vegans and chocolate ?

Leora Klingelhoets: I found this great vegan recipe for chocolate chip cookies. In the recipe, it said I can use turbinado or white sugar. I am trying to avoid white sugar at all costs plus I think it loses the whole point of it being a "healthy" cookie.I made some with turbinado, they came out so gritty. The texture is so weird, any suggestions? Thanks...Show more

Amina Motzer: Here are some links that might help. This is going to be a hard science fair project since you don't really have the means to set up three trials to report on. Perhaps you could find a few people who is are vegetarian and are willing to take a blood pressure measurement daily for you and compare it to meat eating diets. Then you could use that data to draw a conclusion. Here are some sites that might help you out anyways.

Armanda Hertel: If done correctly, yes, a vegetarian diet is very healthy. Since most saturated fats are found in meats and animal products, then you'll cut down ! your intake of saturated fats. Also, you'll lower your risk of getting food poisoning, since undercooked meat and meat held at the wrong temperature are good ways to get a food-borne illness. Buy the book, The New Becoming Vegetarian by Melina and someone else I can't remember. That book can give you the information you need to stay on a healthy vegetarian diet....Show more

Chadwick Schmelz: I would be a Very sad monkey if I couldn't have my chocolate.Dark chocolate, rice milk chocolate...They even make vegan chocolate boxes! mmm mm mmmm

Tom Romer: For my science fair project, I am using the question, "Are vegetarians healthier than non-vegetarians?" I need A LOT of help on this. If you have any information (charts, diagrams, articles, anything really!) from a reliable source that would be EXTREMELY helpful. Thank you all soooo very much!

Gregg Hagge: Is there a certain group of ingrediants I can write down and take on shopping trips with me, to look for i! n things that I assume are vegan but may not be, such as pasta! 's, cereal's, pasta sauces, etc etc...Any help appreciated :)

Shaquita Wernicki: I have never bought specialty dairy free chocolate. I just get dark chocolate that doesnt list milk in the ingredients. Ghirardelli chocolate chips are vegan, and make some mighty good cookies:):):)

Tana Dumoulin: Pretty much anything made in a lab or a factory is something to avoid on a vegan diet (though a lot of people who do animal free diets which some call vegan do eat processed foods and lab "foods" just so long as no animals are involved).Here is a list of many ingredients to avoidhttp://www.veganwolf.com/animal_ingredients.htmThese are ingredients which may or may not be animal derived but all of them are things that are not vegan due to the fact they must come from a lab and don't seem at all natural though there is a chance that some might be animal free: http://www.angelfire.com/ar/vegan1/ingredients2.ht...I define veganism differently than most! I define as an animal fr! ee diet that does not contain many processed foods or things made in laboratories or things that hurt animals more than would fruits veggies whole grains, nuts and legumes. The idea is love for the planet which also means love for animals and respect for all of it.Some people define veganism as simply a totally animal free diet meaning you could probably go around eating Sodium Glyceryl Oleate Phosphate (assuming it is even edible and animal free) and high fructose corn syrup and other garbage like that but I don't see how that is going to help animals that much other than the fact you are not directly killing them. Obviously there is no real diet that would involve no animal harm the closest one would maybe be if you did a raw foods diet and grew everything yourself organically with a no till method and got the seeds locally on foot from seed producer that does not sell GMO seeds or any hybrid types. But that is hard to do so the idea is too try your best and know that no! body is perfect but you are trying your best.

Luther Plagmann: I ! would say that generally vegetarians are healthier than non-vegetarians because most of non-vegetarians eat way too much meat. Also, vegetarians are generally healthier, because they usually watch what they eat a lot better than others. There are exceptions for every rule. There are healthy non-vegetarians as well as unhealthy vegetarians.

Kelly Bistodeau: I'd be going through withdrawl if I never had chocolate again...seriously, I'm what some call a chocoholic. ;)Naw, cocoa is technically a bean so chocolate is vegan as long as you get the right kind. Obviously, Hershey's milk chocolate (well, any kind of chocolate from them actually) is not vegan, however dark chocolate (which may sound gross, but it's actually delicious) usually is. And yes, there is a chocolate made with rice milk as well, for the people who want something to mimic the milk-chocolate they're used to. :)...Show more

Flor Lizardi: James' link is good, here's another to cross-reference with.! http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients....Don't feel overwhelmed by it, though it may seem like a lot at first. You get used to it, and you start to cook more whole foods, where you don't have to worry about stuff like this too much.

Javier Holsonback: Yes, they do make chocolate with rice milk. For example, Twilight bars are made with rice milk and are vegan. And of course, there's always dark chocolate. Just check the ingredients.

