Five Foods that are Surprisingly Not Vegetarian

Five Foods that are Surprisingly Not Vegetarian Photo by Calgary Reviews via Flickr.com McDonalds French Fries McDonalds actually cooks their fries with “essence of beef” to add to the flavor, and fries them in oil shared with meat products. The same is done with their hash browns. They were actually sued a few years ago by Hindu groups over their misleading advertising of their ingredients. Their website does not list the meat as an ingredient, they instead just say “seasoning.” http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-511109.html Certain Types of Beer Depending on the brand, beer can contain anything from pork-derived products, animal skins, bones, or bladders, or even insects. Many types also contain gelatin, and we know what that means. Most companies do not divulge this information, and are not required to by law. If you are concerned about accidentally consuming animal products, your best bet is to find one that explicitly states a lack of any animal-derived ingredients. http://beeradvocate.com/articles/279 Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup Broccoli Cheddar soup is a personal favorite, and is often a treat for vegetarians. And Panera happens to have a fantastic version, one of the best I’ve had. Unfortunately, even though this is seen as a vegetarian option, it is actually made with chicken stock. This means it has chicken meat, fat, and broth in it, serving as a base for the soup. http://www.paneranutrition.com/ Split Pea Soup Split Pea soup kind of screams vegetarian. It’s a green, thick soup with pureed and chunky pieces of peas, and seemingly nothing else. However, this soup is cooked with a ham bone for flavoring, and often even has chunks of ham in it. This is another one of my favorites, and I was surprised to find that it actually contained meat. http://www.livestrong.com/article/508538-nutritional-facts-for-homemade-split-pea-soup/ Personally, this list does not impact me because I am a meat-loving carnivore. However, I can see how reading this would be upsetting for a lot of vegetarians. If you’re ever concerned, just read labels, check websites, or ask the waiter. It can be difficult sometimes because people and companies are not always honest, so if you’re not sure, your best bet might just be to skip it and go with what you know for sure is safe. Regardless of the effect this has on you, it’s certainly food for thought!