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Thread: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

  1. #1

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    Default On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    I have been to the tofutti website many times and just took their word for it when it stated that their icecream is vegan:

    9. Are all Tofutti products vegan?


    No, not all of our products are totally vegan. Although all of our frozen dessert and cheese (except smoked salmon Better Than Cream Cheese) products are completely vegan, all of our frozen food entrees (except our Pizza Pizzaz) and all four of our cookies do contain egg whites. Of course, every product that uses egg whites will have it clearly listed in the ingredients. We never use whole eggs, as we are always cholesterol free.

    yesterday i just happened to search a bit more beacuse i bought some cuties and was wondering what kind of sugar they used and found this:

    26. Does Tofutti use sugar that has been refined with animal bone char?


    Most of our frozen dessert products use cane sugar. We assume that the sugar is refined with animal bone char since this is a fairly common procedure in the sugar refining industry. Please keep in mind that all sugar refining in this country is done by a handful of companies, who establish their own procedures for refining sugar. It is our understanding that if this process is used in bleaching the sugar, the bone char is actually extracted at the end of the procedure and no bone char remains within the finished sugar product. Our products are certified kosher parve, which means no animal parts could remain in the sugar. Also, I would like to bring to your attention that not all of our products use cane sugar. We also use corn syrup sweeteners and NutraSweet. We also have two stick novelties, Totally Fudge Pops and chocolate coated Marry Me Bars, which are sweetened with organic sugar.

    These products are already available in most health food stores and in select supermarkets around the country. Please bear in mind that we sell products that appeal to the lactose/dairy intolerant consumer. We would like to satisfy consumers' other health concerns as well, and so we will continue to work to the best of our ability to accomplish that goal.

    http://www.tofutti.com/faq.asp#117

    how in the world can they say their stinkin' ice cream is vegan and then say that????? beet sugar is everywhere around here and i assumed that is what they used.

    is organic cane sugar (which they only use in 2 of their products) still refined with bone char?

    i would image that some vegans still eat refined cane sugar, but i don't- or at least i thought.....

    does anyone eat refined cane sugar around here? and if so how do you defend your choice?

    i hate ice cream



  2. #2

    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    I use un refined sugar while making cold beverages, icecreams, juices, whatever sweet...its very nutritious and you can find at any Indian store.

    It is called Jaggery/Gud here in India. Delicious

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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    do you just knock off a chunk of it to use??

  4. #4

    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    Quote mophoto
    do you just knock off a chunk of it to use??
    Yes we do, sometimes we do it with hands even. We do store it after knock off so that we can use immediately.

    Manish Jain

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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    There is also Sucanat (stands for Sugar Cane Natural). I am assuming it is unrefined from what it states on the back of the package:

    "Organic Sucanat is made by simply crushing the sugar cane to squeeze out the juice, heating to reduce it to a rich syrup, and then hand-paddling to creat the Sucanat Granule."

    "Use as a 1-for-1 replacement for refined brown sugar."

    I'm sure you guys are already fully aware of this stuff, but just in case. I'm not a baker, so I just use Sucanat in everything because it has a better flavor.

  6. #6
    Seaside
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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    I like Rapadura and Florida Crystals. If the texture isn't fine enough the sugar can be put in a blender and ground further.

    Get a Donvier Ice Cream maker, mophoto, and make your own vegan ice cream!
    Maybe I should do that too. I think hazelnut or almond milk would make much better ice cream than soy milk does. We should experiment.

    I do like Double Rainbow the best, but I confess I have never looked at the label to see what kind of sugar they use. I will have to look the next time I go shopping.

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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    Quote Seaside
    .

    Get a Donvier Ice Cream maker, mophoto, and make your own vegan ice cream!
    Maybe I should do that too. I think hazelnut or almond milk would make much better ice cream than soy milk does. We should experiment.
    i think i will donvier, you say- is that a brand?

    i am fed up trying to find a true vegan ice cream- homemade almond milk ice cream sounds so good, considering my favorite ice creams always have almonds

    just when i get comfortable, thinking i know almost everything about veganism- something always comes up!! it never ends.

