Customer Reviews

Animal Ingredients A to Z: Third Edition

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are vegan or vegetarian and don't have this book, you may be in a bit of a bind.

I received this as a Friend of AK Press (something you should consider becoming if you are at all politically or socially minded), and I have to admit it's not something I'd normally read. I eat meat, but this book has me second guessing that decision.

Besides being a thorough listing of what animal products are in food, this also covers beers, wine, whiskey and cider. From chemicals to secretions to bones -- it's all covered. Personally, I was stunned at the number of foods -- even things I would've considered vegetarian -- that had animal products in them.

AK Press has done everyone a service by putting out this book. It's an excellent reference guide and well worth the price.

As a whole food consumer, though not a vegan, this small, informative book has me reconsidering my diet. While I do occassionally enjoy organic dairy products and free range meat, I sometimes feel guilty in doing so. Frankly, I was startled to learn about the vast plethora of obscure ingredients in our food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals derived from animals. The E.G. Smith Collective has really done an outstanding job collecting all this data. That said, I was a little dismayed that a few of their vegan alternatives were less than eco-friendly. For example, beeswax candles are certainly much healthier for the planet than petroleum candles! (Furthermore, having never been a beekeeper, I really don't understand how extracting beeswax from a honeycomb actually injures the bees. I would also question the idea that eating royal jelly, bee pollen and honey is honestly bad for you given their importance in natural medicine). In addition to suggesting a lot of questionable synthetic alternatives to animal ingredients, they also recommend a lot of soybean products. Personally, I love tofu, soy milk, and tofu ice cream, but I'm also aware of what Vandana Shiva refers to as "soy imperialism." Unfortunately, the authors of this book never discuss the ecological danger of biotechnology. While health food is expensive and brings up lots of complicated class issues, I would really encourage consumers (if you can) to only buy organically grown, non-GMO soy products. I would also suggest you eat other high protein veggie foods as well to diversify both your diet and the heath food industry. Whether I eventually eliminate animal ingredients entirely from my diet, I'm still not sure. However, I am extremely grateful for this excellent vegan resource for opening my eyes to the pervasiveness of animal cruelity in our economic system and challenging both my anthropocentric attitude towards animals and my position on food politics.

This book is filled with more information than you may ever have thought you needed in order to live a cruelty-free lifestyle, but it's all here, presented in a readable and highly useful format. I can't imagine adopting a vegan diet without the aid of this book.

This book is very quick to read. It's small so I keep it in my purse and I use it everytime I go grocery shopping. Beware, some of the information is very shocking. I definately recommend to anyone trying to become a vegetarian/vegan.

Handy guide and small enough to carry in my purse or laptop bag. This was very useful as I made the transition to a vegan lifestyle.

I am completley blown away at how many animal derived ingredients are in everything from toothpaste to shampoo to lotion. I shudder to think that while I have not eaten meat for years, I was rubbing something that came from a sheeps stomach on my body every day.

Probably the most surprising thing was learning that wine and beer are also something I need to consider carefully.

If you want to know what is in the products you are buying, this is a very handy reference. I highly recommend for beginning vegans.

IE: a reference list of animal ingredients to look out for in your food/cosmetics, etc. Nothing that you can't find elsewhere on the web, but it's nice to have it summarized in one handy booklet.

Like it has been said many times already, this book is an essential book for all vegetarians, vegans, or just anyone who doesn't care to eat the worst parts of animals. Pretty thin, light book, easy to carry with you. I keep it in my messenger bag wherever I go.

This book packs a TON of information into a small, slim manual, the perfect size to slip in your eco-friendly shopping tote when you head to the supermarket. Not only does this guide list all possible animal ingredients, but it describes the sources, and debunks myths about animal products used in various items (ex. is cow blood used in ketchup? Thankfully, it's not!) It also lists sources of vegan alcohol (wine is often filtered with gelatin or isinglass,) outlines the basics of vegan nutrition, and briefly tells of the origins of the word "vegetarian." This book packs plenty of bang for the buck!

This is the perfect size to take to the grocery store with you if you're like me and you don't mind people staring at you as you hold a box of something in one hand while using the other to flip the pages. I don't really take this to the store with me anymore as I've been vegan for a little while now and have become familiar with animal derived ingredients, but this definitely saved me when I was first starting out. Outside of the lists, this book gives details on some ingredients that are fun to share with people who ask why you eat the way that you do.

This book was very informative and helped me through my transition a lot. But there were some parts in the book that were vague but overall it's great!