(Photo: Adrian Nakic/Getty Images)By Dan Shapley
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Ellen DeGeneres talks to guests about how she does it. Actress Alicia Silverstone wrote a book about how she does it. A slimmer Bill Clinton made news for talking about doing it, and all Chelsea's friends do it -- at least they did on her wedding day. Ed Begely Jr., the 61-year-old activist and actor, has been doing it for longer than any of them.
They eat a vegan diet, as more and more Americans are doing, trend-watchers and cookbook publishers tell us. But what does that mean, exactly?
Vegans, like vegetarians, never eat meat. But vegans are stricter, shunning not only meat, but fish and shellfish (which some vegetarians will eat), eggs, milk and other dairy products -- any food with an ingredient derived from an animal, from a cow down to an insect. (Insects? Yes. For example, cochineal, which makes many red food dyes red, has only recently been required to be listed on ingredient labels, but it's always been made from insects.)
[ Related: Seven Food Aliases: Do You Really Know What You're Eating? ]
Vegans and vegetarians have to take special care to get enough vitamin B12 and protein, but like anyone, they can get all the nutrients they need from a varied diet of plants and grains, according to nutritionist Marion Nestle.
[ Related: Top 10 Vitamin B12 Foods ]
Here's a look at some more of the foods avoided by Dudell and other vegans The Daily Green interviewed (including our Facebook friends):
1. Meat. Topping the list, of course, are all meats -- from hamburgers and pork chops to chicken wings and the Thanksgiving turkey.
2. Fish and shellfish. Whether it's a lowly shrimp, a fried fish stick, or wild Alaskan salmon, it's not part of a vegan diet.
3. Dairy products. Off the vegan menu: everything from milk and yogurt to cheese and butter.
4. Eggs. That means mayonnaise and anything else made with eggs (yes, most brownies and cakes, too!).
5. Honey. Bees are animals. Bees make honey. Vegans don't eat it.
6. White sugar. Some white sugar is processed with bone char, according to PETA.
Photo: Photo: Michael Deuson/Getty Images)7. Most beer. Guinness is filtered using tiny amounts of gelatin derived from fish bladders. And it's not alone. While some beers are vegan, others are filtered using egg whites or sea shells, according to barnivore, a vegan beer and wine guide.
8. Some breads. While many simple breads are a-OK, containing just four ingredients (flour, yeast, water, and salt) many breads and baked goods are made with whey (a dairy product) or with butter, eggs, or sugar.
9. Marshmallows. These and other foods, like gummy candies and Frosted Mini Wheats cereal, are made with gelatin -- a protein made from boiling skin, bones, and other animal parts. Surprisingly, though, a lot of junk food qualifies as vegan, even if it is unhealthy.
10. Salad dressing. Salads are great for vegans, but not necessarily the dressing. Scan the ingredient list, and you'll often find lecithin, which helps keep oil and vinegar from separating, and can be derived from animal tissues or egg yolk (both no-no's for vegans) or from soy (OK).
More from The Daily Green:
- The Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods to Eat Organic
- Nine Food Label Lies: Don't Be Fooled!
- Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes Even Meat-Eaters Will Love
- The Secrets of Six Scandalous Foods
- The Five Least-Fresh Winter Foods
Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc
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