At first, not having so many options when it comes to being a consumer might seem a bit daunting, but once you know your stuff and get a little organised, it's really quite incredibly easy!
There might not be quite so many ready meals out there, but once you learn to cook (can I use this oppurtunity to plug my other, food blog for easy recipes for beginners here? ;) ) you can make large batches of food and freeze or refridgerate some and then heat these up later for those times you are busy, tired and can't be bothered cooking- voila!- ready meals!( plus home cooking is generally a whole lot healthier than ready meals too). You can also take these into work for packed lunches if your work has a microwave, and sometimes even have your omni colleagues wondering what the nice smell is.
As far as eating out goes, you soon get to learn what local places carry vegan options (and do a happy dance when you find them!) and if you're going out for an event with omnis, many places will make a vegan meal up for you so long as you call in advance and explain what a vegan is to them. Even if you're stuck, you can carry snacks in your bag to nibble on (ie nuts, seeds, Nakd or Lara bars etc) until you get home and heat up that yummy thai curry you put away in your freezer earlier.
As far as toiletries and cleaning materials go, I usually bulk buy everything I need from the co-op (a UK chain of supermarkets who are BUAV approved and clearly mark their products as vegan, not to be confused with US co-ops!) or online stores like veganstore.co.uk (who also carry obscure grocery items like nutritional yeast, powdered soya milk etc). By bulk buying every few months I keep travelling or postage costs and time to a minimum.
As you can see, a little bit of organisation makes a vegan lifestyle quite easy and convenient.
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
14 November, 2007
30 September, 2007
Is it Vegan?
But is it vegan? Seriously, pick up any item that didn't come from the produce section of the grocery store and the question has to be asked. There is fish in some orange juice, sugar in canned goods, whey and lactose in countless items. To keep myself sane while shopping I do a number of things:
1) Get familiar with the bad ingredients: There are tons of lists of animal derived ingredients on the internet. People load them onto their palms, crackberries, and ipods. Some vegans even print them out and carry them around on paper! For me, my palm pilot is my best friend. It even has internet which allows me to do research on exotic ingredients and possibly animal derived ingredients on the fly.
2) Work out a method of scanning labels: The FDA finally did something I like, allergens must now be listed on labels in big bold print. I look for milk and eggs in bold first, and if I see either one I immediately put the "food" item down. If I don't I begin a careful scan of the label looking especially for casein (even though it's dairy it sneaks through), sugar, and chicken stock or fat (not considered an allergen).
I'm also paranoid so I check for whey too, even though that is usually counted as a milk product and ends up in the bold print. After that scan I look again and see if there is any suspicious looking ingredients, this is when lists (electronic or otherwise) come in handy.
3) Avoid processed foods all together: There are a number of ways to do this, go to your regular grocery store and buy more fresh produce and frozen veggies. Or frequent your local produce stands and farmer's markets, along with local natural food stores. Even the corporate natural food stores will make shopping easier for you.
When I go shopping I get bulk items from our local natural food store, then hit up produce stands and farmer's markets, after that I go to the corporate natural food store, and any items I miss I try to get at a regular grocery store.
4) Support Cruelty-Free companies whenever possible: It saves you headaches, and it helps some people who are consciously doing the right thing like you. Most vegan friendly companies will say so on their packaging or websites. I also usually double check by searching for the company name followed by the word vegan.
Oh! I forgot to explain the fish in the orange juice, which brings me to a salient point. Fortified foods often contain animal derived vitamins and minerals. The fish in the orange juice was Omega 3 fortified orange juice, where the omega 3 happened to come from fish oil! Some soy milks have been known to be fortified with animal ingredients as well. When in doubt ask the internets.
Also, remember, humans are animals too. Support fair trade items, local produce, small businesses, and union made goods. Not only will you be doing a good thing, but usually the products are of better quality, and contain fewer mysterious ingredients. Be a conscientious vegan.
1) Get familiar with the bad ingredients: There are tons of lists of animal derived ingredients on the internet. People load them onto their palms, crackberries, and ipods. Some vegans even print them out and carry them around on paper! For me, my palm pilot is my best friend. It even has internet which allows me to do research on exotic ingredients and possibly animal derived ingredients on the fly.
2) Work out a method of scanning labels: The FDA finally did something I like, allergens must now be listed on labels in big bold print. I look for milk and eggs in bold first, and if I see either one I immediately put the "food" item down. If I don't I begin a careful scan of the label looking especially for casein (even though it's dairy it sneaks through), sugar, and chicken stock or fat (not considered an allergen).
