vegan 'treats' and snacks

Question

Hello all, if you have other ideas or resources on keeping motivated for vegan living, i'd love to hear it.

I've signed up for a 30 day 'go vegan' pledge via the Vegan Society organization. 
I've found that many things I already like are 'accidentally' vegan, like even sodas, Red bull!
I know, not the healthiest thing but still cruelty free =) 

I've gotten used to soya milk, and I love earth balance with toast. 

My one challenge is still the chocolate - I'm not used to the dark chocolate, but I realize tastes can be learnt and changed with time. I am so inspired by all of you who emphasize not having even that 'trace' amount of dairy or even a 'minimal' amount because animal cruelty and exploitation is awful, no matter how 'little' or how much of an animal product is consumed.

Thank you all! Again if you have found any good vegan chocolates please do let me know your preferred brands.

JoshuaPullen · Answer

If you're just starting out, I wouldn't worry about Trace amounts of dairy. I'd be more concerned with bone char used in the filtration process of lots of sugary products. 

Use Google, check out the PeTA website. Explore your local Whole Foods/Trader Joe's/Supermarkets. Join a Vegan FB group. Early Veganism is all about exploration and there are a lot of amazing products available. Personally, I enjoy Lenny and Larry complete cookies and Lara products, but those are pretty common.

Maybe check out a local Vegan eatery and see if they offer any sweet treats?

Good luck, keep up the good work!

kitty_loves_pb · Answer

oh, thank you so much for your kind words and motivation! i can't believe it, sugar that is not even vegan? so awful that they'd use bones of animals in something that seems so 'innocent.' thank you, my goal is definitely commit to veganism 100% this new year! I think I'll make Christmas Eve my official day just for a few extra days of practice =)
I know they aren't healthy persay...but when making the vegan leap, do you think it's okay to have vegan 'fun' foods like the Oreos, after all they are vegan!

And, yes, I LOVE trader joe's. it's so affordable and more so than whole foods

herwin · Answer

sugar might be produced with a proces that involves bones but sugar as a product doesnt contain not even traces of bone.
most vegans including me we treat sugar as a vegan product.
the problem with labeling sugar as non vegan just because it MIGHT have been processed involving bones but the product itself (sugar) doesnt contain bones, is that by this reasoning basically most if not all products are not vegan.
e.g.. during the growing and harvesting of all the vegetables we eat, billions of insects have been killed as pests or accidentally killed during harvesting.
e.g, its safe to say that ALL the industrial ways of processing vegetable foods could be non vegan. The people working might wear leather shoes, equipment might have been made using animal glue, etc.
especially as a beginning vegan i would stick to the big and meaningful issues, like fur and leather, not eating animal products, buying cruelty free cosmetics, finding delicious non dairy chocolate.
 dont loose yourself in tiny details from actually fringe issues.

herwin · Answer

Oreo cookies might be vegan but the ink on the packaging might not be vegan and include animal products and for sure since it is required by law the ink like all chemical products has been lethally tested on animals. 
For me i dont care, i just eat Oreos and consider them vegan.

FredericLavender · Answer

Hey kitty_loves_pb, ar you from the UK or US?

marlicious · Answer

Oreo contains palm oil which is always at risk to come straight out of what was once the Indonesian Rainforest...

eastmeetsnorthwest · Answer

I noticed that you've said "I've gotten used to soya milk" and I wanted to let you know that if you're not a huge fan, don't worry. Unlike dairy, vegan milk/cheese/yogurt alternatives are not regulated into being pretty much identical, so if you don't like one brand or type, chances are the other options don't even taste much like it. Unfortunately, that means we sometimes have to try a bunch of options to find the stuff we actually DO like, but it also means that there may be a milk alternative out there that you will absolutely crave. We must have tried like six or seven different milk alternatives out before we found it, but now my husband has something he prefers to cow's milk. Keep trying. Also, I just learned to make my own milks (3 years after I first became interested in veganism) and I wish I'd started earlier, it's actually pretty straightforward and super affordable. :)

eastmeetsnorthwest · Answer

As far as staying motivated goes, I find that two things that are really motivating are feeling like what I'm eating is delicious and being excited about new recipes and also remembering why I care about veganism from an ethical level.

Watching videos by youtubers like Mary's Test Kitchen, Hot For Food, Minimalist Baker, Jenny Mustard, Sweet Potato Soul, The Kale Sandwich Show, The Edgy Veg, Cheap Lazy Vegan, and more can leave you more excited to try a new recipe and give you lots of creative ideas for how to make your meals yummy. I'm sure there are more, those are just a few that I know about. Even non-vegan youtube chefs have made a bunch of vegan videos due to popular demand and many will even have playlists for them. And, if you're interested in all the other ways that you can live a more vegan life, there are channels and blogs about cruelty-free beauty, travel, and more.

I really like Acti-Veg's blog for reminding me where my heart is at and helping answer the tough questions people who choose veganism are faced with as they interact with others who might find it extreme to give up animal products, it's also great for answering questions people who are new to veganism are curious about.

atpuga · Answer

Hi kitty_loves_pb,

I also am not a fan of dark chocolates which makes being vegan a little trickier. I did recently purchase a vegan chocolate box from Vegancuts which had an assortment of chocolates to try. Several are on the darker side but I actually liked many of them, like the Turkish Delight. yummy. https://vegancuts.com/offer/vegan-chocolate-box

GulcinAkhan · Answer

do it yourself.
crushed hazelnuts, cocoa and almond milk

NathalieM · Answer

I totally understand about the dark chocolate issue! Have you heard of Rococo Chocolates? They have a vegan chocolate range from artisan bars to drinking chocolate which are all vegan friendly. 

This thread has got me craving chocolate now...haha!

SavannahWest · Answer

Man, now you're making me crave dark chocolate! Speaking of chocolate, I remember eating a vegan cranberry white chocolate chip oatmeal cookie at my university and it was to die for. Even though I tend to be more of a pescatarian, that cookie is my favorite one of all time. It was difficult for me to grab just one! Are you guys aware of any other vegan cookie recipes that are just as delicious?

LiaFontanilla · Answer

Hello there!

I found this blog post, it has a list of vegan snack to satisfy your sweet tooth! 

https://veganadvisors.com/snack-foods-that-are-vegan/

Hope it helps! ;)

Search HappyCow

Vegan / Vegetarian Discussion - All Things Veg*n Forum