  8. #8
    Seaside
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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    Yes, here it is. Its easier than the old fashioned kinds that use rock salt. It doesn't make a whole lot, but that's probably good, considering that its ice cream.

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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    oooh, i could make my favorite- mocha almond fudge- and not have to worry about it anymore

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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    Have you tried Double Rainbow brand Soy Cream? Best soy ice cream I've ever had. The white chocolate raspberry is my favorite, with vanilla/mango coming in at a close second.

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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    I tried Good Karma Organic Rice Cream for the first time the other day - Carrot Cake flavor.

    this stuff is amazing! It is soooooo much better than Soy Decadent - not grainy/pasty at all. It is smooth, rich, creamy and tasted like butter. It needed some more carrot cake chunks, but I can't wait to try other flavors and see if they are as awesome.

    Mophoto - I am not sure if they use vegan sugar, allthough they do call themselves vegan and target their products to vegan. The ingredients just list organic dehydrated cane juice (otherwise known as suger - but maybe when you dehydrate it, you don't refine it? I am not sure), as well as molasses and brown rice syrup. The product is organic, vegan and gluten free.

    http://www.goodkarmafoods.com/

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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    I've been making my own ice cream lately - 1 can coconut milk, 100ml maple syrup and 2-3 tsp vanilla extract. And it is the best ice cream I've ever had the world. I sometimes add crushed up cookies and choc chips. I don't have a machine so I just put a tub in the freezer and stir it every so often until it's frozen.

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    Question Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    Hello,
    I have just seen an article saying that a new kind of icecream 100% vegetable, made from lupin is available in Germany and will soon be arriving in France...Apparently it is very very good..Has anybody tasted it?

    Just interested!

    Rosalind

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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    Quote Lyns View Post
    I've been making my own ice cream lately - 1 can coconut milk, 100ml maple syrup and 2-3 tsp vanilla extract. And it is the best ice cream I've ever had the world. I sometimes add crushed up cookies and choc chips. I don't have a machine so I just put a tub in the freezer and stir it every so often until it's frozen.
    Yummy! I will have to try that. I might add some strawberries.
    Peace, love, and happiness.

  15. #15
    forthebirds
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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    Quote veganess View Post
    Have you tried Double Rainbow brand Soy Cream? Best soy ice cream I've ever had. The white chocolate raspberry is my favorite, with vanilla/mango coming in at a close second.
    Hmmmm. Haven't tried the Raspberry yet, didn't like the Mango but LOVE Very Cherry Chip!

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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    Swedish Glace do a vegan icecream I believe

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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    I buy Turtle Mountain Soy Ice Cream. It's really vegan and organic. It tastes so much better than Tofutti. I found out that Tofutti wasn't really vegan a while back and posted it everywhere I could, I was so mad.

    I'm really careful about my sugar intake and shy away from refined sugars.

    Here's a jumbled bit of information that I had stored on sugar, I think you can make it out. I'm sorry to take up a lot of room on your thread but I think if you're concerned with sugar not being vegan then you will be concerned with sugar in general:

