Is this a vegetarian??

[vsdprasad 0]

For some time, I used to prepare noodles which had oriental flavor in the accompanying packet. All other flavors were explicitly non-veg like "chicken flavor" etc, etc.

After eating for quite few days, I recently learnt that it has a non-veg flavor.

These are the ingredients in "SMACK RAMEN NOODLES", Oriental Flavor:

 

NOODLES: ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NICACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN), PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS (SOYBEAN AND/OR PALM AND/OR COTTONSEED), SALT, GUAR GUM, SODIUM CARBONATED, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM CARBONATE.

SEASONING: SALT, SUGAR, SOY SAUCE POWDER, MALTODEXTRIN, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, HYDROLYZED VEGETABLE PROTEIN, CARAMEL COLOR, <U>ONION POWDER</U>, <U>GARLIC POWDER</U>, BEEF FLAVOR, SPICES, DEHYDRATED PARSLEY, CITRIC ACID, YEAST, DISODIUM IOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, NATURAL FLAVORINGS.

 

So I feel I might've acquired some bad karma if the flavor came directly from beef and not if its a mix of some chemicals.

But I could not find any other pure veg item from wal-mart n other stores.

Anybody who can suggest some good pure veg fast-food items that are acceptable for krsna devotees? Instant mixes etc etc.

another thing: Are french fries (from mcdonalds) acceptable in the regulative principles?? This also has beef flavor.

And how about coke??

 

Being far from home n missing home food is definitely a problem for veggy students.

 

-Prasad.

[Guest guest]

Haribol,

 

There are a few quick things you can have. One is Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans (comes in a can), there is also a Heinz brand version called vegetarian baked beans. Instant mashed potatos (for example, Idaho Spuds brand) are really simple to make, just add water and boil for two minutes. Frozen or canned corn kernals can be added to it.

 

I'm sure some others will give you ideas.

 

What city do you live in?

 

[Gauracandra 1]

Check for this in the stores. They are 100% vegetarian, but are a bit expensive. I don't find eating just one to be very filling. And a single dish might be like $4 or so. I would need like 4 or 5 such servings to be satisfied, so that comes to like $16 to $20 per meal. Its just too expensive, but it is one possible choice.

[theist 1]

Just go to a natural food store and you will have plenty of choices.

 

Beef is a tip off.Natural flavors can be veggie or chicken etc.Assume its meat.

 

Please avoid McDonalds.Even to drink water.Be as carefull as possible where you place Laxsmidevi.Similar to our not wanting Ravanna to touch Sita.

[vsdprasad 0]

guest prabhu!,

 

I found this to be a bearably vegetarian! :

Ingredients of "Maruchan Ramen" Noodle soup <u>Mushroom Flavor</u>:

 

<u>RAMEN NOODLE INGREDIENTS</u>: ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR(WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL(CONTAINS ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: CANOLA, COTTONSEED,PALM), SALT, SOY SAUCE (WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT), POTASSIUM CARBONATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, SODIUM CARBONATE, TURMERIC.

<u>SOUP BASE INGREDIENTS</u>:

SALT,MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, SUGAR, DEHYDRATED VEGETABLES (MUSHROOMS, ONIONS, GARLIC), DEHYDRATED SOY SAUCE (WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALG, MALTODEXTRIN), HYDROLYZED SOY CORN AND WHEAT PROTEIN, NATURAL FLAVORS, SPICES, CARAMEL COLOR, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE.

 

I feel the ingredients are bearably vegetarian 'cos I feel it doesn't have any meat products- so no acquiring of bad karma. As far as garlic, onion etc are concerned, I feel its bearable as its vvery difficult to get something without this also. By regular chanting, krsna might forgive for this offense.

 

Anybody who can tell about taking drinks like coke/sprite etc, and cheese pizza ??.

 

-Prasad.

[theist 1]

Prasad prabhu,

 

Get thee hence to a natural food store.Wal-mart is not a good place to find foodstuff.

 

You can but instant noodles without all the chemicals.And again,natural flavor can also be chicken or beef.

 

You can buy premade veggie soups like lentil, split pea,chili etc.To these you just add boiling water and stir.Some of these may contain onions and/or garlic.

 

There are hundreds of choices out there for you but you have to go to the right store.

 

Coke contains caffein.The cheese may have rennet which are enzymes taken from cows stomachs.You can buy rennetless cheese pizza at a natural food store.

 

Do you live in a major city?

 

Also what about a blender for a fast easy meal.

 

Cow or soy milk.

A banana

Some berries

Add a little bit of some nut or seedbutter.

 

Great for breakfast with hundreds of variations.

