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sugar :)
Started
by vegankt
on April 30, 2010
I have realized that #1 it is best to limit sugar in your diet, #2 white sugar isn't vegan! I have decided that I am happy with having "sugar in the raw" (vegan brand!) every once in a while, but I am concerned with eating out? If you go to a vegan restaurant - or any restaurant or bakery that has "vegan" options, do you eat what they give you are do you make sure 100% that they did not use white cane sugar?
I feel like it's kind of a waste to put so much effort into eating the right way just to go out somewhere and eat the wrong way- but do you limit yourself to never eating out at vegan places?
I know it's a personal choice pretty much on every aspect, but I was just curious about what you think :) thanks!!
I am just curious why you call sugar not vegan? It is vegan, i thought, but simple not good for you...
At home I limit my sugar to healthier vegan granola bites or maybe once in a while I'll have a gluten free vegan snack bar (the brand I'm loving these days is Enjoy Life). If I go out to have a dessert I just enjoy what's offered as gluten free vegan. I think if you're only treating yourself once a week or so, just enjoy your treat and don't over analyze it so much.
I think they use bone char to make sugar that is not vegan . . . look into it, but I also knew about non-vegan sugar. If you go to Whole Foods, they have bags of vegan cane sugar. The first time I realized it wasn't vegan was when I saw this bag! I don't worry too much when I go out because that seems a bit extreme, but I do use vegan sugar if I ever use it at home.
they do indeed use animal products to process traditional proccessed sugar.....also a lot of alcohols (wine, beer etc...) use animal products in their making http://www.barnivore.com/is a site that will guide you to vegan-friendly booze. If you are eating in a vegan restaurant, they will not be using white sugar. They may be using other harsh sugars such as cane juice (and even agave is getting a rap lately as being a bit of a "high" followed by a "crash" sweetner!), and all you have to do is.....ask! I do it ALL the time! For years - I ask "what is this sweetened with? The majority of the time if its a vegan item in a non-vegan place, it will be cane juice sweetened, but in a good vegan place there will probably be items sweetened with cane juice and others with maple syrup, agave or brown rice syrup etc....ask, Of course you can never be 100% sure of anything in life - you may be lied to! But the chances of that are slim, and I think the biggest potential for misinformation may just be th eperson who works there being misinformed. Almost all vegan places are accustomed to patrons with odd food requirements/sensitivities so educate their workers on ingredients, and a lot of them even have ingredient lists for all of their items - I never hestitate to ask if they have an ingredient list and look myself to see what is in what.
Thank you for the responses! I was pretty shocked as well when I learned that a lot of sugar is processed through animal products- I think I'm going to get very comfortable asking restaurants questions :) It's definitely worth it to know what you're getting.
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