Vegan Diet Guidelines

Refrain from taking the life of sentient beings.

-This precept requires strict adherence to a vegan diet which is not to consume animal products of any kind. This means a diet with no meat, dairy, fish, poultry or eggs (fertile or non-fertile) or any by-products from these. The following is only a guideline: In your city, please check the ingredients of all the foods you buy, as there are more examples for each of the categories.

Must Avoid
Egg
Also Egg white, Egg yoke, Dried eggs, Powdered eggs and Frozen eggs. Found sometimes in: Instant noodles, Noodles, Mayonnaise, Egg Bread, Bagels, Crackers, Croissant, Donuts, Pancakes, Rice pudding, Brownies, Cake, Muffins, Cookies (Christie chocolate chip cookies), Custards, Pie, Chocolate (Toblerone, Mars, Milky Way, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, OHenry, etc.), Sherbert, Ice Cream and some kinds of Breyers, Hagen Das, Ben and Jerrys, etc Milk Any kind of food with dairy, meaning milk, cheese, chocolate, ice cream, Sherbert, yogurt, etc. Sometimes milk is in shampoos, hand and face creams and soap products Whey and Caseine are from milk and we cannot eat it

Replace By
Egg Substitute A mix of cornstarch, potato starch, guar gum, sodium bicarbonate and baking powder can be replaced in recipes. 1 tbsp starch or soy flour + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg 0.5 banana = 1 egg 1 tbsp flax seed power + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg 1 oz of mashed tofu = 1 egg Egg Replacer from Kingsmill can be found in health food store. Eggless mayonnaise, tofu mayonnaise (e.g., Nayonaise) Non Dairy Milk Any soy milk products are ok as long as there are no dairy and animal ingredients in them Rice, almond, oat milk Most recipes calling for milk can be replaced with soymilk. If its a soup or other savory dish, be sure to purchase plain soymilk for cooking. Green leafy vegetables are better calcium source than milk Soy Cheese (without casein & non-dairy lactic acid) (See cheese list below and please check for more) Galaxy (Soyco) Foods (soy-free rice slices, soy veggie slices, soymage vegan slices & parmesan) Lisanatti "Soy-Sation" (all cheeses) NuTofu (all cheeses) SoyaKass (mozarella, chedder, jalepeno mexi-kass, parmesan) Replace sour cream or cream cheese with silken tofu Sprinkle nutritional yeast on popcorn or pasta for cheesy flavor instead of Parmesan. Soy Cheese by Deva Tofu Rella (all cheeses) Vegan Rella (mozzarella & chedder) Note: "Microbial" rennet & "vegetable" rennet are okay since they are non-animal ingredients. Gelatin Substitute Agar-agar (algae), Pectin (fruits), Amaranth (plant), Cornstarch, Carrageenan. Note: Soy yogurt with no gelatin please check all ingredients before you buy. Other Sweeteners Maple syrup, agave nectar, date syrup Note: Other kinds of sweeteners OK as long and they do not come from an animal and there are no animal ingredients in them

Milk Cheese Rennet in cheese comes from the stomach of cows. NO Pizza Hut or any of the other company pizzas because they all have milk cheese and we are not allowed to eat that. The regular pizzas have milk cheese, do not eat the stuffed crust pizza (has chicken fat) or breadstick sauce (has a beef base). Also do not eat pasta marinara sauce (has beef base) and beware of other items on their menu. It is better for you if you do NOT to eat at Pizza Hut and other pizza places, as many of the sauces have animal ingredients and the waiters may not be aware of this when asked and it is too easy to get the sauces mixed up.

Gelatin/Kosher Gelatin Made from bone marrow Found in: Yogurt (e.g. Danon, Yoplait), Jell-O, Custards, Candies (e.g., jujube, some licorice, gum drop), Pudding (some have pectin instead), Jam (most are pectin, but need to check), Marshmallows (Rice Crispie Treats), Gel cap on Tylenol and other medications. Honey In food products, shampoos, hand and face creams and soap products Silk Sometimes in shampoos, hand and face creams and soap products

Lecithin Some come from animals Found usually in: Cakes, Cookies, Bread, Crackers, Ice cream Chocolate, Vitamins, Supplements, Yogurt, almost in everything. Sometimes not specified, so if the label ingredients only contain "lecithin" we should not take the risk to eat it. Lard /Tallow, Shortening Lard is 100% from animal source. It is a type of oil that comes from animal fat. Some shortenings are from animal sources. Found sometimes in: Cakes (All Vachon cakes), Crackers, Cookies, Pie crust, French fries, Potato chips, Soup (e.g., Habitant Pea Soup) and many Mexican foods like burrito and taco. Also in hand and face bar soaps like Dove.

Lecithin Substitute Soy lecithin OK.

Fat from Plant Source Coconut oil, Palm oil, Peanut oil, Soya oil, Olive oil, Sesame oil, Corn oil, Canola oil, 100% vegetable shortening, etc

No McDonalds French fries because they contain beef seasoning on them.

Vegan Vitamin Supplements Calcium from plant source or from synthetic source. Magnesium from plant source or from synthetic source. Note: The safest way is to buy vitamins marked vegan.

Vitamin Supplements Calcium can come from Oyster shells Magnesium can come from animal source Vitamin D, D3, E check that it comes from a vegan source, not just a natural source. Natural can be from animals. Call the company to confirm. Some of the vitamins have a gelatin cap/shell on the outside, or they use gelatin to hold the vitamin together; dont use these. Note: Please check all ingredients of your vitamins. Vegetable Soup and Sauces For seaweed, cauliflower, cabbage, potato, broccoli soups, must check if milk, fish, chicken or beef broth and/or lard was used in the soup base. Kimchi (Hot sauce with fish extract) Some soy sauces and other sauces have disodium inosinate in them which comes from an animal source Oyster sauce (most have oyster or fish extract, some do not)

Vegan Soup and Sauces Only vegan soups with vegan broths are okay. Only if the oyster sauce says vegan and it comes from oyster mushrooms with no animal ingredients.

Eating out Guidelines

When eating out, especially fried foods, remember to ask the following questions: 1. Is the oil 100% vegetable? 2. Do you fry anything else in that oil? For example, do you fry fish, chicken, bacon or beef in the same oil you fry the vegetables? 3. Do you use any milk, beef, fish, chicken or any other animal seasoning, broth or powder on the food?

Six Essential Nutrients

Protein: lentils, beans, nuts, rice, seeds, gluten, meat substitute, potatoes, some greens, etc. Calcium: Dark green leafy vegetables: kale, Swiss chard, collards, broccoli, cabbage, Tofu, dried figs, beans, nuts, seeds, etc. Vitamin B12: blue-green algae, non-dairy milks, tempeh, veggie meats, maca, aloe vera, brewers yeast, barley grass, dong quai,
fortified cereals, supplement, etc. Vitamin D: Sun light, fortified non-dairy milk, supplement, etc. Iron: peas, lentils, soy milk, tofu, spinach, fortified cereals, dried fruits, pumpkin seeds, cashews, sunflower seeds

Essential Fatty Acids (for a healthy brain, organs, skin )

Omega 3: salba, flax oil, hemp oil, soya, dark green leafy veggies . . . Omega 6: salba, oils (borage, evening primrose, hemp, safflower, sunflower, corn), nuts, sesame seeds, legumes . . . Omega 9: salba, olive oil, avocados, almonds, peanuts, cashews . . .