Ten accidentally vegan snacks for the junk-food junkie in all of us
While it’s admirable when people treat their body as a temple, not all of us vegans are super-healthy all of the time.
Okay, we might not eat chips for lunch every day but it’s nice to know where to go for that quick junk-food fix, whether you’re headed to the beach or a movie, without having to hit up the specialty foods aisle or a health-food shop.
So when you’re short on time, here’s some accidentally vegan junk food snackage for you to (sort of) enjoy.
Dark chocolate
For the chocoholics among us, it will be a relief to know that much of the dark chocolate you see in stores is actually vegan. Just make sure you check the label for milk and milk by-products, and you’re good to go.
As an added perk, you’ll be glad to know this is one item on this list that isn’t totally bad for you, as long as you get the super dark kind that will have you bouncing off the walls by the time you’ve finished it. That could well be a win-win.
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Pretzels
Pretzels are another common snack found at gas stations and corner stores alike, that is usually vegan.
Although some brands like to sneak in that totally unnecessary but all-too-common milk powder, you can rest easy knowing that pretzels are plant-based most of the time.
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Air Heads
The chewy, sugar-laden candies known as Air Heads are the first of three vegan sweet treats on this list.
While they’re made almost entirely of sugar, you can at least count on a jaw workout getting through them, so that counts for something, right?
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Potato chips
Potato chips, while often vegan, are a bit of a tricky one.
The bottom line here is that, whether it says they are just salted or not, you’re going to need to read that ingredients list. These brands put milk in everything.
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Sour Patch Kids
Popular gummy candy Sour Patch Kids are free of gelatin, and a go for vegan junk foodists.
I can’t make any promises about when your sense of taste will return after eating them, but no actual kids are harmed in the making of these candies.
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Corn chips
Corn chips, when unflavored, are almost always vegan.
They also happen to commonly appear at potlucks and office parties, so grab yourself some salsa and you’ll be spicing things up in the corner in no time. It is almost impossible for people to talk to you when you’ve got a face full of food, after all.
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Kettle corn
Kettle corn is a commonly vegan snack.
This is another instance where you have to read the ingredients label, but most brands are prepared with only sugar, oil and salt — you know, the good stuff.
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Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos
While Spicy Sweet Chili aren’t the only variety of Doritos that happen to be vegan, they’re certainly the best.
Blaze is another Doritos flavor free of animal products.
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Jolly Ranchers
For those of us who don’t particularly care if we keep our teeth, there are Jolly Ranchers hard candies.
While many of the brand’s other options are not vegan, these classic sugar solids are a-okay (that is until you’re headed into a company meeting with a green mouth).
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Clif Bars
Perhaps less junky than a number of the other items on this list, Clif bars are just as easy to find in many countries.
With flavors like Chocolate Brownie and S’mores, these oat-based bars are a good way to satisfy your sweet tooth, while maintaining some degree of nutritional value.
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