Common Vegan Store Foods?

by Paula
(Indiana)

Can you give me a list of common store foods that are vegan and a list of hidden animal ingredients to avoid?

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Hi Paula,

Thanks for your question!

Unfortunately, the world at large has not really caught on to the idea that animal proteins and processed foods are bad for your health, so that's pretty much all they carry. There are some conventional grocery stores that now have "organic" sections - the selection is still limited, but definitely take a look there.

The bottom line is that most aisles in a conventional grocery store hold very little for vegans. Your best bet is the fresh produce section, where most stores have expanded their selections over the last decade and now carry less common produce items like sprouts and shitake mushrooms.

Some stores also carry alternative pastas (conventional pasta is made with eggs) like brown rice or whole wheat pasta. Brown rice cakes can be found in most grocery stores as well as all-natural fruit spreads, nut butters, and a few organic cereals.

Many of the Paul Newman foods, like Newman O's, are also vegan, and generally contain pretty healthy ingredients, but check the labels first.

One of the biggest non-vegan ingredients in processed foods is sugar! In addition to being horrifically unhealthy, processed sugar is filtered through charred animal bones and is therefore not vegan. This pretty much eliminates most conventional cereals, and pre-packaged foods. For some great alternatives to white suguar, check out the Natural Sugar Substitutes page.

Many stores now have a fairly decent selection of soy based foods in their dairy sections, but (and many vegans actually don't know this) there are some health risks associated with processed soy.

Some common hidden animal ingredients in processed foods are:

• Lanolin - from sheep's wool


• Gelatin - made from animal marrow


• Tallow or Suet - animal fats


• Casein, Lactose, Lactic Acid and Whey - all derived from dairy


• Albumin - from egg whites


• Dextrose and maltidextrose - from white sugar and sometimes other animal tissues

Overall, your best bet for shopping as a vegan is to go to a health food store like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, or to buy in bulk online. Amazon.com actually has quite a large selection of vegan and items. Check the Vegan Recipes and Raw Recipes pages for some great vegan meal ideas to help you when you are formulating a shopping list.

Cheers, and happy shopping!
Fiona