Call me stupid…things I didn’t think about until I went vegan

Call me stupid but I think I was really naïve before I went vegan.

There are many things that I just didn’t think about before I went vegan, some things that I just didn’t know, and words that meant nothing to me. Since going vegan every day is a school day!  Here are a few things I have learned since following a vegan lifestyle.

#1 I didn’t know they put wax on some fruit!

#2 WTF is shellac?

Shellac is a substance made from the secretions of the female Lac bug. Sounds gross doesn’t it! As well as being used to preserve fruit, it is also used in nail varnishes, wood finishes, and is sometimes used as a food ingredient and many other uses. You can read all about shellac here.

#3 What honey is made from

I never really thought about it before. When I was vegetarian I freely ate foods and used products that contain honey. Basically, honey is nectar that’s been collected by bees, taken back to their hive where they chew and regurgitate it into the honeycomb cells. So it’s made from bee sick – yuk!

#4 What’s a legume?

It wasn’t really until I went vegan that I knew the importance of eating legumes. A legume is described as an edible seed that comes from the Leguminosae or Fabaceae plant family. Sounds fancy! Examples are lentils, chickpeas, black beans, soybeans, and kidney beans, chances are you’re already eating them. Even green peas and peanuts are classed as legumes. Legumes are full of protein, fibre and antioxidants. So good for you, everyone should be eating them not just vegans. They are classed as part of your five-a-day. They are easy to put into a curry or a stew. For some of my recipes containing legumes click here.

#5 Gelatine, what’s it made from?

Gelatine, I know it’s a food ingredient…

I’ve seen this listed many times before as a food ingredient. It’s used in making sweets and other confectionary. I’ve made many cheesecakes using gelatine-containing jelly, but I never knew what it was made from.

Basically, it’s made from a protein that’s obtained from the skin, cartilage and bones from farm animals. Yes, you’ve guessed it, the leftovers from the slaughterhouse. Lovely!

#6 What? The dairy industry is as bad as the meat industry!

This one breaks my heart!

I thought I was doing the right thing for many years by going vegetarian, but it appears not. If you’re vegetarian, you may just as well be a meat-eater for all the saving of the animals it does.

I always thought dairy cows somehow lived nice lives on a Disneyesque farm, with blue skies and plenty of green pasture to graze.

Let me give you an animal biology lesson:

In order for a heifer to start producing milk they have to have a calf. When the cow has born the calf, milk is produced from her udder to feed the calf – or so it should be.

The farmer separates the new baby from the mother within twenty-four hours so that the milk can be siphoned for human leisure and pleasure. The mother calls after her child as they are being separated, sometimes even chasing after him/her. The farmers do this repeatedly until the poor mother’s body is basically knackered. And when she’s had it, she’s carted off to the abattoir. Then her daughter will be reared to take over from her. So, the awful cycle starts again. If the mother gives birth to a male calf, he’ll be raised away from his mother for meat, or they are sometimes killed at birth. A beautiful creature killed so us humans can have milk for our cereal or morning cuppa – sickening!

#7 Standard candles aren’t vegan

I love a smelly candle, but I never thought about what the wax contained until I went vegan. Non-vegan candles can contain beeswax, stearic acid (made from animal fats) and can even contain goats milk. Candles that contain paraffin wax are considered non-vegan because when lit, the candle can give off toxic, harmful chemicals into the air.

These days there are plenty of alternatives made from soy, olive and coconut wax.

#8 Toilet rolls aren’t all vegan – who’d have thought?

Gelatine, a substance made from animal bones and that is used in gummy sweets, is also used in many toilet roll brands. Along with stearic acid, it is used to bind the toilet paper together. And some of these brands still do animal testing – Ewww!

Thankfully there are a few vegan alternatives, that are eco-friendly and cruelty-free too, such as ‘Who Gives A Crap’ and ‘Cheeky Panda’.

#9 Not all wines are vegan

During the fining process to make the wine smoother, winemakers sometimes use milk protein, animal protein, fish bladder protein and egg whites.

I always go for a wine clearly marked vegan.

#10 What’s cochineal?

