Jain Study Center NC Raleigh 1999 08 Twenty Years

Author(s): Jain Study Center NC Raleigh
Publisher: USA Jain Study Center NC Raleigh

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SHOPPING FOR VEGETARIAN FOODS
Reading Labels is Worth It!
The food industry uses the most unthinkable ingredients sometimes, so it pays to read labels at first to find out which brands are truly vegetarian. Once you know your brands, you can relax a little.
It's amazing how quickly your eyes recognize ingredients you're scanning for, once you are in the habit. "Vegetable" soup often has chicken or beef broth; a few brands of veggie burgers use eggs and dairy; margarines sometime contain animal products and many egg-replacers contain eggs (who'd have thought?). Also, watch out for lard in beans (very common!) and breads which contain lard, tallow, animal shortening, eggs, or have egg wash glazing the top. Gelatin (an animal product) is found in Jello, marshmallows, and sometimes even in yogurt. Salad dressings can contain mayonnaise (made from eggs). Certain Snapple flavors, some fruit punches and candies, as well as some Indian pickles (achaar) contain Red Dye No. 40 ("Red 40", also called "cochineal extract" or "carmine"): this dye is made from insects! On the positive side, more products are beginning to be labelled for vegetarians. The term, "ovolacto vegetarian" indicates that it contains eggs and/or dairy products; "lacto vegetarian" indicates that it contains dairy products, but no eggs; "vegan" indicates a product with no eggs or dairy products, and usually, no honey. Products labelled as vegan are "safe" for all vegetarians.
Vegetarian Meals for People On the Go
For young adults and college students on the go, cooking takes too long and eating out can get expensive. So, what's a busy vegetarian to do? One option: stock up on the increasingly available vegetarian convenience foods. Due to the growing interest in meatless meals, stores now sell frozen vegetarian dinners, canned foods and boxed instant vegetarian meals.
These handy foods are available at regular grocery stores, such as Harris Teeter and Hannaford. Some stores keep them in a special "gourmet", "health foods", or "international" section. Other stores mix these products into general sections. If you don't see a product, ask the store staff for help. If they don't have it, ask if they can carry it or at least order it on a trial basis (you may be turning them on to a popular new product!) Also, look in the yellow pages or ask around to find the natural foods store in your area.
A trip to a natural foods store -- even once every month or two -- can pay off because they typically have the biggest selection of vegetarian convenience foods. You can stock up on the canned, boxed and frozen items. Fantastic Foods, Casbah and Nile have entire lines of boxed instant and quick meals including vegetarian chili, soups, falalel, hummus, and veggie burger mix. Cascadian Farms, Taj, Tamarind Tree, Amy's, Ken &Roberts, CedarLane, Ruthie's, Celentano's, Tumaro's, Rosarita's are only a few of those offering vegetarian frozen dinners.
Also check out local ethnic food stores. Explore new ingredients and don't be shy about asking store keepers how to prepare new or unfamiliar foods.
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