[theist 1]

prasad,

 

Disodium inosinate can be from an animal fish vegetable or fungal source.

 

You never know.

[Guest guest]

Prasadji, would it be too much trouble for you to thank Theist after all the responses he has given. Or have you given up on being strictly vegetarian and have taken to MOUNA?

 

Good Manners Maketh the Man and not what passeth his Mouth

[vsdprasad 0]

Guestji(?*?ji),

 

ok ok. let me thank every one for their kind responses esp guest prabhu.

for some time I didnt look at this forum and was looking only in "spiritual discussions" and generally its difficult to see every post in every forum with the time schedule one normally has.

 

I feel some things need not be always explicitly expressed and they must be felt in the heart.

 

 

Disodium inosinate can be from an animal fish vegetable or fungal source.

You never know.

 

 

 

I searched for this in some websites and it doesn't say its from a fish vegetable or fungal source. It is a combination of chemicals and hence I think needn't be considered as a non veg item.

-Prasad.

[vsdprasad 0]

This summer I had a nice vacation in India. while I was returning, I was travelling from LondonGatWick to DallasFortWorth in AA .( I ordered for AsianVegMeal, AVML when I booked my flight before.)

 

I was looking over the atlantic and was thinking how wonderful GODs creation was. It was lunch time and the air hostess placed a so-called AVML before me. one item appeard to me like a non-veg item & I immediately asked her "Is this a vegetarian?".

she said: "yes, its vegetarian",

I said "But it looks like a chicken!".

She said," No, No! its a fish!".

 

Then I realised they treat sea foods also as pure vegetarian foods! They dont find anything more vegetarian than this!, unlike few other airlines.

I had to end up eating other veg-items like a pure herbivore and relying on juices.

It was fine when travelling in 'Emirates' wherein they serve something like 'upma' and other veggy items for AVML.

 

How do acharyas who go for preaching missions find the food during their flights?

 

-Prasad.

[Jahnava Nitai Das 2]

The best policy is to carry your own food on the flights. We cant trust the air hostesses very much. Sometimes they put the wrong sticker on the meal, and they give a non-veg meal to someone who ordered vegetarian. Also sometimes the previous "Veg sticker" is still stuck to the tray, so they may mix it up.

 

And do they poke those holes into the tin foil with the same fork (or whatever they use) on all meals? They may be poking a stick into a beef meal, and then poking it into your veg meal.

 

And who prepares the food originally? Is there any guarantee they are not mixing things up in their factory, accidentally putting non-veg ingredients into something that is supposed to be Veg?

 

And who knows what is their definition of vegetarian? Thats probably the worst part. Some will include eggs, some will include fish. The safest bet is to order a Jain meal, but then again you have the same problems mentioned above.

 

Generally whatever we eat, we will be accumulating sin, so the best thing is to prepare something simple that we can carry with us, and offer it to Krishna before we travel. Undertake a little austerity for 24 hours and eat the bare minimum. Personally on airplanes I loose my apetite when I see (and smell) the person next to me eat his Beef Special.

 

[Guest guest]

Ditto on all that Jndas ji, air flight is a dizzying experience at best. I used to just ask for all the fruit they could muster up so they would bring me little delights from bussiness class, even used to sneak in there to sleep and get away with it. But times have changed, too many cottoned on to it. You're lucky if you get through the basic list undamaged, but forget about the gelatines and rennets, enhancers, emulsifiers etc. After trying to explain to hosstesses in English from a dozen different airlines that don't follow you're concern or language. You feel like giving up.

I have noticed a lot more vegetarians on planes lately though. The last time I travelled a month back I got given chicken even after I asked for a strict veg meal no mushrooms garlic or onion. And the Sikhs in front of me altho ordering veg. got the same, but ended up eating it anyway, so much for committment.Then the desserts are sometimes made of geletin and egg. My wife would usually make some samosas and sweets, they help for the first day on a journey into a foreign land also, to get your feet. But coming home sometimes means fasting.

Acharyas I've known often have their servants take their own meals on board in a tiffin.

[ethos 0]

God, you can spell good! ...anybody that can spell "delimnas"...

 

1st part, very humorous. I'll remember to sleep in first class. 2nd part, I guess we're always being tested.

 

There were headlines in America not far back about some group sueing McDonalds. McDonalds had been selling veggie burgers in place of their meat ('cause it was cheaper I''m sure) and somebody or somebodies found out and sued 'em to sell meat again.

 

Now, who's controlling things 'round here?

