Veggie burgers

[Healthy]

I'm a new vegan (only three months) so pardon my ignorance.

I've noticed, in stores, that a lot of veggie burgers contain: milk, cheese and eggs.

This makes me hesitant to order a veggie burger from a restaurant.

Please share your thoughts/experiences as I haven't ordered a veggie burger at a restaurant since I became vegan because of this.

Thanks

[missbettie]

its a bad idea unless u pry into the ingrediants, i have had hard times getting vegan burgers. if the restaurants have Boca burgers there is a good chance they could be vegan u just have to ask!

[Fuhzy]

Many of the restaurants I go to offer Boca burgers (they say it in the name) so that's what I get. If it doesn't specify I usually ask what brand they are.

For a general rule

Boca = ok
Gardenburger = maybe
Morningstar = not ok
Quorn = not ok
Yves = maybe

[Mahk]

I'm pretty sure standard variety Boca veggie burgers are not vegan.

Update: Well here's the exact breakdown: 3 of 6 are OK:http://www.bocaburger.com/product_meatless/1.html

[missbettie]

I'm pretty sure standard variety Boca veggie burgers are not vegan.

I don't think they are either, but the ones that are vegan actually are labelled VEGAN which is nice.

[Healthy]

Thanks everyone! Guess when I'm out it will just be raw salads and a baked potato

[missbettie]

welcome to the diet of all stars! lol

[KrissStress]

once you get a better idea of what you can and can't manipulate, menus will expand beyond just basic salads and potatos (i for one HATE basic salads. HATE HATE HATE them). Have heart and be discerning in where you go. Chinese places for example - you can always count on steamed veggies and rice with some kind of sauce to douse them in. Or italian places, you can always count on calzones or strombolis where you just ask them to omit the cheese and pile on the veggies (most mom and pop places use oils instead of butters to cook the crusts - so avoid the larger chains..which you'll obviously read about as you explore these boards). It gets easier as time goes on.

[ivandurago]

Many of the restaurants I go to offer Boca burgers (they say it in the name) so that's what I get. If it doesn't specify I usually ask what brand they are.

For a general rule

Boca = ok
Gardenburger = maybe
Morningstar = not ok
Quorn = not ok
Yves = maybe

Exactly
It usually best not to order unless specified vegan by the menu/waiter

[Fuhzy]

I'm pretty sure standard variety Boca veggie burgers are not vegan.

Update: Well here's the exact breakdown: 3 of 6 are OK:http://www.bocaburger.com/product_meatless/1.html

Ya I should have specified, all the restaurants I go to have the Original style, which are vegan...

[Mahk]

Of course one also has to worry about (or just omit) the bun. Eggs and milk products in them aren't nearly as ubiquitous as the dreaded mono and digycerides, sterol lactylate, and L cysteine. (I'm guessing on those spellings, by the way). They may or may not be vegan depending on the source and one's views on veganism. L cysteine for example can be made from human hair usually from Indian and Chinese women's barber shops, I've heard. Since no animals died and they cut it off willingly, I'm not sure how to classify that one.

Considering I find these chemicals in 95% of US supermarket bought bagels, English muffins, sliced breads, baguettes, and burrito-sized flour tortillas, I'm surprised our forum barely even discusses them.

Funny story. Once when a Halal diet Islamic group protested that Dunkin Donuts was using human hair derived L-cysteine in their bagels (go figure, a religion that insists cannibalism is not OK) the company backed down and agreed to switch to the other most common source of L-cysteine instead: duck and goose feathers!

Oh those cwazy omnis!

[KrissStress]

well this is a new one. human hair in buns. I mean...it's like putting sewer water in cheese cake. what's the sense?

[Fuhzy]

Eggs and milk products in them aren't nearly as ubiquitous as the dreaded mono and digycerides, sterol lactylate, and L cysteine. (I'm guessing on those spellings, by the way). They may or may not be vegan depending on the source and one's views on veganism.

Since mono and diglycerols can be of animal, non-animal, or synthetic origin, I tend to assume the best. I would rather remove that from my diet but I don't eat raw enough to eliminate all the foods that have that.

