Gifting a Vegan
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egans are people who abstain from eating dairy, eggs, all meats, fish, shellfish and honey, and the use or wearing of all products containing animal-derived additives. It's a lifestyle that excludes all forms of animal exploitation.
Buying a non-food gift for vegan is sometimes easier than buying edibles, since the products usually have a “Certified Vegan” logo or are marked “Suitable for Vegans”. If the product is simply labeled as “contains no animal ingredients” do not take that as a guarantee.
Be sure to read the full ingredient list when buying processed food items — albumen, bone char, butter fat, carmine, casein, gelatin, lactose, lard, l-cysteine, mono and di-glycerides, shellac, vitamin D3, and whey powder are some of the ingredients not suitable for vegans.
There are a couple of apps that can help — “Is it Vegan” for scanning foods and “Cruelty-Cutter” for household and personal care products.
Of course all natural, unprocessed plant food is vegan, so a nice fruit basket will always be appreciated, but why not create your own gift basket with some of the following items?
These coconut clusters are 100% organic and delicious. They are lightly sweetened coconut mixed with pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds.
The smaller bits are scrumptious topping yogurt. Find them at your local Costco (they are also available on Amazon, but way too expensive there).
This guac is organic, vegan, kosher and preservative free. It tastes like fresh home made guacamole and is perfect as a dip with chips or crackers (and on tacos, fajitas and nachos). This product is available in the produce or deli section of most grocery stores.
GluteNull Almond Cookies are delicious, clean ingredient, vegan and gluten-free certified cookies... with no added sugar! They are also available in different flavors. Vegan and Paleo amazon.com
This low calorie, vegan treat is perfect for toast, desserts, cakes and whatever delicious combinations you can come up with. It's sweetened with natural sweeteners erythritol and stevia. naturamarket.ca
So, what to buy your vegan friend for their birthday? Ask them to register and fill out our Questionnaire to make it easier for you. Here are some suggestions that would tickle every vegan's fancy:
This set of 15 vegan artisan truffles come packed in an original box. They are gluten-free and made with dark chocolate, nuts, fruits and maple syrup. Up to three of the truffles can be personalized and the order can also be custom
made according to any allergies. They offer free shipping to many countries. etsy.com
No more soggy, wasted paper towels! This press removes water from tofu in 15 minutes or less and can be used with most tofu brick sizes. No springs, it's a simple butterfly screw and threaded metal rod setup.
It's also BPA Free and easy to clean in top rack of the dishwasher. If you eat tofu, you simply must have one of these. Made in the U.S.A. Canada: amazon.ca and USA: amazon.com
This United Kingdom-based shop on Etsy has a great motto — "Spreading the Vgang message one bag at a time!" These handmade eco-friendly bags with various plant-based messages are perfect gifts for family and friends. etsy.com
This vegan friendly wallet is handmade from real Teak leaves and thus each is a "one of a kind" product. They come in different colors and are laminated to make them durable and water resistant. Tree Tribe will give back to the Earth by planting a tree on every sale. amazon.com
This ad-free 4 color indie publication, is about all things vegan and comes out once every three months. chickpeamagazine.com
All issues are limited edition, 90+ pages, perfect-bound, and matte finish. >
This international vegan run company makes it easy to buy vegan, cruelty free and ethical products. They also donate a percentage of profits to help build sanctuaries for rescued farm animals. They'll ship worldwide and shipping is free for orders above $80. leafysouls.com
By D Revelins
Photo Credits: See Acknowledgements