new vegetarian, help please? - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Pumpkin_RIP** · #1 01-12-09, 03:10 pm

Hello everyone, I'm a brand new lacto-ovo vegetarian and I have somne questions. I was wondering about saturated fats. Since these are from animals, can I still eat them? It seems like so many thing have animals fats in them! Isn't the animal killed for these fats?

I just need some help and guidance basically. ANY help is appreciated.

**Pumpkin_RIP** · #2 01-12-09, 07:22 pm

well, since no one is replying, maybe this question has been answered already in another thread perhaps? If so, could anyone please give me this thread?

**Tserisa** · #3 01-12-09, 08:53 pm

Patience! We need more than a few hours. Some of us only get on after a long day at work or school, after all.

Not all saturated fat is animal in origin. Palm and coconut oils, for example, have saturated fats. However, the majority of saturated fat does come from animal sources. So if you do see it in the nutritional info, it's a good idea to check the ingredients to find out its source. Nutritional info will not tell you whether a product is vegetarian or not -- you must learn the meanings of ingredient names and read the ingredients themselves.

Eggs and milk also have saturated fat, so if you're lacto-ovo veg, saturated fat from those products will be acceptable to you.

**Pumpkin_RIP** · #4 01-13-09, 05:07 pm

ok, thank you very much! I apoligize for seeming impatient

Now I can rest assured eating my innocent crackers knowing that it doesn't have animals fat.

**Pumpkin_RIP** · #5 01-18-09, 01:13 pm

[edit] I have looked at the ingredients on some of the foods that I eat, and I had a few questions on them, if anyone can help me. I noticed that it said: Salt, Enzymes)...etc. I had a question about the enzymes. I have heard that enzymes are taken from a baby cows stomach? Is this true? What exactly are enzymes?
Also, I was wondering about the ingredient maltodextrin, emulsifier, and just plain dextrin. All these things I didn't recognize, and they may be completely safe, but I wanted to be 100% sure. Thanks in advance for anyone who can help!

**guineapigluver1** · #6 01-18-09, 07:08 pm

Enzymes, aka rennet. Which is the stomach of a cow or goat (I believe the other is goat, but I'm not 100% sure). Normally a cow though. Let me find a list of brands that are vegetarian.

Dextrin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Definitions for terms starting with the letter M
(maltodextrin is second on the list)

Emulsion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ETA- Here is the cheese list: Cheese List by Brand

**5guinea5pig5** · #7 01-18-09, 08:03 pm

The second link sounds like something for sesame street

**guineapigluver1** · #8 01-18-09, 08:46 pm

I know it does, doesn't it?

But when you click on it it says
Glossary of Filtration Technologies: M
I have no clue why it shows up like that when I copy and paste the link.
Here is a more simple, basic explanation of dextrins:
What are Dextrins?

**Tserisa** · #9 01-18-09, 11:01 pm

Enzymes are not always rennet. However, rennet may be listed as enzymes or rennet in ingredients. Rennet may be taken from a variety of mammal stomachs, not just calf or goat. For example, in some ripe cheeses, they use pig enzymes.

Enzymes can be animal or plant sources and you'll find them in more than just cheese. Usually you have to contact the company to find out what kind, if you can't find the information online. Or check to see if the product is certified vegan or listed as vegetarian.

**guineapigluver1** · #10 01-20-09, 12:58 pm

Thanks for clearing that up Tserisa. I remembered about enzymes not always being rennet, after I got off, of course.
Would rennet be in cream cheese, cottage cheese etc.?

**Tserisa** · #11 01-21-09, 12:15 am

Cheese is milk cultured with bacteria and then "set" using rennet or an enzyme from a plant, bacterial or microbial source. Or a combination of rennet and enzymes from another source.

Cottage cheese and cream cheese may have rennet. Soft cheeses are as likely to contain rennet as hard cheeses. Your best bet is to look for cheeses marked vegetarian, and/or contact the manufacturer.

Cottage cheese and cream cheese are soft, fresh cheeses (they are not naturally aged).

Different cottage-cheese making techniques produce different curd sizes and flavors. You can't tell primarily from curd size, so check ingredients/call the company, but in home production small curd is traditionally made with buttermilk or a starter bacterial cultured milk (similar to how sour dough is made), and large curd is made with rennet. However, this does not always hold true with commercial cottage cheese.

Cream cheese also may or may not contain rennet, which sets the bacteria-cultured milk.

**guineapigluver1** · #12 01-21-09, 11:45 am

Okay, thanks. I'll check into it. My mom did mention making our own cream cheese before, so maybe we can do that. It would certainly be easier then buying, and having to make sure it is okay.

**dra&pigs** · #13 01-21-09, 03:54 pm

Oh how I wish I had stronger willpower...

**Pumpkin_RIP** · #14 01-22-09, 11:58 am

wow, thanks everyone do much! sorry it took me a few days to get back & reply.

"Thank you, guineapigluver1, for this useful post," says:
Pumpkin_RIP (01-22-09)

"Thank you, Tserisa, for this useful post," says:
Pumpkin_RIP (01-22-09)

"Thank you, Tserisa, for this useful post," say these 2 members:
guineapigluver1 (01-21-09), Pumpkin_RIP (01-22-09)