I'm also paranoid so I check for whey too, even though that is usually counted as a milk product and ends up in the bold print. After that scan I look again and see if there is any suspicious looking ingredients, this is when lists (electronic or otherwise) come in handy.
3) Avoid processed foods all together: There are a number of ways to do this, go to your regular grocery store and buy more fresh produce and frozen veggies. Or frequent your local produce stands and farmer's markets, along with local natural food stores. Even the corporate natural food stores will make shopping easier for you.
When I go shopping I get bulk items from our local natural food store, then hit up produce stands and farmer's markets, after that I go to the corporate natural food store, and any items I miss I try to get at a regular grocery store.
4) Support Cruelty-Free companies whenever possible: It saves you headaches, and it helps some people who are consciously doing the right thing like you. Most vegan friendly companies will say so on their packaging or websites. I also usually double check by searching for the company name followed by the word vegan.
Oh! I forgot to explain the fish in the orange juice, which brings me to a salient point. Fortified foods often contain animal derived vitamins and minerals. The fish in the orange juice was Omega 3 fortified orange juice, where the omega 3 happened to come from fish oil! Some soy milks have been known to be fortified with animal ingredients as well. When in doubt ask the internets.
Also, remember, humans are animals too. Support fair trade items, local produce, small businesses, and union made goods. Not only will you be doing a good thing, but usually the products are of better quality, and contain fewer mysterious ingredients. Be a conscientious vegan.
19 September, 2007
My Makeup isn't tested on animals, it's vegan right?
WRONG. There is a difference between being cruelty free and being vegan. Cruelty free can mean that a product just wasn't tested on animals, these products however may still have animals in them. You may be following the PETA List, but that list only covers animal testing not the individual ingredients in makeup.
Let's go through a quick review of some of the common animal derived ingredients found in "cruelty free" makeup. These are some of the ingredients found in Revlon products including glycerin, silk, and carmine. Those are only the ones that I know how to pronounce. Revlon doesn't test on animals, but they are also most certainly not vegan. Some Revlon products are vegan accidentally like their Mitchum deodorant.
Which leads to the inevitable question number two:
Where do you get your makeup?
There are lots of truly cruelty free companies that neither test nor use animal products. Such as Beauty Without Cruelty, ELF (careful some products contain beeswax), Zia, and Bare Minerals. There are also online stores that are truly cruelty free such as Vegan Essentials, Pangea, Different Daisy, and Vegan Unlimited. The online stores also carry vegan makeup lines that don't have their own websites.
It is still important to check ingredients. Many cosmetics may still contain beeswax or silk, even if they are all natural or mislabeled as being vegan.
What if I want to see the makeup first?
I would check out your natural food stores, both the small local ones and the bigger chains like Whole Foods. However, I caution against listening to what employees say about what is and isn't vegan. I once had a Whole Foods employee tell me that their makeup was vegan, and the first bottle I checked contained silk and carmine. However I have heard that some Whole Foods carry Zia products and possibly other vegan brands as well.
Moral of the story? It is possible to be glamorous and vegan. Just know your ingredients and vegan brands when you shop, and you'll be pretty in no time.
Let's go through a quick review of some of the common animal derived ingredients found in "cruelty free" makeup. These are some of the ingredients found in Revlon products including glycerin, silk, and carmine. Those are only the ones that I know how to pronounce. Revlon doesn't test on animals, but they are also most certainly not vegan. Some Revlon products are vegan accidentally like their Mitchum deodorant.
Which leads to the inevitable question number two:
Where do you get your makeup?
There are lots of truly cruelty free companies that neither test nor use animal products. Such as Beauty Without Cruelty, ELF (careful some products contain beeswax), Zia, and Bare Minerals. There are also online stores that are truly cruelty free such as Vegan Essentials, Pangea, Different Daisy, and Vegan Unlimited. The online stores also carry vegan makeup lines that don't have their own websites.
It is still important to check ingredients. Many cosmetics may still contain beeswax or silk, even if they are all natural or mislabeled as being vegan.
What if I want to see the makeup first?
I would check out your natural food stores, both the small local ones and the bigger chains like Whole Foods. However, I caution against listening to what employees say about what is and isn't vegan. I once had a Whole Foods employee tell me that their makeup was vegan, and the first bottle I checked contained silk and carmine. However I have heard that some Whole Foods carry Zia products and possibly other vegan brands as well.
Moral of the story? It is possible to be glamorous and vegan. Just know your ingredients and vegan brands when you shop, and you'll be pretty in no time.
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