Gotta Run!

HIDDEN AND FORBIDDEN:

ANIMAL INGREDIENTS IN THE UNSUSPECTING FOODS WE LOVE!

by Andrea Medalie

 

Andrea Medalie

Andrea Medalie

 

In a perfect world, everyone would follow a strict plant-based diet.  Struggling to find a vegan-friendly establishment would no longer be an issue.  Stressing out about animal ingredients in our veggie foods would be a thing of the past!  All the guesswork would be taken out!!!  Vegan restaurants would abound!  The most difficult choice we would face would be WHICH one among so many!  Ahhh…. a girl can dream, can’t she?

Fortunately, the word “vegan” is not so esoteric anymore.  In fact, veganism is becoming more socially acceptable these days. Heck, the word is even being recognized and pronounced correctly for the most part by our non-vegan counterparts. Thanks to healthier trends, celebrities and famous athletes around the world, veganism is growing steadily in popularity and is here to stay!

It’s true that there are more and more dedicated vegetarian, vegan and raw restaurants popping up but overall, they are relatively few and far between. Thus, when dining out, we must rely on mainstream restaurants, especially when our most of our friends and family remain omnivorous (they have yet to evolve). It is important for all parties to be flexible and keep an open mind in order to arrive at a destination that will accommodate everyone satisfactorily while avoiding the cliché garden salad/baked potato combo that vegans often get stuck with. It’s impressive to see items marked as “V” on many menus but that could mean vegetarian and NOT vegan.  DON’T assume that veggie dishes are “safe” using descriptions and common sense alone. DO assume that all potential dishes contain animal ingredients unless proven otherwise. Food prep peeps LOVE, LOVE, LOVE throwing animal ingredients into the mix to “elevate” the flavors. They just can’t help themselves. I say nonsense!   For these so called flavor enhancers only mask the subtle, earthy flavors found in foods from mother nature from herbs to vegetables, soups to grains.  Be proactive: Calling ahead or checking menus online is always a plus!

Just last weekend, the night before my running partner and I ran a 50k trail ultra race in a forest in central Florida, we set out on a quest for a carbo-loading meal in the nearby town.  We thought Romano’s Macaroni Grill would be a safe bet!  To my excitement, I got to create my own pasta dish, starting with whole wheat fettuccini.  There were many veggie toppings to choose from.  Upon the arrival of my dish, I immediately grew suspicious that something was amiss…the color of the pasta was a little too “white.”  One bite and I knew…that pleasantly chewy, nutty texture and taste we all love in our whole wheat pasta was gone… there was egg in the pasta!  The food server was clueless so I went online to view their allergen list and sure enough, my fettuccini was made with egg.  Naturally, it was the only pasta made that way.   Our server was quick to apologize and offer me a dish with white bow ties which turned out to be the right amount of fuel mixed with yum.  Apparently, restaurants will offer “fresh” or “homemade” pasta which must contain egg product in order to achieve what they perceive as a desired result.  I’ll still to boxed pasta, thank you very much.

Luckily, the gluten-free bandwagon, in addition to a growing number of patrons with allergies, has paved the way for restaurants to offer allergen lists on location or online with a breakdown of each menu item and an allergen ingredient checklist made up of wheat, nuts, soy, egg, milk, fish, and shellfish.  Besides Macaroni Grill, other chain restaurants like Olive Garden, Chili’s, BJ’s Brewhouse and Mellow Mushroom, to name a few, not to mention family-owned joints, offer allergen lists.  However, be warned that since most consumers don’t complain of chicken or beef allergies, they are usually not included in the lists.  So just because a menu item is free of dairy, egg or fish it does NOT mean it’s vegan.   The lists are useful but your best bet is to still ask the kitchen for clarification before ordering.

I took it upon myself to put together a list of unsuspecting veggie dishes that may contain animal ingredients:

1.  Soups are often made with either chicken broth or beef stock, including vegetable and minestrone.  There may even be Parmesan cheese lurking.

2.  Dressings besides the famous “Caesar” with anchovies may contain egg or egg yolk.  Balsamic can possibly contain anchovies.

3.  Marinara sauce, which was just brought to my attention, can include chicken broth!  It can also contain cheese.

4.  Rice is often made with chicken broth, especially at family-style or high end places as well as traditional Mexican restaurants.  The fast casual fresh mex places are usually veg friendly.

5.  Refried/black beans may contain animal lard, pork or bacon. Tortilla chips, though not a common practice anymore, may be fried in lard.

6.  Pinto beans are typically made with pork wherever you go so stick to the black beans instead.

7.  Mashed potatoes are typically cooked with milk AND butter but the trend now is to “elevate” it even more by adding chicken broth!

8.  French fries (my fave) might be fried in shortening/lard. Furthermore, unless confirmed they are cooked in a dedicated fryer, these babies might be thrown in with the chicken tenders.

9.  Breads/pizza crusts can contain milk, butter, whey, egg and parmesan cheese either in the dough or coated on top. Many breads, including bagels, will have an egg wash on top to make them brown and shiny.

10.  Veggies du jour most likely will contain either butter or the soup du jour a.k.a chicken broth. Cooks often throw on Parmesan cheese at the end for good measure.

11.  Edamame can be made with chicken broth- cluck!!!  It’s true! Makes no sense but if you have discerning palate, you will know straight away!

12.  Andee’s rule of thumb…Chinese food is always made with chicken broth while Thai food utilizes fish/oyster sauce in most of their dishes, even their famous peanut dressing or the tasty noodles we all crave, Pad Thai.  Pad Thai is nearly always served with bits of egg. So stick to Japanese fare or even better, Indian, where they really understand veganism and dietary issues when you have a hankering for ethnic cuisine. Ethiopian fare nearly always offers reliable vegan dishes.

13.  ALCOHOL such as beer, wine and liquor may be processed with animal ingredients such as albumen, egg whites, gelatin, fish scales, isinglass (fish bladder-gross) or bug extracts.  Vodka, gin and wheat beer are usually safe but check with barnivore.com to be certain.

Well, I hope this list has offered you insight into surviving vegan in a mainstream world.

Gotta run!  Until next time,

Andrea “VeGAL” Medalie

Andrea earned an MS degree from The University of Florida and is a mom to 3 incredible sons. She works as an independent Speech and Language Pathologist within a diverse population in the Northwest Broward County, FL area. She LOVES to plan destination marathons (when budget allows) where she get to visit new cities and discover fab vegan/veg friendly restaurants/cafes/markets. Andrea has been a vegetarian for over 20 years, vegan for about 10. “It’s very exciting to see how society is beginning to truly embrace veganism for improved health, animal welfare and a greener environment!” she exalts. Andrea has developed a blog (book in the making) for vegan female endurance/hard core fitness athletes a.k.a.VeGAL (Vegan Girl AthLetes). Andrea’s territory is all of South Florida!  Contact Andrea to review your favorite veg-friendly restaurants within her territory.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive weekly news and updates from VegginOutAndAbout.

You have Successfully Subscribed!