?? for Vegetarians/Vegans

valanhb

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I got this question in my head, and now I can't get it out! I know there are quite a few vegetarians & vegans who post here, so hopefully you'll excuse my ignorance and answer my question. (I do know that there are many varying degrees of vegetarianism
)

Here's the situation. I'm at Sam's Club, looking at their Christmas gift packages (for myself more than anything
), and I'm looking at this wrapped up box of truffles. Well, it didn't list the flavors of truffles, so I was reading the ingredient list so I could maybe find out. As I was reading, it occurred to me...there was milk and eggs in it!

So my question is: Do vegetarians & vegans eat chocolate? Or is there some kind of vegan-friendly chocolate-type treat that they/you do eat?

(I'm not really big into chocolate, but I just can't hardley imagine giving it up!)
 

nebula11

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I..being a meat-eater, and not sure.......but.......
I have seen vegetarian egg substance in the supermarket....... Plus iwould think they would use soy milk in the chocolate......

they have soy mac&cheese.......so yeah....

just what I Know though...........

They must have some form of chocolate....who doesnt eat chocolate.....
 

eatrawfish

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Technically speaking Vegetarians would eat chocolate with milk and eggs in it, but Vegans wouldn't.

I know there is vegan chocolate, but as far as what brand is good or anything like that I can't tell you.
I got some vegan/sugarless chocolate chips at the co-op the other day and I really like them because they don't hurt my sensitive teeth.
 

lionessrampant

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Personally, I only eat organic dark/bitter chocolate which has no dairy in it. Every vegetarian/vegan is different, though. I would think that most vegetarians do...but again, it's a personal thing.
 

purr

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A strict vegan wouldn't eat chocolate with dairy in it. When I was a Vegan (I'm off & on), I found out that Gelatin is a protein from animal bones, so I couldn't eat anything with that in it either--like Jell-O and marshmallows! It's difficult to find foods without any animal substances in a small town (hence the off & on-ness).
 
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valanhb

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Originally Posted by Purr

A strict vegan wouldn't eat chocolate with dairy in it. When I was a Vegan (I'm off & on), I found out that Gelatin is a protein from animal bones, so I couldn't eat anything with that in it either--like Jell-O and marshmallows! It's difficult to find foods without any animal substances in a small town (hence the off & on-ness).
I don't know why it hit me like it did today, but suddenly I am becoming very aware of how hard it must be for vegans to find the right foods without any kind of animal products in them. That's why I wondered about chocolate, or a chocolate substitute. There's so much that those of us who eat indiscriminately (for lack of a better term) take for granted.
 

ryn

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I'm vegan and have no difficulties finding non-dairy chocolate, I suppose most dark chocos are OK. I don't really feel I must obsess about food ingredients all the time: I've got plenty of brands I already know I can buy, if I come across something new and interesting, I'll just check it, 2 seconds job.
 

rapunzel47

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I'm by no means an expert on the matter, being as close to a carnivore as a human can be
However, my local and very lovely chocolatier has among his offerings a "vegan" truffle. So, I'm assuming that vegans would find his other offerings unsuitable, even if vegetarians would not. I haven't tried it, but since there are no mistakes in his counter, I am assuming it's pretty good. FWIW.
 

sar

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Originally Posted by dawnofsierra

Carob is a wonderful chocolate substitute. You can even bake with it in place of chocolate.
I was going to mention carob! It really is yummy!


There are a lot of vegetarian and vegan organic chocolate available! My vegetarian friend always buys me some because it is just so delicious!
 

loveysmummy

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K, Maybe a friend of mine can't bake, but I have had her carob cookies and they are BLECH. Not like chocolate at all but some bitter evil substitute villain.


What would bug me is eating out as a vegan...No cheese on pizza or milk in certain things.. or determining what kind of oil is used, etc..It would take me eons to order.
 

rockcat

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Ovo-lacto vegetarians eat both eggs and dairy.
Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy, but no eggs.
Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs, but no dairy.
Vegans eat no dairy or eggs.
 

lionessrampant

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Originally Posted by Loveysmummy

K, Maybe a friend of mine can't bake, but I have had her carob cookies and they are BLECH. Not like chocolate at all but some bitter evil substitute villain.


What would bug me is eating out as a vegan...No cheese on pizza or milk in certain things.. or determining what kind of oil is used, etc..It would take me eons to order.
it get to be a trying process...having to call every single restaurant beforehand to see if they can accomodate a vegan...especially when some hosts/hostesses have no idea what it is! Now, I try my best to be true vegan 100% of the time, but I'm hypoglycemic and anemic, so sometimes when outside circumstances creep in and interfere with my iron and blood sugar readings I have to eat physician-reccommended things that have those 'phantom' animal products (whey, casein, etc.) and I'll eat dairy if it comes from my Uncle's organic dairy co-op because he doesn't support the veal industry by selling his male calves, his cows go out to pasture and eat appropriate grains, etc. (homemade ice dream = delicious). It's really all about personal practice and beliefs. Reading ingredients lists gets easier over time...your eyes sort of automatically search for the bad guys. You get used to ordering things that are traditionally prepared vegan and where I live I have the luxury of many exclusively vegan/vegetarian restuarants (the most famous being right on the boyfriend's block...yum!) You get used to it and I find that I don't even miss it.

Tip: Oreos are vegan. Hooray!!
 

rosehawke

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I saw some eggs at the market the other day that were marked "vegetarian." Now how the heck are they going to guarantee that? I'm supposing that the hens were supposedly fed a vegetarian diet? But the only way you could guarantee that would be to keep them up! I know bugs, beetles, insects of all sorts are a "yummy" (to the chickens
) part of a free-range chicken's diet along with occasional small varmints which provides them with needed protein. And if you've ever seen a chicken with a mouse you'll have no problem believing these things are descended from some velociraptor relative!
 

esrgirl

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Any good, true dark chocolate is vegan. At most a good dark chocolate should contain only cocoa butter, vanilla, and maybe some sugar. I like the really dark stuff though (around 70-80% cocoa content)! Tropical Source chocolates are yummy and vegan. Chocolate XOXO is another unbelievably good brand that is mostly vegan. Carob is a ok alternative, but I never really got into it when I was vegan. I've seen lots of vegan chocolates online and in health food stores. I used to make an amazing chocolate lava cake that was vegan.
 

lionessrampant

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Originally Posted by esrgirl

Any good, true dark chocolate is vegan. At most a good dark chocolate should contain only cocoa butter, vanilla, and maybe some sugar. I like the really dark stuff though (around 70-80% cocoa content)!
Oh man, that stuff is good. And it's actually considered medicinal and good for you when it's over 70% cocoa
 

lisalee

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I'm a vegetarian but not a vegan. I could never give up my dairy products.
 

purr

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Originally Posted by lionessrampant

Oh man, that stuff is good. And it's actually considered medicinal and good for you when it's over 70% cocoa
Yeah, I just read in an article the other day that cocoa has more antioxidants than green tea, and reduces the risk of...oh, I forgot. It reduces the risk of getting/having something.
 

esrgirl

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Originally Posted by Purr

Yeah, I just read in an article the other day that cocoa has more antioxidants than green tea, and reduces the risk of...oh, I forgot. It reduces the risk of getting/having something.
All the more reason to eat lots of chocolate! At least with dark chocolate you don't have to worry about fat and the calories are pretty minimal. I seriously love chocolate. I loved the Chocolate exhibit at the Field Musuem. They had some amazing, and expensive, chocolate to buy at the end. You could buy chocolate by it's cocoa content, and region. Chocolate can be a lot like fine wine!
 
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