    The Great Sugar Debate: Is it vegan?
    I don't know how many times I've had this conversation with people. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on the subject. Most vegans I've come into contact with know there is something non-vegan about sugar, but not everyone knows what that is. So we went to PETA and asked them. Here's what they told us...
    Bone char, made from the bones of cows, is at times used to whiten sugar. Some sugar companies use it in filters to decolorize their sugar. Other types of filters involve granular carbon or an ion exchange system rather than bone char.
    The following sugar companies DO NOT use bone-char filters:
    Florida Crystals Refinery
    P.O. Box 86
    South Bay, FL 33493
    407-996-9072
    Labels: Florida Crystals
    Refined Sugars Incorporated
    One Federal St.
    Yonkers, NY 10702
    914-963-2400
    Labels: Jack Frost, Country Cane, 4# Flow-Sweet
    Pillsbury
    Makes powdered brown sugar
    Supreme Sugar Company (subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland)
    P.O. Box 56009
    New Orleans, LA 70156
    504-831-0901
    Labels: Supreme, Southern Bell, Rouse's Markets
    The following sugar companies DO use bone-char filters:
    Domino
    1114 Ave. of the Americas
    25th Fl.
    New York, NY 10036
    212-789-9700
    Savannah Foods
    P.O. Box 335
    Savannah, GA 31402
    912-234-1261
    California & Hawaiian Sugar Company (with the exception of its Washed Raw Sugar)
    830 Loring Ave.
    Crockett, CA 94525-1104
    510-787-2121
    Supermarket brands of sugar (e.g., Giant, Townhouse, etc.) buy their sugar from several different refineries, so there is no way of knowing whether it is vegan at any given time.
    Brown sugar is generally made by adding molasses to refined sugar, so sugar companies that use bone char in the production of their regular sugar will also use it in the production of their brown sugar. Confectioner's sugar (refined sugar mixed with cornstarch) made by such companies also involves the use of bone char. Fructose may, but does not typically involve a bone-char filter.
    If you want to avoid all refined sugars, we recommend alternatives such as Sucanat and turbinado sugar. Neither of these sweeteners are ever filtered with bone char. Additionally, beet sugar--though normally refined--never involves the use of bone char.
    ----------------------------------------------------

    ***(I use either brown rice syrup, malted barley extract or orgainc maple syrup for sweeteners on bread,cereal,tea etc. and use pureed stewed prunes, raisins or dates or fruit juice concentrate in baking and have been very successful with all of them) also organic bananas work very well as a healthy sugar sub in most baked goods....organic fruit juice concentrate is available at most health food stores and you can buy different flavors for an extra touch to anything from baked goods, pancakes to oatmeal, it works very well
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Rarely, I use Raw cane sugar. Since it's crystals are larger, I usually run it for a few seconds through my food processor. Longer if I need "powdered sugar" for a dessert.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Is bone char, or any other animal byproduct used in the manufacture of Sugar In The Raw?
    Sugar In The Raw does not contain any animal by-product, nor does it come into contact with bone char or any other animal by-products during its manufacture. Sugar In The Raw is appropriate for vegan diets.
    http://www.sugarintheraw.com/html/faqs/index.html
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    SUGAR : A HEALTH DANGER !

    The largest selling drug addiction in the world is refined white sugar. It has no food value and contains no nutritional value. White is an empty carbohydrate of no value. Be Warned against sugar consumption.

    - By Maneka Gandhi.( Eminent Animal Activist and Member of Parliament)

    I stand for election from a sugarcane belt and once a year when the cane is sold to the sugar factories, the smell for miles around is unbearable. This smell pervades western UttarPradesh, making it difficult for anyone to live anywhere near a factory. I used to wonder why and so I started looking at what went into this production and found so many chemicals added in the processing.

    In the process of making sugar from both cane and beets, they are heated and calcium hydroxide ( lime) which is toxin to the body, is added. This is done to remove those ingredients in the natural sugarcane that interfere with the complete processing of sugar. Carbon dioxide, which is another toxin, is then used to remove the lime and a lot of it remains in the sugar itself.

    The sugar turns from a sticky black substance to a clear juice which is heated to remove other impurities. The sugar is then bleached white with a chemical solution that uses Pork by-products ( blood albumin and/or animal charcoal). The sugar is processed at least 3 times before it is in the form that we would normally use and by that time it no longer resembles a food, and is now an artificial substance.

    Sugar is used for different purposes . There is the grade that is commonly used foe table sugar. Then there is the grade used in processed food ( such as cakes, ice-cream, candy and soft drinks). Sugar is also used for non food purposes such as making plastic, cement mixing , and leather tanning . You can make glue, for instance , by mixing table sugar along with white flour. Imagine what the combination dose in your stomach -your intestines get glued shut !

