Vegan foods: How to spot fake ones. Watch out for sugar and red food coloring.

Many products marketed as vegan-friendly are full of animal derivatives. How can you be sure you're choosing the right product? Learn to read the label.

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How to tell if a food is truly vegan

HOW TO UNDERSTAND IF A FOOD IS REALLY VEGAN

Of course vegan friendly: some foods that are presented on the food market as 100% vegan are actually full of dairy or animal derivatives.When you decide to approach a vegan diet meat, fish, eggs and all products of animal origin are eliminated, including, obviously, milk, cheeses and dairy products. However, if you choose to follow a vegan diet, you need to carefully check that there are no animal-derived ingredients. And this is where problems arise, when the consumer is faced with incomprehensible labels or even falsified.

It seems, in fact, that a vegan diet does not guarantee the absence of animal derivatives: according to a 2015 study by the American startup Clear Labs, 10% of meat substitute foods, such as tofu or seitan, contain casein, a binding agent derived from cow's milk. Again, foods apparently very distant from the animal world, such as peanuts shelled may contain animal gelatine (the so-called gelatine) which is added during the packaging stage. And what about the sugar? Normal refined, white table sugar is bleached with an additive called bone char, obtained by crumbling the bones of slaughtered animals.

Also pay attention to the red foods: The artificial colouring, which we find on the label under the wording E120 or E124, derives from an insect, the cochineal, and can also be traced under the name of carminic acid. Not even the beverages are free from such falsifications: beer, for example, which may contain gelatine, or fruit juices, often supplemented with omega-3 (extracted from fish fats) or vitamin D, derived from lanolin, an oil produced by sheep to lubricate their coat and keep them warm. But how can you protect yourself?

ALSO READ: Vegetarian and vegan diets: how to ensure you get the nutrients that are important for your health

HOW TO RECOGNIZE VEGAN FOODS

In a modern jungle like that of the food market, it is essential to know read the labels, which often mask with incomprehensible chemical labels products and additives that come from the animal kingdom. A quick search in Internet to clear up any doubts about the voices you can't decipher. You need a critical and conscious consumption.

Furthermore, if you choose a vegan diet, it would be preferable to choose unrefined, raw, and unprocessed foods, replacing packaged foods with seasonal, fresh foods from the fruit and vegetable market.

VEGAN RECIPES NOT TO BE MISSED:

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