An Update on Gelatin Top Restaurant Chains for Vegetarians

gelatin is not a food. At one time during its processing,when the bones and hides of animals are treated withacid during the gelatin extraction process, gelatin wasnot a food. In fact, it was “inedible even to a dog,”referring to a commonly known Jewish test of whatis or is not a food. According to Jewish dietary laws,“If something is not a food, it cannot be non-kosher.”Therefore, according to Rabbi Novoseller, gelatin iskosher, regardless of animal species and slaughtermethod.CONCLUSIONVegetarians should be aware that gelatin is animalderived,and a designation that gelatin is kosher doesnot mean it is vegetarian. There are hundreds of koshersymbols and certifications, so you need to know theparticular kosher agency’s policies and what the particularcertification actually means to determine if aproduct meets your needs.Most food technologists agree that vegetable gumsdo not mimic all of the characteristics of gelatin welland are not often used as gelatin substitutes. JeffMorehouse of Aqualon, a company that manufacturescellulose gums, told us that gelatin replacements arevery expensive and not really being investigated byfood companies. Consumer demand, awareness, andpurchase of vegetarian products are needed to changethat corporate attitude.Agar agar, carrageenan, and other vegetable gumsare vegetarian substitutes used in some products. Formarshmallows and jels made without animal gelatin,check out online retailers, such as the VegetarianSite.com, Pangea, the Mail Order Catalog, VeganEssentials, and Ethical Planet, or elsewhere.Jeanne Yacoubou is The VRG’s Research Director. She holdsmaster’s degrees in philosophy, chemistry, and education.NUTRITION HOTLINE(Continued from page 2)a sizable portion of my daily diet. Are you aware of anyresearch regarding this effect?” C.K., via e-mailANSWER: The study that you read about was most likelya study of breast cancer. Several studies have reportedthat soy intake during adolescence is more importantthan soy intake later in life in terms of breast cancerrisk reduction. 1,2 What about those like you who cometo soy later in life? This has not been well studied, butone study has compared breast cancer incidence inwomen who ate little soy as adolescents and in adulthoodwith women who ate little soy as adolescents butwho ate high amounts as adults. 3 The women who ategenerous amounts of soy as adults had a slightly lower,but statistically insignificant, risk of developing breastcancer. These results certainly do not suggest that soyproducts increase risk of breast cancer.Studies of Asian women find a marked reductionin breast cancer risk among the highest consumers ofsoy products, although these results could, at least partially,be due to soy consumption in adolescence. 4 Soyintake appears to have little effect on breast cancer riskin Western women whose intake of soy was quite low 4or in British women, some of whom were vegetarians,with higher intakes of soy isoflavones. 4,5Based on what we know now, soy products do notappear to increase the risk of breast cancer and may beslightly protective. You mentioned that soy productsare a sizable part of your diet. In the interest of variety,perhaps you should consider using other foods in additionto soy, including dried beans, nuts, and wheatgluten, as protein sources.REFERENCES1Shu XO, Jin F, Dai Q, et al. 2001. Soyfood intakeduring adolescence and subsequent risk of breastcancer among Chinese women. Cancer EpidemiolBiomarkers Prev 10:483-88.2Wu AH, Wan P, Hankin J, et al. 2002. Adolescentand adult soy intake and risk of breast cancer inAsian-Americans. Carcinogenesis 23:1491-96.3Wu AH, Yu MC, Tseng CC, et al. 2007. Body size,hormone therapy and risk of breast cancer inAsian-American women. Int J Cancer 120:844-52.4Wu AH, Yu MC, Tseng CC, et al. 2008. Epidemiologyof soy exposures and breast cancer risk. BrJ Cancer 98:9-14.5Travis RC, Allen NE, Appleby PN, et al. 2008. Aprospective study of vegetarianism and isoflavoneintake in relation to breast cancer risk in Britishwomen. Int J Cancer 122:705-10.VEGETARIAN JOURNAL Issue Four 2008 29