Vegans actively avoid the use of animal products for food, clothing or any other purpose. So, what do they snack on? I'm sure there are plenty of tasty options, but there are some caveats, too.
As for me, I'm not a vegan, LOVE the following snacks and don't see how vegans can live without them.
Vanilla ice cream
Even if you eat dairy-free ice cream, it doesn't make it necessarily vegan. Castoreum from beavers can be used for vanilla flavoring.
Also, don't @ me for liking vanilla ice cream — you can add literally anything to it and change the flavor.
Flavored potato chips
It depends on the flavor, but some chips contain dairy products — even if the flavor has nothing to do with dairy.
Why are they called potato chips? Because you can't stop at just one.
Non-organic bananas
If you're eating non-organic bananas, you could be eating a spray-on coating made with shrimp and crab shells that lengthens shelf life.
I'd go bananas without bananas.
Bagels
L-Cysteine is a dough conditioner and strengthener often made from bird feathers.
Giving up bagels, though? That's for the birds.
Red candies
Vegans probably already know this, but "Natural Red #4" is made from cochineal — AKA smashed bugs.
The only thing that bugs me about red candies is my tongue being stained.
Hard-coated candies
Most hard-coated candies are coated with shellac. First off, it's the same shellac for nails, furniture polish and hairspray — yum. But for vegans, shellac is made from insect secretions.
Call me hard-headed, but I'm not giving up candy.
Salted peanuts
Seems innocent, right? Not always for vegans. Guess what's keeping the salt on those peanuts — gelatin. And gelatin is typically made from the skin, tendons, ligaments and/or bones of cattle and swine.
You're nuts if you think I'll stop eating peanuts.
Twinkies
We know they're not healthy, but they're not vegan either. Tallow, made from beef fat, is what keeps Twinkies on shelves forever. And their sweet taste is what makes us non-vegans love them forever.
Chex Mix
Most Chex Mix recipes call for Worcestershire sauce — made with anchovies. The mixed nuts probably have gelatin in them, too.
Your thinking is mixed up if you think I'll give up Chex Mix.
Lucky Charms
Gelatin strikes again with the marshmallows being vegan-unfriendly. For the rest of us, "They're magically delicious!"
Pastries
Suet is the fat around the kidneys and organs in animals — a saturated fat commonly used in pastries. You'll probably find bird feather-related ingredients in them, too.
If it hasn't saturated into your brain yet, I'm not giving up my snacks.
Jell-O
More gelatin. Vegans are missing out on more than the tasty snacks from gelatin, they're missing out on health benefits, too.
Give up a fun and tasty snack? Jell-No.
Beef, turkey and other jerkies
This one is obvious why vegans won't touch it, but they're missing out on the awesome taste of a convenient and versatile snack.
I'm not trying to be a jerk, but don't touch my jerky.
Pizza
Remember that dough strengthener? Yeah, it's probably in pizza, too.
What kind of person gives up pizza? A weir-dough!
Fries
Fries are, obviously, fried. That means oil, which means fat — like McDonald's using beef fat for their fries.
Your brain is fried if you think I'm giving up fries.
Pop-Tarts
If you eat Pop-Tarts without frosting — the ones that don't taste as good — you might be safe. But the frosting in Pop-Tarts contains gelatin.
Bless your tart if you think I'm giving up Pop-Tarts (I'm not).
Salted sunflower seeds
If salted peanuts use gelatin to make the salt stick, you better believe some brands do the same for sunflower seeds.
Good luck stopping this Kansan from eating them.
Cheese
This one is so obvious why vegans won't eat it, it's cheesy.
A friend from Japan said that one of the first things she noticed about Americans is that we LOVE cheese.
Peanut butter
The FDA allows a ratio of 30 insect fragments per 100 grams of peanut butter. Bad for vegans, but insects offer a host of health benefits.
You butter believe I'm not giving up peanut butter.
Apples
Apples are often coated with beeswax, shellac, carnauba and/or petroleum jelly.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, and a bit of wax (that can be washed off) isn't going to keep me away from apples.
Dried fruit
While all fruit contains natural sugar, dried fruit often has added sugar. But that's not a problem, It's just sugar… right? You might want to check out the next point...
Basically anything with sugar
Sorry, sugar, but bone char gives some sugars its pure white color.
It tickles my funny bone if you think I'll stop eating sugary snacks.
I understand that some individuals cannot eat certain animal by-products due to health reasons. Also, I'm not judging anyone for their lifestyle choices — I just don't see how I could live without my snacks!
