the sugar dispute
Posted by Kelticrose26 on Feb 10, 2006 · Member since Jul 2005 · 10 posts
Ok, I posted a question about good dairy alternatives for when I become vegan, but now I am really confused about the whole sugar issue. Are there any vegans here who eat regular sugar? Like, will you drink a Pepsi, or is that not vegan? I appreciate your input. ;D
Hi there! Yes I know vegan and sugar is often a discussion... Far as I know white sugar can sometimes be refined using animal products - but there should be vegan alternatives - I'm in Europe so I can't really say any brands, but I´m sure people here know! =)
Also, for health resons I think, personally I do not drink or eat any thing "sugarfree" or any sweeternes at all the old saying "If it sounds too good too be true it probably is" goes for me, I use cane sugar in my tea and for baking and sweets, and I think it´s great, has a lovely caramel taste to it!
Turbinado sugar is regular sugar that has not been through the bleaching process, which uses bone char to bleach the sugar. IN cooking, you can use turbinado sugar anywhere you would use regular sugar. Other sugar subs are maple syrup (yum!) & molasses, although with both these you will have to alter the liquid in the recipe.
As for Pepsi, I suspect they use regualar sugar or high fructose corn syrup. I doubt it's vegan, but who knows. Only you can decide how far you want to take your vegan-ness. :)
Take it from this once die-hard Coke-cola drinker, your body will thank you for cutting Pepsi out of your diet regardless if it's vegan or not! ;)
I'm not sure about soda, but I have read that Pillsbury doesn't bleach their sugar using bone.
I agree with Lezly...for those of us who are interested in the 'healthy
eating' thing, sugar is something you can do without. (Also lots of other
types of simple carbs.) I do, somethings, add something to make a dish a
little sweet, but I don't use much sweetener. Think about using maple
syrup or rice syrup. Rice syrup is less sweet than sugar, but is a little
more healthy.
Billingtons sugars are all marked as to whether they are vegan or not, and i haven't come accross one that isn't yet. i usually use raw sugars cos i really like the taste but they can make you baking come out a darker colour cos they are darker, not so good if you want a white cake !!
bb:)
I'm a big fan of agave nectar. It's vegan, has a low glycemic index, and it's delicious. I use it for baking and my husband puts it in his tea. I usually buy Sweet Cactus Farms brand (http://www.sweetcactusfarms.com/). It's between $5 and $6 per 8 oz. bottle, but well worth it!
I use agave nectar in just about everything. It's got a very nice flavor too it, doesn't overpower the other falvors. And a little goes a long way. It's kinda on the pricey side, but it's definitely worth the few extra dollars.
I am also going through this same dilema! I don't add sugar to any of my meals but foods like cereals and breads at the grocery stores have sugar already listed in their ingredients. And who can be sure if the sugar they use to make their products is filtered with or without bone char? I want to live a vegan diet as strictly as possible but some sweeteners, such as Florida Crystals, are really expensive. Does everyone here think that those who consume white sugar are not living a vegan diet? Does anyone know if Domino uses bone char? The sugar dispute would be so much easier if no companies used animal products!
I did a search on google and found some companies that use non bar char filtration. To answer my own question, Domino uses bone char. Does anyone know of a sugar sweetener that tastes similarly to white sugar? Cane sugar and raw sugar have a carmelized taste that doesn't mimic the taste of white sugar. or how about beet sugar?
Brown rice syrup is high in B vitamins and has a pleasant mild sweetness all its own. Stevia is graet once you get the amounts right. Check out the links on the topic!