Many products contain ingredients or supplements isolated from dense animals, but people are not aware of this. Vegans should avoid eating the following foods:

7. NFood additives: some of them are of animal origin, for example, E120, E322, E422, E 471, E542, E631, E901 and E904.
8. Cochineal (carmine): ground worms are used to produce carmine, a “natural” dye that is colored red.
9. Gelatin: a thickener obtained from the skin, bones and connective tissues of cows and pigs.
10. Fish glue: a gelatin-like substance derived from fish bladders. It is often used in the production of beer and wine.
11. Natural Flavors: Some of these ingredients are of animal origin, for example, beaver musk, a food flavor derived from anal odorous iron beavers.
12. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Many foods fortified with these acids are not vegan, as they are the main omega-3 fish. For vegans, an alternative may be a polyunsaturated fatty acid from algae.
13. Gummylak (shellac): a substance denoted by female varnish worms. Food is used for cooking.
14. Vitamin D3: Basically, Vitamin D3 is derived from fish oil or lanolin present in sheep’s wool. Alternatives are vitamins D2 and D3 from lichen.
15. Dairy ingredients: whey, casein and lactose are obtained only from dairy products.

All of the above ingredients and additives can be found in a wide variety of processed foods.

16–32: ​​foods that sometimes (but not always) contain animal ingredients

Some foods in the body sometimes contain animal ingredients – one or more.

For this reason, critical approaches should be identified that decide whether to buy or reject the following products:

16. Bakery products: some baked goods, such as bagels and bread, contain L-cysteine. This amino acid is used as a softener; it gets bird feathers.
17. Beer and wine: some use egg white, gelatin or casein in the brewing and winemaking process. Others, to cleanse the final product, sometimes use fish glue – a substance obtained from fish bladders.
18. Caesar dressing: in some cases, this dressing uses anchovy paste.
19. Confectionery: some types of jelly, marshmallows, sweets and chewing gum contain gelatin. A framework derived from cochineal aphids.
20. French fries: often, it is fried in animal fat.
21. Olive tapenade: Many varieties of olive tapenade contain anchovies.
22. Fried foods: Dough used to make foods like onion rings or vegetable tempura sometimes contain eggs.
23. Pesto Sauce: Many varieties of shop pesto contain Parmesan cheese.
24. Non-dairy creamer: Many varieties of such creams contain milk protein casein.
25. Macaroni (pasta): some types of pasta, especially fresh ones, contain eggs.
26. Chips: Some potato chips are flavored with dried shredded cheese, or contain other dairy ingredients such as casein, whey, or animal-derived enzymes.
27. Refined sugar: sometimes manufacturers clarify sugar with bone charcoal (at the same time, it is called “natural coal”), which is obtained from livestock bones.
28. Vegan alternatives are organic sugar or evaporated sugarcane juice
29. Roasted peanuts: gelatin is sometimes used in the process of producing roasted peanuts, thanks to which salt and spices stick better to peanuts.
30. Some varieties of dark chocolate: as a rule, dark (black, bitter) chocolate is a vegan product. However, some of its varieties contain animal products – whey, milk fat, milk powder, refined butter or skimmed milk powder.
31. Fruits and vegetables: some fresh fruits and vegetables are waxed. Wax is obtained from gasoline or a palm tree, but beeswax or shellac can also be used during its production. If in doubt, ask the seller if wax is present in fruits and vegetables.
32. Worcestershire sauce (spicy soy sauce with vinegar and spices): many of its varieties contain anchovies.

33–37: Vegan foods you would like to restrict

The mere fact that a certain product is vegan does not mean that it is healthy or nutritious.

Therefore, vegans who care about their health should choose foods that have undergone minimal processing and processing, as well as limit the use of the following foods:

33. Vegan fast food: ice cream, sweets, cookies, chips and sauces usually contain as much added sugar and fat as their non-vegan counterparts. In addition, they are almost no vitamins, minerals and useful plant components.
34. Vegan sweeteners: vegan or not, but molasses, agave syrup, date syrup and maple syrup are still added sugars. Abuse of them increases the risk of diseases such as cardiovascular, and also causes obesity.
35. Vegan Meats and Cheeses: Typically, these processed foods contain numerous nutritional supplements. In addition, they have far fewer vitamins and minerals than whole and protein-rich foods like beans, lentils, pears, nuts, and seeds.
36. Artificial milk: Sweetened artificial milk typically contains a large amount of added sugar.
37. Vegan Protein Bars: They usually contain a lot of refined sugars. Moreover, they contain an isolated form of protein in which there are no nutrients present in the plants from which this protein was extracted.

Summary: Health-conscious vegans should limit their consumption of processed foods. If possible, give preference to products that can be consumed in their original form.