Answering common questions about what foods and products are vegan.
I remember when I first went vegan, I went to the grocery store and read the ingredients on all the bread. I remember being stumped by this ingredient: Sodium stearoyl lactylate. “Lactylate” sounds like it could be from milk… But is it? Is sodium stearoyl lactylate vegan? Sodium stearoyl lactylate (E481) is typically vegan. It … Read more Is Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate Vegan? Does It Contain Dairy?
I recently saw “potassium sorbate” listed in the ingredients for some apple cider I was drinking. Turns out, it’s a common food preservative. But since I’m a nerdy vegan who likes to know what I’m actually eating, I decided to research it some more. Is potassium sorbate vegan? Potassium sorbate (E202) is considered vegan. It … Read more Is Potassium Sorbate Vegan?
Would it be worrisome for you to discover that one of your food ingredients is also an ingredient in antifreeze? Well, that’s the case with propylene glycol—and it does concern some people. As a compulsive vegan label reader, I had to dig in and find out what’s really going on with this ingredient. Is propylene … Read more Is Propylene Glycol Vegan? And Is It Safe?
As a vegan, it’s easy to become suspicious of pretty much any ingredient you don’t recognize. So when you see “ascorbic acid,” you may not realize that it’s actually just another name for vitamin C. But even after you realize that, you still might want to know more about it. Is ascorbic acid vegan? Ascorbic … Read more Is Ascorbic Acid Vegan? (Vegan Guide to Vitamin C)
Lately, I’ve been looking up a bunch of food preservatives to see if they’re vegan. Sodium benzoate is an interesting one. By the end of my research, I was reading about a weird liquid taken from sacs on the bottom side of a beaver… Strange! So, is sodium benzoate vegan? Sodium benzoate is considered vegan. … Read more Is Sodium Benzoate Vegan? What About Benzoic Acid?
I remember when I first went vegan 12 years ago, it was a little overwhelming to see all the chemical names in ingredient lists. I had no idea what something like “silicon dioxide” could be. But over time, I have researched pretty much all of these chemical-sounding ingredients. So, is silicon dioxide vegan? Silicon dioxide … Read more Is Silicon Dioxide Vegan? (a.k.a. Silica, E551, Kieselsol, etc)
When I was a kid, I’d always see this warning on diet soda cans: “PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE.” It seemed scary, but I had no clue what it meant. As an adult vegan, I’ve become a lot more curious about ingredients, so I decided to dig deeper. Is phenylalanine vegan? Phenylalanine is vegan. It is an … Read more Is Phenylalanine Vegan? (Found in Aspartame, Diet Soda, Gum, etc)
Pepto-Bismol is a bit of a mysterious substance. It’s pink, yet it turns some people’s tongue black. And from a vegan perspective, it may be suspicious due to its milky texture. So I decided to take a closer look at how it’s made. Is Pepto-Bismol vegan? Most Pepto-Bismol products are considered vegan. However, the Liquicaps … Read more Is Pepto-Bismol Vegan? Does It Contain Dairy?
If you’re a vegan like me who is constantly reading ingredients lists, you have probably seen “thiamine mononitrate” at least once. It’s added to many foods today as a source of vitamin B1. I decided to finally do some research to find out more about it. So, is thiamine mononitrate vegan? Thiamine mononitrate is generally … Read more Is Thiamine Mononitrate Vegan? What’s It Made Of? (Vitamin B1)
Sodium caseinate is one of the most frustrating ingredients for strict vegans and those allergic to milk. Imagine you buy some “non-dairy” creamer. Then later, you check the ingredients closer, and it says “contains milk.” Unfortunately, this happens, thanks to sodium caseinate. Is sodium caseinate vegan? Sodium caseinate is not vegan as it is derived … Read more Is Sodium Caseinate Vegan? Does It Contain Dairy?