Vegetarians have a limited choice when it comes to food, but they are satisfied with it and enjoy it thoroughly; the moment you take a vegetarian friend to a restaurant and eat non-veg, you know how the reaction would be, LOL. But today, what we are going to discuss is capable of giving vegetarians a heart attack. How often have you visited a VEG RESTAURANT and ordered manchow soup or naan or a salad and thought that you are having vegetarian food?
What if you were told that some foods you are having regularly are not even Vegetarian? Shocked? Yes, this is true. Have a look at the list of veg foods that are actually non-veg.
1. Manchow soup
I am sure you all must be relishing manchow soup, isn’t it? When we go to restaurants we get it in 2 options, vegetarian and non-vegetarian. How would you react if we say that the veg version is not pure veg? Let us tell you that some Manchow soups contain fish sauce i.e. Tom Yum Sauce. This doesn’t mean that all restaurants do so; some of them serve you pure veg too; but it’s better to check it out next time you order it.
2. Naan
Even Jains eat Naan because they consider it to be pure veg. But the shocking thing is that some restaurants use eggs while kneading the naan dough, so as to make it soft and increase elasticity. People love to eat naans with their favorite sabzis; but if it contains eggs, it’s better to opt for chapattis, right?
3. White sugar
Everyone of us uses white sugar in almost everything; it’s kind of a basic ingredient that’s found in all households. We just can’t do without sugar! What if we tell you that sugar is non-veg? You’ll think we are kidding, but no, we are not. “Natural carbon” is used while bleaching; sorry to say, but what is claimed as “Natural” here is charred animal bones. Most of the companies prefer granular carbon because it doesn’t contain animal products. It’s better to use brown sugar.
4. Heart friendly oil
Often, we are suggested to use heart-friendly oils; there are claims that these oils help to keep cholesterol levels in control. But do you know that they are not veg? Most of them contain Omega-3 acids and they are extracted from fish oil. You might have even come across ads that say that the oil contains Vitamin D; but once again this vitamin is derived from sheep. All you vegetarians out there, kindly don’t puke. Just confirm the ingredients next time you purchase it.
5. Salad dressings
When vegetarians go to other countries wherein it’s hard to find pure veg food, they resort to salads, because they are sure it’s the only veg option available. You will be heartbroken to know that salads are veg but the dressings used are non-veg many a times. Yes, many sauces contain eggs; it’s good to check out with the restaurant first even though you are ordering a lettuce salad. Have complete information about the sauces being used.
6. Beer
Many will stop drinking beer after reading what it contains. Many makers make use of fish bladders i.e. “Isinglass” for clarifying the beer and giving it a good color. You might be in love with the beer’s color, but this is the creepy truth behind it.
7. Potato chips
Potato chips can be consumed while fasting too, but let us tell you the ugly truth. Some chips especially barbeque flavor contain chicken fat; it’s really sad to hear that our all time favorite snack having a tag of “Non-veg”; once again, this is not the case everywhere; many manufacturers don’t resort to this chicken fat and serve us crisp veg chips.
8. Cake mix
People prefer baking cakes at home because they have a doubt that the cakes available outside are not pure veg; but even some cake mixes contain lard or pork fat. Did you get that eeks feeling? Please check the ingredients next time.
9. Cheese
Vegetarians just can’t imagine fast food without loads of cheese. Sadly, some types of cheeses contain rennet; it might sound as a casual ingredient but in reality it’s an enzyme that’s derived from animal gut i.e. its gastrointestinal tract. Should I stop eating cheese now?
10. Jelly
Jelly sweets or jelly desserts are a favorite of kids; many vegetarians prefer serving a bowl of jelly to guests, after a scrumptious meal. However, the main ingredient is gelatin which is an animal derivative. Taking care of vegetarians’ needs, companies have started replacing it with starch.
Let us know your reactions.