If you are trying to follow a vegan diet for the first time, you will find yourself with a difficult juggling act, trying to ensure that you get adequate nutrition and maintain your wellness and wellbeing, without compromising your new principles.
One of the hardest things to do will be to avoid old habits (which really do die hard). When you are starting out as a vegan, you will eat some foods simply out of habit, without thinking about the fact that they are no longer allowed. Other things, you may think of as a good choice when in actual fact there are sneaky non-vegan elements. For example, you may go into your favourite takeaway or coffee shop and simply order your usual without even thinking about the fact that your usual order is no longer permitted!
Be careful, for example, when it comes to condiments – mayonnaise is a big no no, as it is made mostly from eggs (which are in no way vegan!) Think twice, too, when it comes to salad dressings as many of them can contain eggs or milk, and some can even contain fish products such as anchovies. Worcestershire sauce, for example, contains anchovies, and Caesar salad dressings also contain anchovies as well as some dairy products.
Watch out for granola, too. It’s often billed as a health food but in actual fact it’s full of sugar and over processed. That means that it’s not great for your health, but a closer look at the ingredients also reveals that it’s not very good for your vegan diet: many varieties contain powdered milk.
Sweets/candy should also be approached with caution. Anything that is chewy or that has been dyed red is likely to contain a red dye known as carmine – which is made from an insect. Chewy sweets are often made from gelatine, which is an animal by-product.