- You collect points for being veggie or vegan
- Staying vegetarian for a full calendar day (midnight to midnight) earns you 1 point
- Staying vegan earns you 3 points per day
- The goal is reaching 30 points in 30 days (from November 1 to November 30)
This means that you can easily stay in the challenge even if you eat meat once in a while, as long as you balance it with a vegan day.
- Don't be a dick - don't cheat
- If you're not sure if something is vegetarian: Look it up or ask. If that doesn't help then you have to assume that it is not vegetarian. So 0 points for that day, sorry.
- Parmesan, Grana padano, and Gorgonzola
- I know this totally sucks, but all of those are not vegetarian because they always contain rennet (which comes from slaughtered newly-born calves)
- Any Asian food with fish sauce in it
- even if you order your meal with tofu, some restaurants still use fish sauce
- it's best to check if the menu specifically says "vegetarian"; otherwise just ask
- Gelatin
- Used in lots of cakes
- If your cake has a transparent or half-transparent layer on top then it's probably gelatin
- Carmine ("echtes Karmin" in German)
- Used for coloring in some types of candy
- This is made from powdered insect bodies
- Anything that is not vegetarian is also not vegan
- Honey
- It comes from bees' butts
- Shellac
- like honey it made by insects (but the insects aren't killed for it, so it's vegetarian)
- used in some types of candy; if the candy has a firm but smooth surface, chances are that shellac is used for it
- Almost every single type of cheap candy and snacks
- Cheap brands put milk powder in almost everything, even chips
- More expensive brands are less likely to "cheat" by adding animal protein to stuff that doesn't need it
- Lots! I'm sure you'll find that there are plenty of things that don't involve killing animals
- Shameless plug: My girlfriend has a blog with hundreds of vegetarian and vegan recipes and restaurant tips.