[WiccanChick 0]

im a new found vegetarian, i started going meat free when i was 14, in march 2001. i can proudly say, after more than a year, i am still meat free. i have had several back falls like the gelatin fiasco, and fast food french fries, but im still commited. i just came across chicken flavored ramen smack noodles, and i was wondering if the so called "chicken flavor" is chicken, or something else. Im not sure if any of you know, but i cant seem to find it on the internet.

p.s.- i loved the airplane thing, ill have to try it...

p.s.s.- I LOVE AMY'S VEGGIE FOODS TOO!!!

thanks, love Kelly

[Krsnanatha 0]

May experience has shown me that if something says it has an animal flavoring always just assume it is contaminated and move on to something else. There is such thing as imitation beef or chicken but unless it is listed as such give it a miss.

Some time back I had a vegetarian friend who would eat the Oriental Flavored Top Ramen from a company called Nissin. Frankly it looked tasty and I wanted some but I wasn't sure so I contacted the company. I was handed off to a customer service person who told me that the Oriental flavor was the only completely safe for vegetarians ramen product that they make. She told me they make it vegetarian specifically targeting the (strict) Asian Buddist segment of the buying market. She was also kind enough to send me a bunch of coupons for free Ramen. I also researched a company I that makes ramen with a name like ?Maruchin? It is widely available but all, even their Oriental flavor have some meat contamination. Hope that helps.

[Guest guest]

Hi-- maybe it's different in different parts of the country, but in New York the "Oriental" flavor of Nissin Top Ramen lists "beef flavor" as an ingredient. I usually assume that beef flavor is derived from meat.

[theist 1]

Wiccanchick,

 

I found out that what is labeled natural flavor can come from vegetarian or meat sources. I don't trust any of these companies unless they are going way out of the way to say it contains no animal products.

 

Like the dairy industry. When it became widely know that rennet came from cows stomachs they started calling it enzymes because vegetable enzymes can also be used. They could not care less for our sensibilities on these issues in most cases. They just want our buckaroos.

[livingentity 0]

Read the labels on everything you buy.

 

Here are a list of ingredients that are or could be animal products.

 

When in doubt about some item of food, you can call or write to the company that makes it. But be aware that they might not always be totally honest even then.

 

Calcium stearate

Emulsifiers

Enzymes

Fatty acids

Gelatin

Magnesium stearate

Mono and diglycerides

Monostearates

Oleic acid

Olein

Palmitin

Palmitic acid

Pepsin

Polysorbates

Rennet

Stabilizers

Stearic acid

Stearin

Tween

 

[livingentity 0]

Ingredient, What It Is and Its Use

 

Albumin - The protein component of egg whites. Albumin is also found in animal blood, milk, plants, and seeds. To thicken or add texture to processed foods.

 

Anchovies - Small, silvery fish of herring family. Worcestershire sauce, Caesar salad dressing, pizza topping, Greek salads.

 

Animal shortening - suet, lard (see lard below). Packaged cookies and crackers, refried beans, flour tortillas, ready-made pie crusts.

 

Carmine -(carmine, cochineal, or carminic acid) Red coloring made from a ground-up insect. Bottled juices, colored pasta, some candies, frozen pops, "natural" cosmetics.

 

Calcium stearate - Mineral typically derived from cows or hogs Garlic salt, vanilla, meat tenderizers, salad-dressing mixes.

 

Capric acid (decanoic acid) - Animal fats added to ice cream, candy, baked goods, chewing gum, liquor and often not specified on ingredients lists.

 

Casein (caseinate) A milk protein. - It coagulates with the addition of rennin (see rennin below) and is the foundation of cheese. An additive in dairy products such as cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream. Also used in adhesives, paints, and plastics.

 

Clarifying agent Derived from any number of animal sources. Used to filter wine, vinegar, beer, fruit juice, soft drinks.

 

Gelatin Protein from bones, cartilage, tendons, and skin of animals, Much of the commercial gelatin is a by-product of pig skin. Marshmallows, yogurt, frosted cereals, gelatin-containing desserts, molded salads..

 

Glucose (dextrose) Fruits or animal tissues and fluids. Baked goods, soft drinks, candies, frosting.

 

Glycerides (mono-, di-, and triglycerides Glycerol from animal fats or plants. Processed foods, cosmetics, perfumes, lotions, inks, glues, automobile antifreeze. Used as emulsifier.

 

Isinglass Gelatin from air bladder of sturgeon and other freshwater fish. Clarify alcoholic beverages and in some jellied desserts. Rarely used now.

 

Lactic acid Acid formed by bacteria acting on the milk sugar lactose. Imparts a tart flavor. Cheese, yogurt, pickles, olives, sauerkraut, candy, frozen desserts, chewing gum, fruit preserves, dyeing and textile printing.

