Question:
Can you be a vegetarian and still eat gelatin?
!
2012-04-28 11:52:47 UTC
I just looked up what gelatin was inside and its pretty much everything...from gummies to cream cheese. And I eat that stuff all the time, I had no ida.

Am i still vegetarian?

I also just made a cheescake with cream cheese and sour cream and everything and its sitting in the fridge setting up, so can I NOT eat it because it contains gelatin?

Are there any other hidden non-vegetarian things I should watch out for that are like gelatin?
Eleven answers:
Julia S
2012-04-28 15:05:33 UTC
Whoops. I'd say that you made a good faith effort, so you shouldn't feel too bad about calling yourself vegetarian. However, if being a vegetarian is important to you, it makes no sense for you to eat gelatin.



I suggest thinking of it as any other "hidden" ingredient. Let's say your grandma makes you some nice vegetable soup. Later, you realize she put in a chicken bouillon cube. It's obviously not vegetarian, but because you didn't know, I think you get a pass. However, if you go out and order a big bowl of chicken pho, you are knowingly and intentionally eating something non-vegetarian, so it really is dishonest to say that you are a vegetarian.



Aside from gelatin watch out for animal rennet and junket. Both are slaughter products. They're basically digestive enzymes that function as coagulants. (I know, that sounds nasty.) You'll usually find them in cheese. Check the label or look up the brand online. Google "joyous living cheese" for a list of cheeses that are (or aren't) vegetarian. Junket is used in custards and puddings.



Beyond that, watch out for fishy stuff. Worcestershire sauce, for instance, is made out of anchovy. Caesar dressing usually is as well. Many Asian sauces will contain fish sauce or broth (dashi does, ponzu usually does, teriyaki might). Thai-style curry sauce might contain dried shrimp.



You should also double-check the labels on your cheesecake ingredients. Full-fat dairy products are usually gelatin-free. (The gelatin is used as a stabilizer and texture agent when they remove fat.) You might be safe.



Good luck!
?
2012-04-28 11:58:45 UTC
You're not a vegetarian if you KNOWINGLY eat gelatin, since gelatin is basically animal and vegetarians don't eat animals. If you start reading labels now that you know about gelatin, you'll still be a vegetarian.



Are you sure the particular cream cheese you used actualy DID contain gelatin? Most cream cheeses where I live don't.
too.muchtv
2012-04-28 16:29:06 UTC
If you still have the boxes, you can check.



Sour cream and cream cheese tends to be ok so long as you avoid low fat ones. That's when companies have to start being creative to replace the fat they've removed.



You didn't knowingly consume gelatin. You're still veg. Now you'll just read ingredients.



If you bought full fat versions, then eat the cheesecake.
Chrome
2012-04-28 11:59:45 UTC
I don't want to give you false hopes here, but I think I read that there is a vegetable form of gelatine as well as the animal product version.



If you want to be extra sure, you could go for vegan snacks (I'm not trying to get you to convert) only because they (I hope) don't have any animal products in at all so therefore wont have any non vegetarian products in.



Watch out for smarties, I've heard they use beetle shells to make the red smarties (I can't confirm this, but I have heard it once or twice).
friendofchip
2012-04-28 12:56:08 UTC
I don't know what type of cream cheese you're eating, but it should not have gelatin in it.



Anyway, you're not vegetarian if you eat pig hoof gelatin.

Other foods- jelly, jello, sweets, food colouring from insects, a lot of stuff actually.

It's harder when you eat processed crap food.



Maybe time to look at that part.
?
2016-12-01 08:54:34 UTC
Gelatin is relatively the collagen from the hooves, bones, connective tissues, organs, and a few intestines of animals alongside with cows, pigs, and fish. Gelatin is in doubtless danger free issues like Skittles, Starburst, gummy bears, Altoids, marshmallows, besides as Jell-O.
AngelDistrict
2012-04-29 09:54:37 UTC
Yes, vegetarianism ranges...Some are super strict wont allow themselves to even wear fur clothing, while others eat fish.



I've been a vegetarian my entire life, never have eaten any more than a spoonful of meat. So I may as well give you advice:



-EAT FISH! I promise there are about a billion more out there, so eat one every once in a while, they are lean protein and iron.

-Peanut butter is your new bff, again protein.

-Keep away from zillions of carbs, which vegetarian tend to crave.

-Spinach wont kill you, I promise...iron again.

-Multi vitamin, maybe ask your doctor to recomend one. I had a special one until I was about 12, now i take centrum one a day.
☮Nurse☮
2012-04-28 12:03:11 UTC
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets (fruits, vegetables, etc.), with the inclusion of dairy products & eggs.

The exclusion of meat (red meat, poultry, and seafood) & abstention from by-products of animal slaughter .



If you eat gelatin therefore you are not vegetarian.



Here is the watch-out list

http://godsdirectcontact.us/com/vegetarian/abc/vegetarianwatchout.htm
Kessa
2012-04-28 14:56:08 UTC
Marshmallows & Gum are 2 that a lot of people don't realize are made from animals. Even some meaters won't touch them after they find out... LOL!
Lilly
2012-04-28 11:58:49 UTC
No. But you can give that up. I thought I was vegetarian my whole life until I found out about gelitine. Haven't eaten those sweets since.
Hi I'm Becca
2012-04-28 14:44:48 UTC
can you be a virgin and still have sex?


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