Dalia Causby: Dark chocolate is an acquired taste. And not all of it is vegan. Some idiotic companies think it's a good idea to put dairy in dark chocolate, so read your labels for no-no ingredients. However, organic, fair-trade, and high-end chocolate companies don't put cows' milk in dark chocolate. Terra Nostra makes rice milk chocolate bars. Green & Blacks is pretty good (I like the mint flavor as well). Chocolove's dark chocolate is also vegan. Look for lower cacao percentages--the higher the cacao content, the less s! weet it is....Show more

Jacinta Moitoso: It all depends on your b! alance. Vegetarians usually worry more about they eat. But they can often worry too much, and not eat right because of this. Non vegetarians can not care what they eat, just eat whatever and not be healthy, but there are other omnivores (such as myself) that dont do this, but instead eat balanced diets. It really depends on the individual. I personally eat meat because 1. Its delicious :P and 2. whose to say there isn't something in it that we dont know about, but we, as humans, need? Humans are built to be omnivores. So, I'd say, while vegetarians are usually more health-oriented, omnivores get a more well rounded diet. Vegans are probably the least healthy of the bunch, do to their lack of variety in all food groups.I'd change your project to be something about the differences between a healthy diet and unhealthy diet, and how vegetarians can be unhealthy as well as omnivores, but they could both be healthy or why humans are built to eat meat etc etc...Show more

She! ree Hipwell: Vegans can eat dark chocolate and brands like Terra Nostra does have Organic Rice Milk Chocolate Bar.

Alma Twomey: vegans don't eat milk chocolate because of the milk but dark chocolate (if good quality.. usually 70% and over) is usually suitable for vegans. some people don't like dark chocolate because it's more bitter than milk chocolate but i've found dark chocolate that was quite tasty.and yes there is also chocolate made from rice milk! i haven't tried any only because i can't find any here. it sounds awesome though.. i loooove rice milk....Show more

Rodrigo Pezley: Cans of beans: Such as Refried beans, Ranch Beans.. many of them have meat products/cook in pork products. I was vegetarian for 8 months.. and thats the only thing that I ran into that was totally weird for me..

Daren Ventrice: You'll always have to check ingredientsSome pastas are made with egg.gelatin is in a lot of thingsA lot of japanese sauces use bonito flakes in their! production.things like curry pastes sometimes have shrimp paste as an ! ingredientget to know your additives as well, although it's best to try to avoid them as well if possible - if something needs to be stabilised, flavoured, coloured, etc, it's not really "food"

Luis Mellon: NO

Gus Leiby: vegans and heavy meat eaters have the same expected lifespanovo-lacto vegetarians and occasional meat eaters have a similar expected lifespanpescatarians have the longest expected lifespan.A 1999 metastudy[54] combined data from five studies from western countries. The metastudy reported mortality ratios, where lower numbers indicated fewer deaths, for fish eaters to be .82, vegetarians to be .84, occasional meat eaters to be .84. Regular meat eaters and vegans shared the highest mortality ratio of 1.00. The study reported the numbers of deaths in each category, and expected error ranges for each ratio, and adjustments made to the data....Show more

Laveta Fathy: Are Vegetarians Healthier

Dale Mccoun: Grind up the turbinado using a m! ortar and pestle. It'll take some work but it'd be worth it I think.

Oscar Waddups: It depends on the particular person. I think that generally vegetarians are considered healthier but the main point is a correct or good enough balance of fruits/vegetables and protein-rich foods. There are some meat eaters who are in good health.

Joaquin Dronko: Those who become vegetarian would have a 1/3 less chance of becoming obese, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol level, lower chance of needing a heart surgery due to heart decease, lower chance of diabetes, lower chance of catching cancer, lower chance of catching stroke, and maybe less chance of other chronic decease.With all these effects decreasing a vegetarian can expect their life to be extended about 10-15 years or maybe more with a healthy lifestyle....Show more

Rivka Killmer: Well, there is dark chocolate. Sadly, many conventional brands feel compelled to add milk to their dark chocolate (why?). Bu! t there are a number of brands that don't do so. Trader Joe's has some! vegan dark chocolate bars. Newman's Own, Endangered Species, and Chocolove are among the brands that have vegan dark chocolate bars (if you don't mind shared machinery, which I don't). A company called Go Max Go makes vegan versions of Snickers (Jokerz), Milky Way (Twilight), 3 Musketeers (Buccaneer), and Almond Joy (Mahalo) with rice milk chocolate. Rose City Chocolates and Xan Confections both have vegan lines. The Tropical Source family of foods makes vegan chocolate chips, including a gluten-free type.Dark chocolate is a bit of an acquired taste, but I have found some vegan dark chocolate bars with 55 percent cacao content so they aren't as strong. If there's a Whole Foods near you, they should have some pretty good options in their candy aisle. Or go to any vegan online retailer, and you will see TONS of vegan chocolate options. I wouldn't be a very happy vegan if I couldn't get my chocolate....Show more

Freeman Rutkin: Here ya go: http://www.caringconsum! er.com/resources_ingredient...