    The chemicals used in sugar processing (phosphoric acid, acid calcium phosphate and others ) are potent and health- debilitating. Sugar has a tremendous amount of carbonic acid which disturbs the the nutritional balance in the body. Sugar robs the body or almost all nutrients, especially the minerals chromium, zinc and calcium , and vitamins C and B-complex

    Sugar destroys food digestion enzymes in the mouth, stomach, the small intestine and the pancreas. It also reduces the amount of hydrochloric acid ( a necessary digestive acid) in the stomach . Without enough hydrochloric acid, the food isn't broken down properly. Therefore, we cannot properly absorb the nutrient and we will have frequent bouts of constipation.

    ANTI-DIGESTIVE SUGAR

    Sugar interferes with activities of the small intestine which digests the food . The small intestine pushes the waste along and , most importantly, releases the nutrients in the food to give us energy and nourish cells. But when we eat sugar , digestion is disturbed.

    Consequently ,the amount of food nutrients available to the body are limited. I addition to this , sugar is released into the blood.

    This toxifies the blood and puts too much carbon in it which further damages the body cells. Since there is no real nutrition in sugar , it represents a toxic waste material in the body will try to get rid of. The lymphatic system will grab some of this waste in an attempt to purify the blood. When the lymphatic system becomes overloaded, health problems occur, which could have been avoided.

    Too much sugar, salt and starch can work together to create an excessive appetite. These food cravings creates an imbalance in the body.

    Sugar moves very slowly out of the stomach . This creates over-acidic conditions in the stomach which influence the secretion of enzymes and hydrochloric acids to help digest our food. This over-acidic condition also affects the entire body.

    SOME SWEET FACTS

    Diseases such as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and others are the result of eating too many highly acidic foods . How many pounds of sugar do you consume annually? A person who does not take sugar in his tea, may not be aware of the rest. Sugar is hidden in many foods such as cereals , ketchup, canned foods , frozen foods , etc.

