Am I still a vegetarian...(I didn't know!!)?

Earlier today, I asked a question: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...


So, pretty much, I ate a pop-tart without realising it contained gelatin. And I know gelatin is made of animal bones, tendons, skin, ect. I have been a vegetarian for two months now, and I love it; I feel healthier and an all around better person.


Someone answered my question saying that Pop Tarts are not 'vegan', but are they vegetarian? I mean, is the tissue used to make Pop Tarts just a byproduct of the meat industry that would just do to waste, anyway? Like leather? And I figured since vegans don't wear leather but some vegetarians do...


What I really want to know is am I still a vegetarian. No stupid answers, please.

Am I still a vegetarian...(I didn't know!!)?
Lacto-ovo Vegetarians don't eat meat. But many of them still eat products containing geletain. Some do, some don't....they're all still considered vegetarian if they don't eat actual meat.





Course, what most vegetaians and vegans don't realize is that sugar is not a vegan product either. Sugar is processed through a bone char. The bone char decolorizes the sugar.





I could list a hiundred common items that are often not vegetaian/vegan, even though most people assume they are:





chewing gum





wine





pre-packaged guacamole





bread (sometimes contains cysteine)





Items containing Mono- and diglycerides (as they are often animal derived - this includes bakery items, ice cream, beverages, whipped toppings, etc)





Royal Jelly





the list goes on and on. If you worried about everything you put in your mouth, and analized everything, you probably wouldn't even drink water and you'd starve to death.





Stop worrying about what OTHER people think is vegetarian, and focus on the foods that you do or don't feel comfortable eating yourself.
Reply:Yes. It's not like being a vegetarian is a religion that you get kicked out of if you end up eating some gelatin. Continue with your lifestyle in peace.


I will say though, that if you're trying to eat healthy, it's a good idea to lose things like poptarts. ;)


Good luck!


[edit]


Yeah, what beebs said. (Hint: give her the best answer. She rawks. =D)
Reply:I always understood Vegetarians to be those who dont eat meat. I know people who eat eggs and cheese who consider themselves vegetarians.





Vegans eat no animal meat or by-products. I have a few friends who are strict vegans and it can be pretty hard.





There are even certain types of beer they can't drink.
Reply:Yes, just a misinformed vegetarian. Don't worry about it. Now you know, and can avoid gelatin (in marshmallows too) You are making a concious effort to avoid animal products, and you are to be commended for that. Just continue to learn. Read labels-if you dont know what an ingredient is, just google it to see what it is derived from. I am glad you are feeling better about your choices. Way to go!
Reply:You are still a vegetarian. You're going to find that you constantly run into things that contain animal products that you didn't know about. I recently had the same thing happen... I was eating my Tillamook yogurt and saw the word "kosher gelatin". I looked it up and found that kosher does not necessariy mean non-animal, so I emailed the company. They confirmed they use animal gelatin. I was SO bummed... and grossed out... but yeah. I just check my yogurt now!





Unfrosted poptarts are vegetarian. Frosted ones are not. Just don't eat the frosted ones anymore and you'll be fine.





That said... look out for other gelatin products. Many "frosted" cereals (including frosted mini wheats) have gelatin, as do many candies like starburst %26amp; skittles %26amp; gummy bears. Marshmallows (and anything containing marshmallows, like rocky road ice cream) also contain gelatin as do the majority of yogurts as well as some frozen yogurts.
Reply:haha..This reminds me of myself when I became i vegetarian...I as doing so well and ate a pop-tart.....and a friend of mine said "ya know theres gelatin in them things"....I felt as if I ruined my months of animal friendly hard work....I dont eat them anymore....not because I feel its truly an animal product because its really not...but because there not very good for you anyways...but hey if you like pop-tarts hun more power to ya!....


P.S. Your still a vegetarian :)
Reply:We all make these mistakes time to time. You learn to read the labels more carefully. I myself had some margarine and realized there was gelatin in it. Believe me you are still a vegetarian. You learn from your mistakes.
Reply:Oy, this is not an exclusive club.





If you believe that it is cruel to bring animals into the world only to slaughter them for profit, then you are a vegetarian.





If you try hard not to contribute to the demand that is supplied by cruelty, you're doing a great thing.





It sounds like you are new to this and don't really get it. It is a personal decision and no two people are exaclty the same.





Make your own rules that feel right to you and do your best.
Reply:Yes, you are still a vegetarian. If you want to be vegan (completely animal product fee) you would not eat things with animal byproducts. And, there are so many products out there with animal fats or whatnot hidden in the ingredients I'm sure a lot of vegans have had slip-ups unknowingly. It does not mean that you are no longer vegetarian/vegan.
Reply:No...frosted pop tarts have gelatin in them and are not vegetarian. Being vegetarian means not consuming meat or by products. If you ate it my accident, then yes, you are still a vegetarian but willingly eating them..that's a different story.
Reply:Yes. You are still vegetarian. Everybody slips up. Everybody.





