Are u still a vegetarian if u eats gelatin?!
Are u still a vegetarian if u eats gelatin?
Answers: If you have made the mistake of accidentally eating something with gelatin in it without prior knowledge, I don't think that will necessarily put you out of being vegetarian altogether. Here's my reasoning:
Unfortunately, lots of seemingly innocent products contain gelatin so we always have to watch our backs:
*Jello (most obvious, as its texture and name implies gelatin)
*Altoids (I know, seriously)
*certain types of gum (e.g. Ice Breakers)
* marshmallows (meaning smores with only graham crackers and chocolate, unless you're vegan)
*Starbursts and Skittles
*most gummy candies (gummy bears, gummy worms, etc)...good news is that I think there are certain vegetarian jelly beans, I think Jelly Belly is one of them
*sour cream (some kinds don't have it but most do)
* probably others I don't know of
You have to watch out for foods containing meat flavorings, meat-based broths (this includes several soups and stews, and even donuts), and some other stuff too.
As a kid I have made the mistake of eating Starbursts without knowledge that it had gelatin or what gelatin even was. I have never associated candy with meat by-products or meat, so I have been shocked when I discovered that certain candy products I ate were not vegetarian as I have been born and raised as a vegetarian. We have never eaten any meat or meat by-products at home (unless you count milk, cheese, and candy products, whose contents we did not meticulously examine). Someone has told me on here that I'm not a vegetarian due to these mistakes, but over the past few years I have been extra careful about everything I eat and what the food exactly contains. I am sure other vegetarians have made similar mistakes in the past even while being vegetarian otherwise. Look at McDonalds, their fries used to be fried in beef fat, and vegetarians sued them for this (some of them, I'm sure, ate it without knowing this, as my family and I used to).
So in short, I guess very strictly or technically speaking a person wouldn't be a fully proper vegetarian if they eat gelatin, but given all the food the manufacturers put the gelatin crap in, I would be surprised if some vegetarians have not made this mistake in their lives. I mean, its not as if the gelatin is staring at them in the face so they know they can refuse it. Rather, its cleverly snuck into other products at the expense of innocent people like I used to be. Its important not to beat yourself up if you have made mistakes in the past but just work on being more careful in the future. It sucks what they put meat by-products in, but I guess that helps us be all the more careful, don't you think? No. At least not according to my vegetarian daughter.
Skip marshmallows too. Animal products in those. Yes unless you decide to not eat things made with gelatin. If your a Vegan you wouldn't it it. yes but vegans cant eat it. why would you want to eat gelatin anyway? yuk Yes. It is Vegan when you don't touch anything made out of or from an animal. Vegetarians can drink milk, but Vegans can't. It is like that. Gelatin comes from animals so a strict vegetarian wouldn't eat it. But lots of vegetarians eat cheese or eggs or even fish, so gelatin wouldn't be any worse than those.
The strictest vegetarians are called vegans, and they not only wouldn't eat gelatin, but they won't wear leather or wool! I do not think so as gelatin has animal protiens! A true vegetarian would not consume gelatin. It comes from dead animals and therefore is not vegetarian. Gelatin is NOT vegetarian. Gelatin is made when the bones of animals are boiled. Therefore, the animal had to die for gelatin to be made. Milk & eggs are vegetarian because they can be obtained without killing the animal. Good old-fashioned gelatin (e.g. Jello, Knox) is made from cow, pig, horse and other mammalian remains...specifically cartilage, skin and hooves.
So called "kosher gelatin" is usually made from agar (seaweed). But you can only be certain it is made from agar (rather than a non-pig animal) if it's in a dairy product. Halal does not allow mixing of meat and dairy.
And while we're on the subject of animal products, I would throw rennet in the mix. Rennet is almost exclusively found in cheese. It's the stomach acid ofm mammals and, yes, you have to slaughter the animal to extract it. But if you see something called "vegetable rennet," it's animal free.
We all know people who eat fish or chicken and call themselves vegetarians. So if you agree with these folks philosophy, you can eat gelatin and still call yourself a vegetarian. :-) No. Gelatine is made from the boiled bones, skins, hides, ligaments and tendons of slaughtered animals. No self respecting vegetarian would eat gelatine products. Agar agar is a vegetarian version of gelatine, made from seaweed. When I was at university and living in halls of residence, the head of the canteen (I can't call him a chef) tried to serve up fish to the vegetarians. Not once but twice, in the space of 6 months. He claimed that not eating fish made us "vagans". To this day I don't know if he meant vegans or vagrants. Either way, he got the sack.
Back to the question. I agree with the "nothing an animal died to produce" definition of vegetarian. So gelatin (and rennet) from animal source is definitely not vegetarian.
Also, fish finings (isinglass) is often used to get rid of the yeast in brewing beer and wine. Isinglass is made from the swim bladders of certain fish, which definitely involves killing them. Before anyone claims they aren't animals, ask yourself "animal, vegetable or mineral?".
Even the vegetarian beers/wines tend to use a product based on egg white instead. So not vegan.
The real trouble comes when you consider the fact that a cow will only keep producing milk if she keeps having calves. But the calves need her milk. So the cow dairy industry relies on killing calves. So, by the above definition, perhaps milk isn't vegetarian either. I didn't say it was easy. nope. boiled animal bones = not veggie I am a chef, and you would not believe what people will eat when they are "vegetarians"
The best one was somebody booked, and asked if there is something vegetarian on the menu, when we said no, she said what about chicken!?
Or the popular vegetarian restaurant in a trendy sydney suburb who uses chicken booster...
Just eat a steak Nope...if you're going vegetarian for animals. I avoid Red 40, gelatin, lard...and obviously, meat! :-D it is a personal decision. If you don't want to eat any animal products then no way. It is made from cooking animal bones... gross. no Technically yes. Because the term vegetarian only pertains to those who obstain from ingesting red meat.