    I n fact, almost 70% of the sugar that we consume is hidden in foods . For instance , a typical 12-ounce soda contains 10 teaspoonfuls of sugar. The typical candy bar is almost all sugar . Pizza has the great sugar -flour mix which is probably why it is so sticky . The sweetness of pizza is hidden by putting in a lot of salt and other ingredients which give a semisweet taste
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Is Sugar Vegan?
    Half of the white table sugar manufactured in the United States is cane sugar and the other half is beet sugar. Beet sugar accounts for about 40% of the world's sugar, and the United States is the third largest producer. Sugar beets, which naturally contain 16 to 18 percent sucrose, flourish in temperate climates where the soil is rich and the growing season is about five months long. Thirteen U.S. states currently grow sugar beets. Sugarcane, which contains 12 to 14 percent sucrose, is a tropical grass and is grown in four U.S. states: Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Texas. Both cane sugar and beet sugar are considered to be among the "purest" foods available because they are 99.9 percent sucrose.
    The primary distinction between cane sugar and beet sugar, other than being derived from different plants, is the processing method. Unlike beet sugar, cane sugar processing typically takes place at two locations, the sugar mill and the refinery. During the final purification process, cane sugar is filtered through activated carbon (charcoal) which may be of animal, vegetable, or mineral origin. This step is unnecessary for beet sugar and therefore is never done.
    Over half of the cane refineries in the United States use bone char (charcoal made from animal bones) as their activated carbon source. The bone char used in this filtering process is so far removed from its animal source that cane sugar processed in this method is deemed kosher pareve, which, according to Jewish dietary laws, means that it contains no meat or milk in any form as an ingredient. A number of vegans disagree with this perspective.
    Consumers cannot discern any differences between beet sugar and cane sugar in taste, appearance, and use. Beet sugar is frequently not labeled as such -- the packaging may just list "sugar." Cane sugar is more often labeled specifically, but not always. For consumers wishing to differentiate, the issue has become convoluted. Many vegans prefer to avoid white table sugar altogether rather than chance using a product that was filtered through bone char.
    Brown sugar consists of sugar crystals (cane sugar or beet sugar) combined with molasses for taste and color. Confectioner's sugar (also known as "powdered sugar") is white table sugar that has been pulverized into a very fine powder and sifted.
    Some vegans replace white table sugar with unbleached cane sugar or dehydrated and granulated cane juice, both of which are available in natural food stores. Most of these products can replace white sugar measure for measure for general use (such as on cereal or in beverages) and in recipes. These products are typically darker in color than white table sugar -- ranging from light amber to rich brown -- due to their naturally higher molasses content. This can sometimes alter the flavor of recipes and may also affect the color of the finished product.
    Unbleached cane sugar is considered by some to be more healthful than white table sugar. Although it may contain minimal trace nutrients, one would have to eat massive quantities of this sugar in order to obtain any reasonable nutrititive value. And, of course, there are numerous drawbacks associated with the overconsumption of sugar including tooth decay and obesity.
    Nutritionally speaking, sugar is sugar is sugar, whether it is white table sugar, maple sugar, or a natural alternative. A 1948 federal law requires all products sold as sugar in the United States to be at least 96 percent pure sucrose, so even "raw" sugar (sometimes called "turbinado sugar") is by law compositionally close to white table sugar -- about 96 to 98 percent sucrose.
    Beyond the bone char concerns and health-related issues, there are many factors to consider when purchasing sugar and products that contain it. The vast majority of sugarcane is not organically grown, and most sugar plantations employ environmentally unsound agricultural methods, such as heavy insecticide and pesticide use and crop burning, which negatively impact soil, air, water, and the health of the workers. Sugarcane production is labor and energy intensive and utilizes large amounts of fossil fuels in processing, filtration, packaging, and transport. Plantation owners typically pay meager wages and provide no benefits while workers are forced to endure brutal, substandard conditions.
    There are many reasons why vegans avoid white table sugar, why some purchase only organically-grown unbleached sugar, and why still others eschew sugar products altogether. A prudent approach may be to reduce our use of all types of sugar, including sugary processed foods, and to train our taste buds to more fully appreciate the natural sweetness of fresh and dried fruits, grain sweeteners, and other whole foods. Still another option is to purchase granulated natural sweeteners such as maple sugar, granular fruit sweetener, and date sugar, or to use natural liquid sweeteners such as pure maple syrup, malt syrup, brown rice syrup, and mixed fruit juice concentrates. These products are available in natural food stores and many supermarkets.
    Copyright © 1998-2006 by Jo Stepaniak All rights reserved.
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  18. #18
    perfect RedWellies's Avatar
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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    Quote Melanie View Post
    Swedish Glace do a vegan icecream I believe
    They do more than one...at least more than one flavour...but I don't think it's available in the US. You guys are missing out...big time!
    "Do what you can with what you have where you are."
    - Theodore Roosevelt

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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    Quote Aylish View Post
    There is also Sucanat (stands for Sugar Cane Natural). I am assuming it is unrefined from what it states on the back of the package:

    "Organic Sucanat is made by simply crushing the sugar cane to squeeze out the juice, heating to reduce it to a rich syrup, and then hand-paddling to creat the Sucanat Granule."

    "Use as a 1-for-1 replacement for refined brown sugar."

    I'm sure you guys are already fully aware of this stuff, but just in case. I'm not a baker, so I just use Sucanat in everything because it has a better flavor.

    A few days ago I had a friend over who is trying to be healthier. I very excitedly gave her a spoon of Sucanat and said "Yes, I realize I am handing you a spoonfull of sugar but taste it!" She tasted it and said "It tastes likes sugar, with maybe a little brown sugar in it. I said, "Really? I think it tastes like maple sugar candy" She says to me "That is because you don't eat sugar"
    Heh.
    it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble

  20. #20
    =^.^= Melanie's Avatar
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    Default Re: On a quest for real vegan ice cream

    Quote RedWellies View Post
    They do more than one...at least more than one flavour...but I don't think it's available in the US. You guys are missing out...big time!
    I've only ever found it in vanilla.
    -Makes a mental note to find it in other flavours-
    Darn, I want icecream now, dare I venture downstairs to the freezer

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