5 Foods You Probably Didn't Know Aren't Vegan

Vegan diets, which contain no animal products, are a common source of misconception, even to practicing vegans. People who are not familiar with vegan lifestyle choices-- including people who are new to veganism-- frequently misunderstand which foods are, and aren't, an acceptable part of a vegan diet. While there are plenty of self-identified vegans who eat nonvegan foods, these dieters are akin to "vegetarians" who eat fish.

A truly vegan diet excludes many foods popularly believed to be vegan. Here are a few foods that are not authentically vegan, but are commonly mistaken for being vegan foods.

1. Honey

For many vegan dieters, this is one of the most frustrating misconceptions. Many people have identified themselves as vegan only to be met with the question, "Well, you eat honey, don't you?"-- when a vegan diet, by definition, contains no honey. Bees are animals, so any product that they make is not a vegan product. While the ethics of avoiding honey remain up for debate, there is no question about it: honey is not a vegan food.

2. Natural Flavor

Many "natural flavors" are not what you think. When you see "natural raspberry flavor" on an ingredient list, for example, you might assume that the flavor is derived from raspberry fruits. In fact, natural raspberry flavor, or castoreum, comes from the anal extracts of a North American beaver. As an animal product, it is not vegan. Some other natural flavors are also nonvegan. Vegans can avoid non-vegan flavors by contacting food manufacturers to determine the source of the ingredients.

3. Beer

Many, but not all, beers are nonvegan. Beer is often clarified using isinglass finings, which come from the swim bladders of certain fish-- often, the endangered beluga sturgeon. Guiness and stouts are among the most common beers made using isenglass. Others may be made in a similar, vegan-friendly manner using carrageenan, or red algae. Concerned vegans can contact beer manufacturers to determine whether or not a product is made with isenglass.

4. Sugar

Most refined cane sugar (often just called or listed as "sugar") is not truly vegan. Although it contains no animal product, the process of sugar refinement uses the charred bones of cattle to eliminate minerals, contaminants, and color from the sugar. While none of the bone char ends up in the sugar itself, refined sugar is not technically vegan, because it is produced using animal products.

5. Carmine

Sometimes listed on ingredients as crimson lake, cochineal, or natural red #4, carmine is a very common natural food coloring. It may be used in foods and cosmetics as an alternative to artificial color. Carmine is made by boiling specific dried insects in order to extract their natural red hue. Although natural, foods containing carmine are not vegan.

People who are interested in strictly following a completely vegan diet must take extra steps to avoid some "hidden" nonvegan food ingredients, including many that seem, at first glance, like they would be considered vegan foods. If you are interested in pursuing a vegan diet, consult your primary health care provider or a qualified nutritionist for help maintaining adequate intake of specific micronutrients.