Nesquik was a childhood staple for a lot of us. That chocolatey powder mixed into a cold glass of milk (or almond milk, these days) hits different when nostalgia kicks in. But if you are vegan, the ingredient label tells a different story. Sugar processing and a vitamin called biotin are the two biggest red flags. Here is why Nesquik does not make the cut, and what to drink instead. Nesquik Ingredients sugar cocoa (processed with alkali) soy lecithin carrageenan salt natural flavor spice vitamins and minerals: sodium ascorbate (vitamin C), ferric pyrophosphate (Iron), niacinimide, zinc oxide, thiamin hydrochloride, copper gluconate, manganese sulfate, and biotin At first glance this list may seem innocent. Unfortunately, the first offender is sugar. Although,...

Life Savers mints seem like they should be vegan. The ingredient list is short and mostly recognizable. But one item buried near the bottom of the label changes everything. Stearic acid, the ingredient that keeps the mint compacted, is often sourced from animal fat. Here is the full breakdown of what is in Life Saver mints and why they fall short. Life Saver Mint Ingredients Sugar Corn syrup High fructose corn syrup High fructose corn syrup Citric acid Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1 Natural and artificial flavors Stearic acid This basically shows a typical candy recipe: sugar, a variety of corn syrups, some high fructose, citric acid for flavoring plus additional flavor varieties, and coloring to make the product...

Most peppermints look vegan on the label. But several popular brands hide gelatin, dairy, or animal-derived stearic acid in the fine print. Here's which peppermint brands are safe and which ones to skip. Are Peppermints Vegan? Vegan Peppermint Brands Not all peppermints are created equal. Here are the brands you can feel good about grabbing. YumEarth Organic Wild Peppermint YumEarth is certified vegan by The Vegan Society, USDA Organic, and free from the top 9 allergens. The ingredients are organic cane sugar, organic brown rice syrup, and natural peppermint oil. The organic sugar is never processed with bone char. If you want zero gray area, this is the safest pick. Simply Mints Peppermint Three ingredients: cane sugar, peppermint oil, calcium...

Is PB2 certified vegan? That's a great question, but first, what is it? If you have never heard of it, PB2 is simply powdered, dehydrated roasted peanuts with most of the oil removed. Though it may carry the disadvantage of not being a whole food, it has a very simple ingredients list that is completely free of chemicals and additives. PB2 has seen a lot of popularity recently among health and fitness circles. But, why would someone buy powdered, defatted peanuts when they could just buy regular peanut butter? PB2 carries a number of advantages over regular peanut butter if you have certain goals. Two tablespoons of this food have just 45 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 1 gram of sugar, plus 5...

Flour tortillas have many delicious variations and most traditional recipes have evolved over time to remove animal-based ingredients, however the question remains, are flour tortillas vegan? How do you know if certain flour tortillas conform to your vegan lifestyle? Let's take a look! Flour Tortilla Ingredients Flour Tortillas typically have very few ingredients which is appealing to those of us who live a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Flour, baking soda, salt, oil, water and sometimes a pinch of sugar are the ingredients that it takes to make them. They are simple, clean and easy to pair with any style of cooking you enjoy. Even though Mexican style food seems to be a recurring theme with tortillas, if we think outside the...

Jolly Ranchers have been around since the 1950's, and are an extremely popular hard candy. However, anyone trying to follow a vegan diet should know whether Jolly Ranchers are compatible with a plant-based lifestyle. Are Jolly Ranchers Vegan? Jolly Ranchers vegan? Jolly Ranchers are often assumed to be a vegan treat. Some websites will claim that they are, in fact, vegan. But, upon further analysis, you will see that Jolly Ranchers are not technically safe for vegan diets. However, it really depends on how strict you are about it. Jolly Ranchers contain a couple of ingredients that can be derived from animals. One of these is lecithin, which can be derived from sunflower, corn, rice, and other plants. However, it...

Twizzlers are one of America's most popular licorice candy products. Licorice, so named for the root that gives the traditional black licorice its flavor, is commonly sold as black licorice or red licorice. Some might argue that Twizzlers bear little resemblance to actual licorice because it doesn't contain any licorice root or extract, though the non-licorice flavors may actually contribute to their popularity, especially with kids. Twizzlers come in a variety of flavors and shapes - Twists, Pull 'n' Peel, NIBS, Filled Twists, Bites in black, cherry, and even chocolate flavor. But are Twizzlers Vegan? Vegan foods are those that don't contain any animal products or byproducts. Candy, especially of the non-chocolate variety, may seem like an odd place for...

Are Reese's Pieces Vegan? Reese's Pieces are a fairly popular candy, a spin-off of the classic Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. They're quite tasty, and their hard outer coating means they won't melt all over your hands like the Peanut Butter Cups can. However, those of us who care about animal welfare and ethicality in food production, and express this passion by following a vegan diet, must not give in to a tempting food just because it tastes good—we must always check if the food is truly vegan before eating. Are Reese's Pieces vegan? Absolutely not. This follows a common trend of candies and confections containing animal products you might not suspect, like we've seen with the ingredients in caramel candy....

Have you ever wondered if any of the salty snacks in the grocery store could contain animal products? Aren't they mainly vegetables fried into crackers and chips, with lots of salt and grease? What about dairy products? What about Cheez-Its? Cheez-Its claim to be made of real cheese. Is this claim true or false? Are there any Cheez-It vegans? Does a Cheeze-It vegan mean someone who does eat Cheez-Its, or doesn't? Have you asked yourself before if there could be alternative vegan cheese cracker brands available? Are there such things as vegan Cheez-Its? What Ingredients to look out for for Vegans Peta's list. The big one is kind of obvious: The cheese. Cheese is a dairy product. Also: Milk Protein. ...

Ah, the famous, round pastry that the world swoons over! They come jelly-filled, glazed, powdered, chocolate-covered, or pumped with Boston crème pie filling. Recalling its dense, moist texture already has you craving one. Hold on just a moment! Are donuts vegan? I bet you're thinking, “I sure hope so!” They look innocent enough, but how are they so fluffy yet dense? Let's take a look at a regular donut's ingredients. Common Donut Ingredients yeast water milk white sugar salt eggs shortening all-purpose flour vegetable oil (used for frying) butter powdered sugar vanilla extract Are Donuts Vegan? Unfortunately, most donuts that you may come in contact with are not vegan. Donuts are usually made with more than one dairy product. The...