I remember this word from school home-economics lessons. It’s red food colouring to be exact. Although it is used to colour textiles and cosmetics as well.

Cochineal is a parasitic bug from the Americas. It lives on cacti. The dye is made from the crushed bodies of the female bug only. Charming!

#11 Make up and cleaning brushes are sometimes made from animal hair

Some makeup brushes are made from animal hair. Goats, horses, squirrel, badger and even hair from weasels can be used. It’s crazy when artificial alternatives can be made.

#12 Foie Gras – what’s that?

I had never heard of foie gras until a friend of mine, who is French, mentioned that she was having it as a course in her Christmas dinner.

To produce the French food delicacy foie gras, a duck or goose is force fed (a practice known as gavage) to expand their liver to up to ten times its original size. Foie gras means ‘fat liver’ in French.

I’ve seen an online video of this practice being done, and I debated with myself whether to share it on this page, but I couldn’t bring myself to watch it again. It disturbed me the first time. The process is cruel and heartbreaking to watch. I actually cried. It’s sick. I’m so thankful the production of foie gras has been banned in the UK since 2006.

#13 I never even thought about cleaning and beauty products not being vegan

It’s only when I turned vegan that I realised how many beauty and cleaning products contained animal ingredients, and worse still, how many companies still tested on animals.

In the last five years, with public awareness, it has got better. Many companies are making their products vegan or offering a vegan range. I cannot understand that when something can be made vegan and cruelty-free, and be just as good as the product with animal ingredients, why do they still make the non-vegan products? Why do animals have to suffer? Why do some people choose beauty over saving the animals?

I always look for vegan and cruelty-free logos. If I can’t find them, I’ll check out the product online for its ingredients and the manufacturer’s stance on animal testing.

#14 Rennet – WTF is that?

Rennet is a natural substance sometimes used in cheese making. I used to love brie cheese but didn’t actually realise that it’s one of the cheeses traditionally made using animal rennet (this isn’t to say that there may be vegetarian versions available.)  

Rennet is an enzyme obtained from the stomachs of cows, sheep or goats, depending on its use. Sounds gross. I didn’t realise this until I went vegan. So, all the time I was trying to be a good vegetarian, occasionally I would ingest animal products by my own ignorance. I must admit, although it wasn’t that often I would have brie cheese it still makes me feel sick. Thankfully, being a vegan, choosing foods, toiletries, and household cleaning products labelled vegan ensures products are better defined as having no animal ingredients.

#15 Medicines can contain animal ingredients

I think it goes without saying that all medicines have probably been tested on animals at some point. I can’t really understand why as I’m sure most people, let alone scientists, know that there is no other animal on earth like us humans. Some people would argue that apes: monkeys, chimps, gorillas, etc. are closely related. But I think we are so far removed that testing drugs on any animal won’t prove its efficacy.

Some everyday medicines and vitamins will contain animal ingredients. Medicines in capsule form are usually made from gelatine. Although, they now make a vegan-certified paracetamol that is certified by the Vegan Society, called  Paraveganio. You can read more about it here.

I think most vegans would agree that if the medicine is needed, certainly if it is lifesaving, and there is no alternative, you should continue to take it. I wouldn’t deny anyone that.

You can usually check out medicine ingredients online, otherwise talk to a pharmacist.

#16 There are many ‘accidental’ vegan foods, you just have to look

Being vegan, you get good at reading labels, although sometimes the ingredients can be misleading. Some foods may have a ‘suitable for vegetarians’ label that does not contain any animal ingredients at all. Why do the manufacturers do this? Some people say the vegan label puts people off, others say it’s because of the manufacturing/cross-contamination risk. Who knows?

There are an abundance of vegan foods out there, another reason I can’t understand why people claim it’s difficult to go vegan. I didn’t even realise that most breads are vegan (some even have it on the label.) I’m just so glad Branston pickle is vegan – YES! Yum yum, chickle sandwiches, made with vegan cheese of course.

So, there you have it…

Just a few things I discovered and thought about when I went vegan. You’ll probably have a few of your own. I am always discovering more. As they say, every day is a school day…