Eliminating Eggs as A Vegan

by Pam
(Walnut Creek, CA)

Eliminating Eggs as a Vegan: How "Vegan" Do I Need to Be to Call Myself Vegan?

Question:

I have been eating vegan (or what I interpret as vegan) for quite sometime. I always wonder about foods that contain some form of non-vegan contents. For instance, is the traditional pancake okay? It contains a mixture with eggs and milk though. And don't they use eggs to make whole wheat bread? To be a "vegan eater," do we have to eliminate foods with the slightest content of "no-no" ingredients?

Answer:

This is a good question, and it's one every person has to answer for his and herself. For instance, when you get out to nitty gritty details like vegan and non-vegan alcohols, potting soil, photographic film, and such, many vegans decide to draw the line either including or excluding those things from their lives. Whatever decision you make, you have to be comfortable with what you are doing.

I personally believe that any one person who decides to make a difference in his diet by eating fewer animal products is making a difference in the world. Some vegans are extremely strict about who should call themselves vegan and may not like others calling themselves vegan if they eat eggs. Technically, if you are eating pancakes with eggs (or any other products with eggs, milk, regular butter, or any other animal ingredients), you are not strictly following a vegan diet.

The good news is that it's really really easy to find recipes for standard foods that don't contain any eggs or milk. There are an abundance of excellent vegan cookbooks on the market, and one I highly recommend for vegan brunch recipes like pancakes is Vegan Brunch. Isa's recipes are just as easy as using a pre-made pancake mix, and then you have total control over the ingredients.

There are also tons of great recipes on the internet, even for vegan pancakes. You might also want to check out my ebook on vegan bread recipes, if you want to learn more ways to cook without eggs.

Most of the time breads don't have eggs in them, but sometimes they're added in. However, it's very easy to read labels and avoid buying breads with animal ingredients. You don't need eggs for baking bread, or making pancakes, or for almost anything else in the kitchen.

I hope that helps clarify things!