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Up until a few years ago turning vegetarian was quite hard as poor labelling on food made it difficult to be sure you were actually eating something which had no animal products. Even if there appeared to be nothing animal in the ingredients there was always the mysterious 'E' numbers which could often be either vegetetarian or made from animal derivatives. It was a real shock for potential vegetarians then to realise just how many of their favourite products contained unexpected animal ingredients - cakes, biscuits, famous name sweets, yoghurts, cheese, breakfast cereals, etc. etc. Often it was very frustrating to see a new foodstuff advertised on TV which looked really appealing and which you'd never suspect would have any animal ingredients, but only to discover that yes it had been 'contaminated' with 'bits' of animals either for some taste, colour, preservative or enriched vitamin enhancement. Fortunately it's far easier nowadays with good labelling and the Vegetarian 'V' mark or the 'suitable for vegetarians' logo. It's a fair bet - although by no means certain - that any foodstuff not marked with the above is likely to have some form of animal derivative in it's make up. What Can I Eat Or Feed My Family Then? We would suggest keeping it really simple (especially for kids and dads) and sticking to some very basic meals which will be instantly recognisable and shouldn't be too hard to convert to - just adjusting to a slightly different flavour. |