Hello, I'm New and need help...
Posted by foxieveggies on May 09, 2006 · Member since May 2006 · 4 posts
Can you eat bagged pasta(from walmart) if it's whole wheat??
Can you eat spaghetti sauce, homemade?
Can you eat regular condiments (Ketchup, Mustard, Peanut Butter)
Can you eat something if you look on the label and it has nothing to do with animals?
Can you eat Oreo 100 Calorie Packs?
Can you eat honey, Equal, and sugar?
Can you drink Lactaid?
If there is anything else you think I should know please tell me!! ??? :o ::) ;D :D
Hello!
I'll try to answer your question as best as I can...
For starters, I can technically eat anything I want to, but I choose to stick to vegan foods ;)
Bagged whole wheat pasta - Most dry pastas are vegan-friendly. A few brands may have egg in them, howe'ver, so it's best to read the label to make sure you're getting a pasta without egg.
Home-made spaghetti sauce - Yes! There are many recipes, even on this website. You can make tomato-based sauces, peanut sauces, lentil sauces....you can even make creamy sauces, using ingredients such as non-dairy milks, tofu, even cashews.
Condiments - Yes! So long as they are vegan, dig in and enjoy :) I eat peanut butter, mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, veganaise (which is a fake mayonaise you can find at some health food stores), wasabi, sauerkraut, relish...lottts of condiments in my house.
Can I eat something with no animal ingredients - Well, sure, if it's edible ;)
Oreo 100 calorie packs - I'm not sure about this one, so someone else will have to field this question. I know that vegan oreos do exist - I've seen mint ones (in the regular sized packages).
Honey, sweeteners, sugar - This is tricky territory. Seriously, there's controversy about each of these, because:
Honey = Use of bees (So technically not vegan - some people will call themselves vegan and continue to eat honey because they don't believe that bees suffer. honestly I don't know if they suffer or not so i avoid it to err on the side of caution)
Equal and other non-caloric sweeteners = Many have vegan ingredients, but some are animal tested or are produced by companies that test on animals. Plus, some sweeteners may have other health consequences.
Sugar: Cane sugar is sometimes filtered using bone char, and some vegans avoid it for that reason. Some don't, since the sugar doesn't actually contain the bone char. Other types of sugar, such as beet sugar, don't require such a filtering process.
Other sweeteners: There's also a whole world of liquid sweeteners out there, such as molassas, agave nectar, maple syrup, malt syrup, brown rice syrup, etc. :)
Lactaid - is cow milk, with an enzyme added to break down the lactose, so that the lactose-intolerant can drink it. So, not vegan, and I don't drink it.
But, there are plenty of other non-dairy milks available; soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, etc. They come in a variety of flavours and are good for a variety of uses.
Hope this helps!
Can you eat bagged pasta(from walmart) if it's whole wheat??
Usually. Just look at the ingredient list. Usually the only thing that is sometimes in pasta is eggs (but I haven't seen eggs in whole wheat pasta).
Can you eat spaghetti sauce, homemade?
Sure, why not? You know all the ingredients that are going into it, right?
Can you eat regular condiments (Ketchup, Mustard, Peanut Butter)?
Yep. Again, just read the ingredients. Regular ketchup and mustard may have high fructose corn syrup in them which is vegan but not very healthy. Regular peanut butter may have hydrogenated oils in it which are also vegan but not healthy for you at all. I buy natural peanut butter. Ingredients: peanuts (and sometimes salt).
Can you eat something if you look on the label and it has nothing to do with animals?
Not sure what you mean by this--if the ingredients have nothing to do with animals then it is vegan (although there are lots of hidden ingredients that may not seem to be of animal origin--I try not to stress out too much about this--I learn something new everyday). Try this link for a start:
http://www.cyberparent.com/eat/hiddenanimalsinfood.htm
Can you eat Oreo 100 Calorie Packs?
Don't know about this one, I don't really eat junk food--look at the ingredient list. If you have any questions about whether an ingredient is of animal origin, just ask!
Can you eat honey, Equal, and sugar?
Honey is not considered vegan. That being said, I know plenty of people who are vegan except for eating honey. It's just a judgement you have to make for yourself. Talk to people, read up on what honey is and where it comes from and make your own decision. Here is Joanne Stepaniak's view: http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qahoney.htmEqual I don't know about, but I would surmise it is probably vegan, though I would avoid it simply because it is not a a natural sweetener.
Sugar is a complicated subject. I recommend you read this excellent discussion, also by Joanne:
http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qasugar.htm
Can you drink Lactaid?
Lactaid is cow's milk that has lactase (the enzyme that can break down lactose, milk sugar) in it so that people who are lactose intolerant can drink it comfortably. Since it comes from an animal, vegans do not drink it.
Elizabeth
Well, Katica beat me to it! Sorry for the double answers.
Elizabeth
"Well, Katica beat me to it! Sorry for the double answers."
hehe! I win!
Just kidding ;) I'm sure foxieveggies won't mind, since you posted some information that I overlooked, and vice versa.
Now we just need to get someone to tackle the oreo question and we're all set!
Check out www.vegcooking.com/shoppingGuide.asp They have lists of vegan foods in several different categories. Many of the foods listed you can find right in the regular grocery store. And definitely learn what to look for and READ THOSE LABELS!!!!
I've got a terrible sweet tooth and while I do try to stay away from them as much as possible, sometimes I really want an oreo! I'm not sure about the 100 cal packs though. However, where I live, the regular oreos are vegan. So are the mini oreos which come in the 160 cal packs.
If you like oreos, you should try the Newman's Own Organics O's. http://www.newmansownorganics.com/food_newman-os.html. They're delicious, and better than oreos in my opinion. I especially like the ginger o's but they're probably not for everyone.