Plant Based Bride

Whether you're a new vegan or a vegan veteran, keeping track of no-no ingredients can be incredibly difficult. Friends and family, from longer term vegans all the way to new vegetarians, have been lamenting hidden animal ingredients popping up all over the place in the foods they used to enjoy with a clean conscience. That's why I'm creating this handy guide! Pin or bookmark it so that you can come back and use it as a reference while shopping, making your life that much easier. These ingredients may be found in food, personal care products, clothing, household products, and more. Remember: no one is perfect and it's impossible to successfully avoid all of these ingredients 100% of the time. Don't beat yourself up or get too caught up in the purity of it all and just do your best!

Why Going Pescatarian Doesn't Cut It

Often when someone finds out that I'm a vegan they're quick to justify their own choices. "I'm basically a vegetarian, but I NEED bacon!" or "I only eat white meat." or "I'm a vegetarian, but I eat fish." I've always found this last one to be one of the oddest in the bunch. Really, it's the entire "pescatarian" trend that confuses me. Why distinguish between the flesh of sea and land animals? If you avoid the meat of cows and pigs and chickens and turkeys for health or ethical or environmental reasons, why wouldn't you also avoid fish? It seems to me that just like most people have trouble seeing the animals we raise for livestock in the same light as the animals we keep as pets, the majority view fish as living beings lower on the ladder of importance than mammals, and therefore less like us (and less deserving of life). Most of you would NEVER eat a dolphin. But tuna? Why not? I think a big part of this pervasive belief is that people don't fully understand the impact commercial fishing has on our planet and health. Luckily for you, I'm here to fill you in!