When you've chosen a vegan diet and lifestyle, you may find yourself struggling to find the right condiments to flavor your dishes. Which ones are truly safe? Is there any chance of an animal product hiding in some of your favorite foods? In some cases, the answers may surprise you. Thankfully, when it comes to ketchup, you're off the hook: ketchup is a traditionally vegan dish, which means that you can slather it on your potatoes with confidence. In fact, according to PETA, Heinz Ketchup at one time went on record as stating that no animal products could be used in the creation of the ketchup product according to FDA labeling requirements. Unfortunately, not everyone is quite so comfortable with...

Is Sorbet Vegan? Sorbet has its origins in the Near and Middle East. In the middle ages, people in countries like Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan invented a frozen dessert made with fruit and flower petals, called sharbat. Modern sorbet is quite similar to the original Ottoman dessert, but without flower petals. Sorbet is most often safe for a vegan diet. We also put together a guide to the best vegan sorbet brands you can find at grocery stores right now. Ingredients of Sorbet Sorbet, in essence, is simply a frozen blend of fruit, water, and sugar. Many premade sorbets are, in fact, vegan. But, as we all know, commercial food manufacturers are fond of putting lots of food additives and...

If you've been vegan of any amount of time, you most likely know that animal products can be hidden in the most unexpected of places. Though it's well worth it, reading labels has to become a habit for those who are committed to the vegan way of life. And while you might think that soda wouldn't contain animal products, it is entirely possible for sodas and other drinks to be made with products derived from animals. You may question how a soda could not be vegan. After all, it isn't made with any obvious animal ingredients. But many types of sodas actually contain ester gum, which is a thickening agent. This gum comes from glycerol, which is often derived from...

  If you are a vegan, you undoubtedly examine the labels on everything you put in your shopping cart. It comes with the territory, because you are very concerned with what you put in your body. When doing so, surely you have come across the much-used "soy lecithin" as an ingredient. The question then becomes, is soy lecithin vegan?   What Is It? First, we have to ask, "What is soy lecithin?" What does it come from, and where is it sourced? There are many types of lecithin, and many ingredients within it. Can you even determine where a processed ingredient like this came from? Lecithin is a generic term used to classify certain fatty compounds, such as glycerol, choline,...

What Is Taurine? Taurine is a naturally occurring compound found in fish and meat that is most commonly found as a major ingredient in energy drinks. Taurine is found in the large intestine where it is a major component of bile. It accounts for about 0.1% of the human body. This type of Taurine is not vegan. Check out these organic vegan energy drinks. But, that isn’t the only kind of Taurine there is. In fact, it is more common to find synthetic Taurine in energy drinks. This synthetic Taurine is created in a lab as the direct result of a chemical reaction. Using synthetic Taurine is cheaper than using the naturally occurring variety so many times the energy drinks...

What’s the perfect weekend breakfast or brunch meal?  We’ll pass on the bacon and eggs and take a plate of pancakes any time.  You can easily serve pancakes minus the butter, and without a side of sausage or bacon, but are pancakes themselves vegan?  We took a closer look to see if you can make pancakes from a packaged mix (or from scratch) without animal products like eggs and buttermilk. All About Pancakes   What are pancakes, anyway?  Generally speaking, they are a thin round cake made from batter and cooked on a hot flat surface.  Pancakes have been around since ancient times and are made all over the world.  They go by lots of different names, are made with...

This popular soft drink says that it has zero sugar, zero fat, and zero carbs…sounds great if you’re on a diet, but what if you are vegan? So, is Diet Pepsi vegan? The short answer is technically: no. Here's what you need to know: Diet Pepsi Ingredients  The official company website for all of the Pepsi brands has the nutrition information for Diet Pepsi.  Here are the ingredients: Carbonated water Caramel color Phosphoric acid Potassium benzoate Sucralose Acesulfame potassium Caffeine Natural flavor Citric acid Need help figuring out what some of these things actually are?  The Pepsi website has an alphabetical glossary of ingredients that explains what everything is.  For example, it tells you that caffeine is found naturally in...

Stevia Overview Stevia is a popular sugar substitute derived from the ultra-sweet stevia plant native to South America. Stevia can have an overly sweet taste that isn't too bitter, but is stevia vegan friendly? When making this determination, it's important to check stevia ingredients as many brands add fillers. Some stevia products are also blends and contain other sugar alternatives like erythritol. The good news is most stevia brands on the market are vegan friendly, but that isn't the whole story. Here's what you should know about choosing a healthy, vegan stevia product. Stevia Ingredients List Stevia extract (stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) Maltodextrin (filler based on corn, rice, or potatoes) Dextrose (filler made from corn sugar or honey) Inulin (vegetable-based prebiotic...

Uh-Oh, Are SpaghettiOs Vegan? A low-cost pasta dish that's enjoyed by diners of all ages, SpaghettiOs might not immediately set off alarms for vegans. After all, it isn't difficult to find delicious pasta meals as a vegan. So, are SpaghettiOs any different? While some variants of SpaghettiOs contain meat, such as the kind with meatballs, vegans still need to be on the lookout for animal products in the Original variety of SpaghettiOs. This includes ingredients such as dairy products and any trace of poultry such as eggs. If you're wondering "are SpaghettiOs vegan?" this guide is just the thing for you. Spaghettios Ingredients List Water Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste) Enriched Pasta (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin,...

Are Popsicles Vegan? Just like Kleenex and Q-Tips, the word Popsicle is actually a brand name that people have come to use for the product itself.  Whether you’re talking about actual Popsicles, or some kind of frozen fruit-flavored ice on a stick, the question is the same:  Are popsicles vegan? Check out our favorite organic vegan popsicles here! If you want something in a bowl instead of on a stick, check out our picks for the best vegan sorbet brands.   Starting with Popsicle brand ice pops, if you’ve spent any time in your grocery store’s freezer section, you know that there are many different flavors of Popsicles.  But as long as it’s frozen fruit juice and sugar it’s got...