Is it ok for vegetarians to eat mono and diglycerides?!
Is it ok for vegetarians to eat mono and diglycerides?
I've been a vegetarian for a long time, but I have always eaten mono and diglycerides. Is it ok to. Do other vegetarians? What other things shouldn't I be eating besides the obvious?
Answers:
It honestly depends on how vegetarian you want to be.
You will find many names that are essentially "code words" for animal products. I personally ate several things that were codes for animal products before I had a vegan boyfriend... then he told me a whole world of things I didn't know.
Many mono and diglycerides are animal based; however, there is a growing percentage of vegetable based ones. After researching the idea, I found vegetable based ones are becoming cheaper than the animal based ones, and companies are therefore using them more often.
Regardless, eating or not eating things like mono and diglicerides is a decision that is completely up to you. There are many things that are surprisingly not vegetarian or vegan. The important thing is to move at your own pace. Do not let anyone tell you where you should be on your path. It is impossible to be 100% vegan, so you cannot let the process overwhelm you. Do what you can, as you can.
Soooooo... mono and diglycerides are found in creamer cups (and other dairy products such as many ice cream brands) gas station cappuccino, most bread and bakery contain them. If you are ready to take on this challenge, CALL or email companies!!! You have a 50/50 chance of being able to eat things. I recently called Bon Appetite bakery and discovered their donuts are "accidentally vegan." You can also check Peta2 on-line and they will have a list of edible, vegan foods.
Another animal product is gelatin. But, if you are ready, succeed in not eating mono and diglycerides and then research the next thing to give up... maybe products that use or are tested on animals. Good luck.
In most cases no! While there are some veggie friendly sources of these products in most case they will come from animals (usually processed offal). The list of things to avoid is almost endless