TristynTate | Contributing Writer

At some point in time, we all become victim to falling back on food choices that are cheap and convenient, more so than whats the healthiest option, especially when we have the munchies. Despite the stereotype that vegans are limited and restricted in their diet, there are a significant amount of junk foods available to those with the dietary choice. Unbelievably, there are some products and services, even, that everyone knows and loves. More so than the veggie burger option, there are gooey movie theater candies, cheesy crunchy snacks, savorychocolatedeserts and numerous fast food chain restaurant optionsall that are 100 percent vegan.

Whats Considered Vegan?

Being vegan is either a diet, a lifestyle or both, depending on the individual making the choice. The diet alone is composed of foods that lack meat, dairy,eggsand other animal products. It is a controversial subject in the vegan community on whether the diet also abstains from honey, butbasically, vegans are said to just eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, beans,legumesand seeds. There are different types of vegan diets as well, which could make things even more limiting, but more so confusing. Some choose to be junk food vegans, eating highly processed foods, unlike the stereotype, and a lot like what I will list below for your pleasure. The fact that all vegans eat healthy, whole, plant-based foods is just not the case.

The lifestyle, however, involves the ethics and reasoning behind abstinence from consuming animal products: the environment and the animals within the environment. Therefore, individuals who live a vegan lifestyle may not choose to eat the products below even when theyve got the munchies because of the harmful effects their ingredients may have on the environment. The products may not have dairy or meat, but it may contain an ingredient such as palm oil, which is not an ethical choice due to its overproduction affecting the rapid decrease of rainforests and the extinction of the animals within the environment. Those with the vegan lifestyle are concerned with the world impact of their dietary choices.

Vegan Munchies

Whichever your choice, there are junk food options for you. The products listed below are a mixture thatcaterto both the lifestyle and the dietary choice of veganism. They are products made by brands we all know and love. Accidently vegan foods are the best tasting foods.

Microwave, Toaster or Oven-Made Food

For the vegan brands listed below, check out The Fresh Market or a Whole Foods near you.

Mac and Cheese: Daiya, Amys, Annies and Earth Balance Pizza: Amys and Daiya Soft Pretzels: SuperPretzel Soft Pretzels Others: Pop Tarts Unfrosted Strawberry

Store-Bought Snack Food and Ice Cream

Crunchy Things

Courtesy fritolay.com

Chips Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Lays Barbecue, Classic, Deli Style Original, Dill Pickle and Lightly Salted varieties Ruffles Ruffles All Dressed Assaisonnes potato chips, Ruffles Barbecue potato chips, Ruffles Original potato chips Fritos Fritos Bar-B-Q Flavored Corn Chips, Fritos Brand the Original Corn Chips,Frito-LaySabritones Pringles Smokey Bacon, Original, Texas BBQ, Paprika, Sweet Cinnamon

Crackers Ritz Ritz Crackers and Ritz Whole Wheat Crackers Saltines Nabisco Saltine Crackers

Other Crunchy Things Chex Mix Traditional Vegan Brands: Earth Balance Puffs Aged White Kettle Chips Sea Salt, SourCreamand Onion, Cheddar Popcorn Buttery Flavor, Aged White Cheddar Flavor Cheddar Flavor Squares (basically Vegan Cheese-Itz)

Candy

Whats chewy and chocolatey are not normally thought not to be vegan. Gelatin is usually what makes the chewy things chewy, deriving from collagen obtained from various animal body parts. Chocolate normally has dairy. However, dark chocolate is vegan and all the chewy things below do not contain any animal body parts.

Courtesy bloomberg.com

Chewy Sour Patch Kids Sweetish Fish Mike and Ikes Fruit by the Foot Dots Air Heads Taffy Twizzlers Now and Later Skittles

Chocolatey Lindt Lindt Excellence 70, 85, and 90 percent Cocoa bars Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate with Marzipan

Hard Candy, Lollipops, and Others: Smarties Dum Dums Charms Blow Pops Jolly Rancher Hard Candy and Lollipops

Vegan Brands No Whey! Chocolate Bar (Carmel and Nougat in a Chocolate Coating; basically a Vegan Snickers Bar)

Cookies and Ice Cream Oreos Girl Scout Cookies Thin Mints, Thanks-A-Lots, Lemonades, Peanut Butter Patties Nutter Butters Ben and Jerrys So Delicious

Fast Food Restaurants

Stay away from McDonalds. Their hash browns and french fries arent even vegan because they are cooked in beef tallow.

Courtesy Chipotle

Chipotle Just hold the cheese and sour cream. When they ask for protein choose the tofusofritasor get extra veggies. Taco Bell Bean Burrito minus the cheese, cinnamon twists, the Veggie Cantina Power Bowl with no sauce, and other dishes can bemade vegan simply by omitting a few ingredients or asking for it fresco style. For example, this method applies to the 7-Layer Bean Burrito, the Crunchwrap Supreme and the Mexican Pizza. Wendys Plain baked potato, French fries or a veggie sandwich. Burger King Fries, hash browns, French Toast Sticks and Dutch Apple Pie. Papa JohnsPizza You can make any pizza vegan by omitting the cheese and choosing the Original Hand-Tossed Pizza Dough. Frozen Yogurt Places Usually places like Sweet Frog and The Skinny Dip have at least one sorbet or vegan option. Auntie Annes Pretzels Just ask for no butter. Asian Restaurants Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc. Most of these restaurants have tofu or veggie versions of your favorite dishes. Just make sure to omit fish sauces and eggs.

Local Choice: My Vegan Sweet Tooth, located in Virginia Beach, has an all-vegan menu of cupcakes, cookies and other deserts.

Be careful and enjoy!

Look out for changing products and research, research, research! For example, Junior Mints stopped using gelatin in their product but simultaneously started using confectioners glaze, which is made with shellac from female lac bugs. Petas website is a good place to verify whether products cater to the vegan diet and lifestyle. Also, watching YouTubers like Nathan Vierke can give you an idea of what vegans eat in a day, be it junk food or otherwise.

Everyone gets the munchies sometimes and desires straight up junk food. Hope this helps vegans adopting the diet or the lifestyle in making choices that are the best and the tastiest. Enjoy!

Excerpt from:

Vegan Munchies - ODU Mace & Crown