 

Lactose (saccharum lactin, D-lactose Milk sugar. Culture medium for souring milk and in processed foods such as baby formulas, candies and other sweets, medicinal diuretics, and laxatives.

 

Lactylic stearate Salt of stearic acid (see stearic acid below). Dough conditioner.

 

Lanolin Waxy fat from sheep's wool. Chewing gum, ointments,

cosmetics, waterproof coatings.

 

Lard Rendered and clarified pork fat. Often fat from abdomens of pigs or the fat around the animal's kidneys. Baked goods.

 

Lecithin Phospholipids form animal tissues, plants, lentils, and egg yolks used to preserve, emulsify, and moisturize food. Cereal, candy, chocolate, baked goods, margarine, vegetable oil sprays, cosmetics, and ink.

 

Lutein Deep yellow coloring from marigolds or egg yolks. Commercial food coloring.

 

Myristic acid (tetradecanoic acid) Animal fats. Chocolate, ice cream, candy, jelled desserts, baked goods.

 

Natural flavorings Unspecified, could be from meat or other animal products Processed and packaged foods.

 

Oleic acid (oleinic acid) Animal tallow (see tallow below) Synthetic butter, cheese, vegetable fats and oils, spice flavoring for baked goods, candy, ice cream, beverages, condiments, soaps, cosmetics.

 

Palmatic acid Animal or vegetable fats. Baked goods, butter and cheese flavoring.

 

Pancreatin (pancreatic extract) Cows or hogs Digestive aids. Pepsin Enzyme from pigs' stomachs With rennet to make cheese. Propolis Resinous cement collected by bees Food supplement and ingredient in "natural" toothpaste.

 

Rennin (Rennet) A coagulating enzyme obtained from a young animal's stomach, usually a calf's stomach Rennin is used to curdle milk in foods such as cheese and junket--a soft pudding like dessert.

 

Royal jelly Substance produced by glands of bees. "Natural foods" and nutrient supplements.

 

Sodium stearoyl lactylate May be derived from cows, hogs, animal milk, or vegetable-mineral sources. Used in cake, pudding, or pancake mixes, baked goods, margarine.

 

Stearic acid (octadecenoic acid) Tallow, other animal fats and oils Vanilla flavoring, chewing gum, baked goods, beverages, candy, soaps, ointments, candles, cosmetics, suppositories and pill coatings.

 

Suet Hard white fat around kidneys and loins of animals Margarine, mincemeat, pastries, bird feed, tallow.

 

Tallow Solid fat of sheep and cattle separated from the membranous tissues Waxed paper, margarine, soaps, crayons, candles, rubber,

cosmetics.

 

Vitamin A (A1, retinol) Vitamin obtained from vegetables, egg yolks, or fish liver oil. Vitamin supplements, fortification of foods, "natural" cosmetics.

 

Vitamin B12 Vitamin produced by microorganisms and found in all animal products; synthetic form (cyanocobalamin or cobalamin on labels) is vegan Supplements or fortified foods.

 

Vitamin D (D1, D2, D3) D1 is produced by humans upon exposure to sunlight; D2 (ergocalciferol) is made from plants or yeast, D3 (cholecalciferol comes from fish liver oils or lanolin Supplements or fortified foods.

 

---

-----------

 

Source: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Vegetarian by Suzanne Havala, M.S., R.D., F.A.D.A., Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst, The Vegan Sourcebook by Joanne Stepaniak, M.S.Ed.

 

[Krsnanatha 0]

Dandavats to the thoughtful responder. I read your post. I let out a scream of horror and ran to my cupboard to review the ingredients of the offending product. It did not list beef. So I called them.......

You know, Them, the guys that will lie to you in order to get you to buy their twenty cent pack of Ramen? They assured me it is vegetarian. Do I believe them now?

NO!

Do I feel like an ass for accepting their previous presentation?

YES!

I feel really stupid. Pray for me.

The best advice anyone can get is if one's life is so complicated that one can find no time to carefully cook from stratch, a simple bhoga to offer to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga either reduce one's schedule, sleep a bit less, or fast. I am sorry I offered a poor suggestion.

I've been around long enough to know better, please forgive me.

Your fallen friend and servant in Krsna consciousness,

Krsnanatha dasa

[vanamali 1]

Ramen

So-called "vegetable soups"

Yogurt (like dannon) in individual cups

Jello

Cakes (even if egg-free may contain gelatin)

 

Instead of Ramen, try Maggi (the Indian version) there are several non-veg and several veg flavors, but I don't think they contain gelatin

 

I once had a dream I was eating a chocolate cake and someone came up to me and said "You know there's beef in that!"

 

Jai Sri Krishna!

~JoAnna