Demetrius Coaster: Chocolate [usually called dark chocolate] is vegan. MILK Chocolate is NOT vegan. Get it? Chocolate is simply made up of cocoa [butter and solids]. Milk chocolate has cocoa butter, milk, sugar. White chocolate [or w/e the heck it's called] is milk, sugar and some other stuff to make it taste highly appealing.

Rodolfo Merel: You can't make generalizations like that. Some vegetarians are healthier than some non-vegetarians, and some non-vegetarians are healthier than some vegetarians. A person could eat a pretty unhealthy vegetarian diet full of sugar and fat, while an omnivore diet that contains few processed foods, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, can be quite healthy. You would be better off to change the focus of your project to describing how a vegetarian diet can be a healthy one. Or on how some aspects of omnivore diets heavy in meat products can be unhealthy....Show more

Clemente Schoec! k: A lot of people turn vegetarian for a variety of reasons. Some do so! for weight control, as they associate meat intake with weight gain. Some have religious reasons, others start feeling strongly about cruelty to animals while some take the spiritual angleâ€"believing that if one wants to live in peace and happiness, then one can’t eat meat, fish, fowl or eggs. But is vegetarianism healthy? Several studies show that regular fruit and vegetable consumption reduces the risk of coronary artery disease. A recent survey of 47,000 Italians found that persons with the highest vegetable consumption had a 21 per cent reduced risk of heart attacks compared to those with the lowest vegetable consumption. Vegetarians also appear to have lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension and Type 2 diabetes than non-vegetarians. In one study, it was noted that the risk of most cancers was 20 to 50 per cent lower for those with a high consumption of whole grains as compared to those with a low consumption. Vegetarians also tend to have a lower body m! ass index and lower overall cancer rates. The longest living populations in the world have very little meat in their diets and largely eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables. A vegetarian diet is also definitely rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals.Despite the benefits of vegetarian diets, vegetarians and vegans (those who also avoid animal derivatives such as milk and dairy) are at risk of several nutritional deficiencies like those of vitamin B12, iron and calcium. Meat, eggs, and dairy are good sources of these nutrients. Vitamin B12 is almost exclusively found in animal food. Iron is especially a concern for vegetarian women in the reproductive age, who are at risk of deficiency due to menstrual losses. Iron and vitamin B12 are essential for formation of red blood cells, maintenance of good haemoglobin levels and proper functioning of the central nervous system. Women are also at higher risk than men for developing osteoporosis especially if their calcium needs aren! ’t met. Even though iron and calcium requirements can be met in veget! arian diets, the bio-availability of these nutrients from vegetarian sources is not comparable to that from non-vegetarian sources.Who is a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian in the Indian context? Most Indian vegetarians pile on the five Psâ€"potatoes, paneer, paranthas, puris and pulses. They hardly have any vegetable and fruit intake, let alone eating brightly-coloured or dark green vegetables, nuts and other protective foods. They don’t fully reap the benefits of a veggie diet, thanks to a high intake of polyunsaturated fat (present in refined oils) and saturated fats (present in vanaspati). They also consume a lot of dairy and milk owing to their “no-meat status”. A complete opposite is the Western counterpart who is typically a converted health-conscious vegetarian, and includes whole grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, plenty of nuts, seeds, soya and good fat in his diet. In other words, a vegetarian diet can be more unhealthy than a non-vegetarian one. A! lot depends on what you really eat rather than simply being vegetarian or otherwise....Show more

Alphonso Brake: Absolutely! Vegans definitely eat chocolate.Dagoba Organic Chocolate Company does make some Vegan Chocolate products. However, they do have non-vegan products too; so be sure to read the ingredients. http://www.dagobachocolate.com/Endangered Species Chocolate also have some Vegan Chocolate products. ALSO, 10% of their net profits are donated to help species, habitat, and humanity! http://www.chocolatebar.com/ Some of the Ghirardelli chocolate chips for baking are vegan. You just need to read the ingredients to make sure there isn't any animal products. These are the Ghirardelli Choc. Chips I use: http://shop.ghirardelli.com/product-exec/product_i... . The chips contain cocoa butter which is naturally, dairy free.You can also use 100% cocoa powder in baking and use vegan "milks" and vegan "butter" in it. Here is a yummy Vegan Cupcake recipe I have tried and! REALLY like: http://veggiesensations.com/vechcupcablf.html . I also re! cently made these divine Vegan Chocolate "No-Bake Peanut Butter Crunch Squares" : http://www.thegluttonousvegan.com/2010/04/no-bake-... . The Vegan who writes this blog makes the most splendid Vegan treats.I also like to make smoothies using cocoa powder, bananas, a little agave nectar, tofu, and almond milk (or rice milk). A great way to help with the chocolate cravings.As someone previously mentioned, dark chocolates are generally what Vegans use..I don't think I could be a Vegan if I couldn't have Chocolate.Hope this is helps you. :)...Show more