I have issues with people who pull the drama queen routine when they find out they've just eaten something with animal in it. Man does that get old.





We live in a world that is basically unfriendly to vegetarians. How can it be easy to be veg when they're splicing animal genes into our fruit? Beebs brought that up earlier today.





I find it does help to grieve. Feel bad for the fall. Even an accidental one. Then move on. But don't forget. Be careful for next time.
Reply:If a man goes in the ladies room by mistake he's still man. It's called a mistake. If he continues going into the ladies room.....well ......


So are you going to continue eating pop tarts?





It really comes down to your reasons for being a vegetarian.


If it's for health reasons, then sure you are. You can eat gelatin and wear leather.





If you're a vegetarian for moral reasons against killing animals, then you're a hypocrite if you eat pop tarts and wear leather.
Reply:the non frosted poptarts are vegan!


http://www.almostvegan.com/archives/2005...


but frosted ones contain gelatin i think.


or you can try making your own


http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/2007/0...
Reply:Vegetarians don't eat meat.





Vegans don't eat animal byproducts.





Yes, you're still a vegetarian. Vegetarians can eat gelatin, I think, because animal bones aren't meat. You can eat everything that is not meat.





I've been a vegatarian for 4 months now and I'm still going strong. I prefer NOT to eat gelatin though, but that is only MY choice. You can do whatever you want. I think you can stick it through a long way, good luck!





(edit) I agree with most people here. It's common to slip up, don't let go of this because you THINK you made one mistake. If a Muslim eats pork by accident, they don't have to give up the religion, just never do it again. Some vegetarians prefer to eat chicken, which is white meat. I tend to not stick to categories, such as lacto-vegetarian or whatever else there is, I just do my own personal thing, and what I believe is right.
Reply:I believe you are still vegetarian,


a lot of different kind of vegetarian in the world. As long as you don't eat meat, you are STILL VEGETARIAN.


In china, we have vegetarian with eating eggs, but not meat, onion, garlic. They consider those food can't eat at all.


My husband is Indian vegetarian, we don't eat anything with animal products. Like the Pop-Tart you were talking about, and eggs, some cake contains eggs, we can't eat at all.


So, I believe that is all depend how you think and feel.


But I can tell you, you are still vegetarian.
Reply:If that kind of accident caused your 'veggie clock' to restart that would mean I've only been veggie about 7 years instead of half a century since I was hospitalized back then for taking a bite of a bean burrito that had some beef fat mixed in.





Not as dramatic as my last 'goof' since you didn't get sick, but as long as you consider 'plop-tarts' off limits it's not a problem.





BTW; if you really like those things (I don't) please note that the unfrosted ones don't normally have hoof in them and Amy's offers some that *really are* safe for veggies!
Reply:No, gelatin is not vegetarian. But everybody makes a mistake sometimes. They put animal products in so many weird things now days that its impossible to know them all. You are still a vegetarian, but now you know to always read the labels.
Reply:Gosh, you need to eat meat to stay healthy, meat contains protein and you dont have enough of it! You're not that healthy and you're probably soo skinny and God made animals for humans to kill and eat. Read the bible! God made animals for a purpose so that we can eat them to suriv! And gelitan is made up of animal bones!!!!???
Reply:no it's not, don't eat it, unless you have to
Reply:it doesnt really matter. when you are a vegetarian, you can control what you eat and there are no rules. but usually only vegans would not eat geletin or eggs and stuff.
Reply:Hey, chips, be kind to yourself. Even those who are vegetarian for religious reasons have something they do to atone for having eaten something not vegetarian accidentally!





There are some gelatins that are vegetarian/vegan, and these are made from agar-agar, extracted from seaweed. So there is a possibility that your Pop Tart may be vegetarian/vegan!





Take heart from what Howard Lyman, the vegetarian activist, said: "I will not INTENTIONALLY eat anything that has any meat or animal products in it."





But in your case, you just didn't know. Just be careful next time to read the label of processed food.





Good luck!
Reply:you are still a vegatarian, you just didn't know,as long as you don't eat gelatin again you're fine.
Reply:Yes: You're still a vegetarian they could have used veggie oil or corn, follow your heart be what you want to be and be happy with what you do, just be true to your self.





Rastafarian Jah
Reply:they are vegetarian!! Vegan is a special kind of vegetarian which does not eat anything with any type of animal product!! So even though it is not vegan you are still a veg!!