About Gelatin (The Horror, The Horror)
Hey guys! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! My weekend was not too shabby — did a lot of reading, saw “The Invention of Lying” with the boyf (I wouldn’t recommend it, but I have weird taste so don’t take my word for it!), and had a lovely band practice. The highlight was last night when I was still at Starbucks and remembered I had a 8 p.m. video conference date with my band to discuss something Halloween-related. So, I did what will put me on the Hall-Of-Shame for “Worst Things People Do at Starbucks” and that was: I had a video conference right there among the masses…without headphones (cuz’ I had forgotten them!). Now maybe it wouldn’t be that bad if I could just whisper and act inconspicuous, but that was not possible as both of my band-mates went through the gamut of “video effects” including all sorts of facial distortions, a background that made it seem they were riding a roller-coaster, etc. I was giggling aloud like an inconsiderate fool. Sorry Starbucks patrons!
So…
If you saw my video here, you either a) felt bad for me for realizing there was gelatin in my candy after I had consumed five pieces, b) Thought that my overuse of the word “treat” was annoying (or cute? please?) or c) thought I was an idiot for not knowing that jelly candies would invariably have gelatin in them. From the e-mails I’ve gotten and responses from friends, I’m going with option c as the popular choice. It’s alright, I can suck it up and face the fact that some times I am just plain clueless
Hmm actually, let’s go with this version of clueless instead
(aww still one of my fave movies of all time!)
So, if there’s one thing I’ve learned along my journey to health, it’s not to assume I know everything! If I can accept that I don’t know everything and always be open to learning more, I’m better off. So, if anyone else out there has been as clueless as me and maybe wants to know a little more about gelatin and where it’s lurking, here’s to you!
What is Gelatin?
Gelatin is “a translucent, colorless, odorless, brittle, nearly tasteless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals’ skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing” [source]. There are vegetarian substitutes such as carrageen and agar agar, but, apparently, the word “gelatin” alone will always mean it’s derived from animals. If a gelatin is prefaced with “kosher” that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s vegetarian – it means it’s not derived from pigs, but could very well be derived from other animals.
Where Might it be Lurking?
Jelly candies, gum, marshmallows, vitamins, margarine, cream cheese, ice cream, pop tarts, cereal, powdered dessert mixes (e.g. jell-o), among others.
Haribo gummy candies, for instance, contain pork gelatin (or beef if manufactured in Turkey) [source]
What Should You Do If You Want to Avoid it?
Read the labels on food packaging before you consume it! Don’t assume that just because you’re buying a product from a “health food” store that it’s not going to contain gelatin.
Why I’m Now Wringing My Hands
I’m now seeing that animal remnants are lurking everywhere…I didn’t know that fish bladders were used to “fine” wine and beer. Did you?! I’m also realizing what a slippery slope it is to be vegetarian for “ethical reasons” — for 1, vegetarians still eat cheese and eggs, which are — hello — animal products! and 2, I’ll be honest, I think people typically use their version of “ethics” for self-righteous reasons and usually as a justification for doing something completely unethical (*cough*PETA*cough*). So, I don’t care to go into my reasons for being vegetarian. But I will say, if you prefer to avoid animal products as much as possible, do your research.
Give-Away Round Up
- Win a hand-grip exerciser here
- Win some Annie’s goods here
- Win a sports pedometer here
- Win some Nasoya here
- Win a Pulse Yoga DVD, a set of two Banglz, and a pack of TightCurves protein powder here
- Win a copy of the book, 101 Things to Do Before You Diet here
Congrats to All those Race Runners this Weekend!
How were your weekends? Ever find an ingredient in your food you were not happy with (after it was too late!)? Ever been an inconsiderate coffee-shop patron?
<3, The Cranky One
Tags: agar agar, carageen, clueless, dumb and dumber, ethics, gelatin, PETA, starbucks, vegetarian
10 People have left comments on this post
thanks for the shoutout lady! all the love and encouragement helped get me through!
ummm i had NO idea about gelatin! ahhhh….another thing to check the label for!
have a good monday girl!
I just stumbled upon your site and I’m loving it!
I’ve been a vegetarian for over 15 years and the scariest animal food additive that I’ve found lately is carmine. Dried beetles used as food coloring, I’ve found it listed in things like yogurt. Just another icky to watch out for.
Keep up the great work!
mmm crazy how those pesky ingredients sneak up on us – it was an innocent mistake and a lesson learned
p.s. no lie – I was just at starbucks and some dude was video chatting with his co workers and forgot his headphones. I lent mine to him
Clueless is definitely one of my favorite movies of all-time, too!
Gelatin is scary stuff and yep, in EVERYTHING it appears. It’s also in shredded wheat! I mean, what?! Craziness. Another funky ingredient to look out for is confectioner’s glaze which is in pretty much all candy. It’s beetle juice, literally! Grosssss.
I saw Whip It! this weekend and I’d recommend it over The Invention of Lying, except I haven’t seen that one. Yay female empowerment! Plus, Kristen Wiig is hilarious.
“if there’s one thing I’ve learned along my journey to health, it’s not to assume I know everything!” So true! Every time I get a little cocky, that’s when I’m completely floored and humbled by learning something new. But I like it. It keeps us on our toes!
I learned so much about animal products in foods during my vegan challenge. It’s ridiculous how many animal ingredients are in regular foods… bone char in sugar has to be one of the crazier ones.
Thanks for the link love!
Sorry to hear about your nasty ingredient encounter. Thanks for the heads up about sneaky ingredient list.
Girl… I think I about gaged. You’ve GOT to be kidding me. Good thing I don’t like gummie bears in the first place. gaw.
I’m all about reading the labels. I love black beans, but I have to check EVERY label in order to make sure I don’t get any nasty lard in there. ugh. terrible.
Hey, just a heads up. Gelatin can be found in yogurt(most of them) and altoids(yes, the mint). Pectin is also a vegetarian substitute for gelatin (made from fruit). I’ve been a veggie since I was 10 yrs old (17 years now). Don’t feel bad, I’ve made mistakes too!
Love your blog, by the way.
I am totally the chick that hogs the little milk/sugar station, usually because I am carrying a gym bag, purse, newspaper, bus pass and the list goes on….I place things on the counter and knock people with my “luggage”…not cool but within 2 minutes I am outta there
And thanks for the comment and the offer to keep me honest. I totally need that some days! And I am there for you too. We can go this girl!!
I was vegetarian for a few years (more for budgetary reasons and later health reasons rather than ethical reasons) and learned to read labels and avoid the ‘hidden’ non-veggie items. What did my head in most of all was when I would specifically ask for a vegetarian dish and meat would mysteriously appear on it – this often happened with pizza. Or the stores who served up vegetarian items that had been cooked on the same grill as the meat. ARGH!