Is It Vegan? 4 Ingredients to Keep An Eye Out For

It's not easy to switch up your diet and suddenly absorb a new eating lifestyle. Although many vegans make it look easy, trust us when we say that there is definitely a learning curve for turning vegan.

One of the most important things that you need to be aware of when following a strict vegan diet is the ingredients in your food. Some people make the mistake of trusting a dish's appearance without realizing that the nitty-gritty non-vegan-friendly ingredients were mashed and mixed into the dish. With that, it pays to know which ingredients you should look out for.

But if you're wondering what the best way to learn how to spot vegan-friendly food and ingredients is by learning vegan recipe ideas and getting vegan food prep services so you can familiarize yourself with the ingredients your dishes should have.

List of Ingredients that are Not Vegan-Friendly

1. Beeswax and Honey

Beeswax is most often found in a plethora of products — from candies top lotion down to lip balms. However, this is an ingredient that vegans should avoid because worker bees produce the wax to build honeycombs. With that being said, it doesn't make beeswax a non-animal product.

Along these lines lies honey, which is considered a sweetener in a variety of products. And since worker bees also produce it, it's an ingredient you should avoid.

2. Casein or Milk Byproducts

Casein is derived from animal milk and is often from sheep or cows, which is the main component of cheese. Although casein is sometimes considered a non-dairy food item and is an ingredient for these food items, non-dairy items do not contain casein.

With that being said, a lot of true vegan products are casein-free, so if you want to go true vegan, it's best to choose products without this ingredient.

3. Isinglass in Wine and Beer

One of the most common ingredients found in wine and brewing beer is Isinglass, a clarifying agent. This agent is derived from fish bladders which makes it a non-vegan ingredient.

Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing whether your wine or beer is passed through fish bladders, but notable breweries and wineries will note this in their ingredients list, so it's best to look out for that.

4. Whey in Sweets and Bread

Whey is an ingredient often used for different foods, such as bread, sweets, and cheese. But what is it?

Whey is the liquid that is left after milk has been curdled, churned, and strained. After the milk has been curdled, you can easily separate the solid curd from the whey liquid. The whey liquid is often found in nutritional supplements and protein shakes, and in some cases, integrated into bread.

If you want to stay away from this ingredient, ensure that you're getting credible vegan meal kit services to ensure that they stay away from products such as whey.

The Bottom Line: Stay True to Your Vegan Diet By Staying Away From These Ingredients

When you're following a vegan diet, it's really important to check which ingredients are in your meals. Of course, this can be tricky at first, but getting vegan meal kit services, trying vegan recipes, and exploring vegan restaurants is a great way to familiarize yourself with ingredients you can and cannot consume.

How Can We Help You?

Vegan meal kits can help shape your vegan lifestyle, providing you with ideas to create vegan-friendly meals and supplement your new diet.

Veganation is a Montreal-based vegan restaurant that offers delicious vegan cuisine. Besides that, we also offer lunch box vegan meals, zero-waste catering services, and wholesale vegan food products.

Elevate your plant-based living — order from us today!