Stearic acid is something that is always difficult to find, but since it's never vegan I tend to watch out for it.

L-cysteine is another one of those that can be animal, non-animal, or synthetic. I haven't noticed if I eat anything with it in there, but I doubt I would give it much thought...

[paragonx]

once you get a better idea of what you can and can't manipulate, menus will expand beyond just basic salads and potatos (i for one HATE basic salads. HATE HATE HATE them). Have heart and be discerning in where you go. Chinese places for example - you can always count on steamed veggies and rice with some kind of sauce to douse them in. Or italian places, you can always count on calzones or strombolis where you just ask them to omit the cheese and pile on the veggies (most mom and pop places use oils instead of butters to cook the crusts - so avoid the larger chains..which you'll obviously read about as you explore these boards). It gets easier as time goes on.

Isn't pizza dough made with milk and/or eggs?

[Healthy]

Thanks for all the help everyone!

For the record, I'm not a fan of eating any sort of breads out. The only time I'll eat bread is manna bread or spelt bread from a health food store, and that's a treat, not a way of life for me. Once I finish the loaf, I won't buy another for a few months (Not judging others, just saying what works for me). So I don't have to worry about eggs, chemicals, milk in bread.

I agree with Kriss in regards to standard salads too -- I'm not a fan of that either, but it's so rare I get stuck in a situation where I'm eating out anyway ... just like to have all bases covered.

Last time I got stuck eating out, my boyfriend's 85-year-old dad wanted to treat us to a Chinese buffet. There was brown rice, some steamed string beans, and orange and cantelope slices. I had a bit of iceberg lettuce with lemon juice ... wasn't too bad.

Interesting though ... you'll go to a place that serves veggie burgers and you can't eat them because they're not vegan, but end up with fries cooked in vegetable oil because they're the only vegan option.

Even before I became vegan I was always sneaking extra food in a place due to the limited healthy options. I remember not to long ago going to a fancy dinner via my company and sneaking in dried apples, nibbling after each disappointing course was served

[paragonx]

I know i hate eating fried food. What else is bothersome is that those french fries are fried in veggie oil but so are chicken nuggets often in the same batch!

[Healthy]

Paragonx -- exactly! Not to mention having a truly vegan burger at a party and it's on the same grill as meat

[KrissStress]

Isn't pizza dough made with milk and/or eggs?

not as often as you might think. I myself use only wheat flour, oil and water with yeast riser. Anytime we go for pizza, I always ask them to make sure and most every place we've been has stuck to that same formula. There's really no sense to have milk OR eggs in dough since it holds so well with just oil, flour and water - most every pizza place probably realizes this and that's why the only vegan part of a quadruple meat and cheese pizza most of the time IS the dough! hahah

[paragonx]

Good to know . . .

[LittleSeaWolf]

i honestly dont know why eggs are even used in baking. I understand some people like their sunnyside up's and their quiches.. they actually taste the eggs. But the only reason to use eggs in cooking is to "bind" ...nothing else. Not flavor. So why the hell are we(humans- i dont) use them?!! You can get the same effect with a few spoonfuls of applesauce. WOuldnt it be cheaper to farm a few more apples then caged chickens?!!! chx feed vs water. hmmmmmm .. whatever. correct me if im wrong. Makes me angry :P

[LittleSeaWolf]

Paragonx -- exactly! Not to mention having a truly vegan burger at a party and it's on the same grill as meat

I bring prepped portabellas in foils to bbq parties so I have what i want and it touches nothing else. I put minced garlic, dash of salt and a few sprinkles of balsamic vinegar on them. Oh yes and some vegan butter-spread-like-stuff

[Healthy]

OMG, thanks Little Sea Wolf, that idea is brilliant!!

[Mahk]

+1

P.S. Looks like the cat (in the hat) in your avatar is the head chef of the household.

[LittleSeaWolf]

she pretty much is... the little princess. shes the most picky eater youd ever meet, and if its been on her plate longer than 5 ins she wants nothing to do with it lol

It's a little paper crown I made for her one day. :P