I was swimming around the web as I’m wont to do and came up with a bunch of questions about things that people were wondering if they’re vegan or not. So let’s make a quick list of some of the most obvious, bizarre and weird things that people are wondering if they’re vegan or not.
Are bagels vegan?
Yes. At least if they’re made traditionally. And if they are, they should only include flour, water, sugar, salt and yeast.
It also depends what you put on your bagel. You can’t have lox and a schmear. Lox is smoked salmon and schmear usually refers to cream cheese. However, I enjoy my bagels with vegan schmear or vegan cream cheese, margarine and marmite or jam or peanut butter.
Are BCAA vegan?
Maybe. BCAA or Branched-chain amino acids are amino acids that are found in the proteins we eat. They’re found in pretty much all foods because pretty much all foods contain amino acids, and BCAAs are only a certain type of amino acid. They are the amino acids leucine, valine and isoleucine).
You’ll hear broscience suggesting that we need these as they’re essential. This is true. Then they’ll tell you that we need to supplement with them. This is bullshit. That’s just a way to create an artificial need and allow supplement makers a deeper feel into our wallet pocket.
Broscience will also tell you that the way to get these into your diet is through meat and dairy. In fact, all foods contain all the essential amino acids. If you ate only oranges all day for sufficient calories, you’d get sufficient BCAAs.
In any event, the question you’re really asking is are supplemental BCAA vegan? The short answer is I don’t know. The long answer is write to the supplement maker you’re considering buying from and ask them. I said BCAAs are maybe vegan at the beginning of this question. That’s because it depends on the food you’re eating. BCAAs are vegan if you’re getting them from oranges. If you’re getting them from milk then no, they’re not vegan.
Oh, and by the way. Don’t bother with this shit. It’s not necessary and might even be harmful. Besides, the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) thinks they’re not worthwhile. Eat a sandwich before a workout if you want to experience less fatigue.
Are beers vegan?
Yeah baby. Get over it already. I wrote a whole post on this. Read it. The animals care more about how you can be an example of the easiness of the vegan diet, they don’t care for militant arses who make everyone think that the vegan diet is so restrictive and unattainable.
Are Birkenstocks vegan?
Some of them. But really, you’re gonna buy hundred dollar Birkis and be that stereotypical vegan hippie yuppie who smokes pot and spouts zen koans?
Are biscuits vegan?
That depends. Some are. Some aren’t. It also depends on if you’re British or American. Biscuits for Brits are cookies in America. Either way, cookies and biscuits can be vegan. Just look at the ingredient’s list.
If it has NO dairy, eggs or gelatin it’s vegan. ‘Cos lets be honest, biscuits aren’t going to have blood, meat or fish in them. Where I live, I’ve found yummy Dad’s cookies that are vegan amongst others.
Are Boba vegan?
For those of you who don’t know. Boba milk tea is also known as bubble milk tea. The boba in boba milk tea is tapioca balls. These are vegan. The tea beverage itself might not be. Although bubble milk tea is made with different fruits or teas, they often add a creamer to it to give it its milky appearance.
However, because many people of East Asian descent are lactose intolerant the creamer is often non dairy in nature. Though this is not always the case in the US. My best advice is to ask if they use a non dairy creamer. Very often, even if they do, soy milk will be available as a substitute.
One other thing to bear in mind is that sometimes the balls are not tapioca but jelly, and this will often have been made with gelatin. So ask about that too.
Also, the milk is often optional in traditional bubble milk tea. So if you get it without the milk or with soy milk, then yes, boba are vegan as is bubble milk tea. Enjoy.
Watch for another post on some of the weird and wonderful questions related to: Are … vegan?