Finding it hard to rule out glucose/sugar?!
I was vegetarian on and off for 4 years, then went vegan 2 months ago!. I find it really hard to rule out foods with sugar, do any other vegans eat foods or drinks with sugar/glucose in them or not!? I hate doing it if i do, but sometimes it's just too hard!. It's the only thing!. Is there like a difference, of the natural sugar and animal one that ican read on the back on foods to know!?Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
I understand why you are concerned with pure cane sugar, but I fail to see why you would avoid glucose!.
From http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Glucose :
"Glucose is produced commercially via the enzymatic hydrolysis of starch!. Many crops can be used as the source of starch!. Maize, rice, wheat, potato, cassava, arrowroot, and sago are all used in various parts of the world!. In the United States, cornstarch (from maize) is used almost exclusively!."
also, from http://www!.vegan!.org/FAQs/index!.html#6 :
Refined sugars do not contain any animal products, and so by an ingredients-based definition of vegan, refined sugar is vegan!. However, some refined sugar is processed with animal bone char!. The charcoal is used to remove color, impurities, and minerals from sugar!. The charcoal is not 'in' the sugar, but is used in the process as as a filter!. Thus by a process-based definition of vegan, refined sugar may not be considered vegan!. For those who would prefer not to use refined sugar, there are several alternatives: raw, turbinado, beet sugar, succanat, date sugar, fructose, barley malt, rice syrup, corn syrup, molasses, and maple syrup!.
However, if one accepts a process-based definition of vegan, then many other familiar products would also not be considered vegan!. For instance, steel and vulcanized rubber are produced using animal fats and, in many areas, groundwater and surface water is filtered through bone charcoal filters!. So, is a box of pasta that contains no animal products, but has transported to the store in a steel truck on rubber wheels and then cooked in boiling water at your home, vegan!? Under a process-based definition, possibly not!. But according to such a definition, it would be difficult to find any products in this country that are vegan!.
There is another point about definitions that comes to mind!. Perhaps, in the above example, the pasta maker also makes an egg pasta!. The same machinery is used, and traces of egg are in the 'vegan' pasta; would the pasta not be vegan!?
Again, we recommend that vegans concentrate their attention on the most obvious animal ingredients!. In our experience, concentrating on processing or on trace ingredients can make a vegan diet appear exceedingly difficult and dissuade people from adopting it!.
So!.!.!. it's up to you if you really want to avoid sugar, or take the advice from that site, but "sugar" should be the only thing you need to avoid!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
From http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Glucose :
"Glucose is produced commercially via the enzymatic hydrolysis of starch!. Many crops can be used as the source of starch!. Maize, rice, wheat, potato, cassava, arrowroot, and sago are all used in various parts of the world!. In the United States, cornstarch (from maize) is used almost exclusively!."
also, from http://www!.vegan!.org/FAQs/index!.html#6 :
Refined sugars do not contain any animal products, and so by an ingredients-based definition of vegan, refined sugar is vegan!. However, some refined sugar is processed with animal bone char!. The charcoal is used to remove color, impurities, and minerals from sugar!. The charcoal is not 'in' the sugar, but is used in the process as as a filter!. Thus by a process-based definition of vegan, refined sugar may not be considered vegan!. For those who would prefer not to use refined sugar, there are several alternatives: raw, turbinado, beet sugar, succanat, date sugar, fructose, barley malt, rice syrup, corn syrup, molasses, and maple syrup!.
However, if one accepts a process-based definition of vegan, then many other familiar products would also not be considered vegan!. For instance, steel and vulcanized rubber are produced using animal fats and, in many areas, groundwater and surface water is filtered through bone charcoal filters!. So, is a box of pasta that contains no animal products, but has transported to the store in a steel truck on rubber wheels and then cooked in boiling water at your home, vegan!? Under a process-based definition, possibly not!. But according to such a definition, it would be difficult to find any products in this country that are vegan!.
There is another point about definitions that comes to mind!. Perhaps, in the above example, the pasta maker also makes an egg pasta!. The same machinery is used, and traces of egg are in the 'vegan' pasta; would the pasta not be vegan!?
Again, we recommend that vegans concentrate their attention on the most obvious animal ingredients!. In our experience, concentrating on processing or on trace ingredients can make a vegan diet appear exceedingly difficult and dissuade people from adopting it!.
So!.!.!. it's up to you if you really want to avoid sugar, or take the advice from that site, but "sugar" should be the only thing you need to avoid!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Sugar is sometimes filtered with bone char-thus the animal product is not IN the sugar but a part of it's manufacture!. It just depends on how particular you want to be!.
There are many sugars such as turbinado and beet that aren't made this way and can be found in your local healthfood store!. The package should have a label stating that it is vegan!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
There are many sugars such as turbinado and beet that aren't made this way and can be found in your local healthfood store!. The package should have a label stating that it is vegan!.Www@FoodAQ@Com