The other day I went out to brunch. Prior to going I checked out the menu for food options, you know I have a vegan preference, then compared their suggestions to some vegan sites I use and made a decision regarding what I wanted to order. When I got there, I could not find on the menu what I was looking for so I asked the gentleman behind the counter if my choice was an option. He said no and mentioned someone else having asked for the same thing. Anyway, I told him I was looking for vegan options and asked what bagel he would suggest that I could load with their ‘vegan’ hummus and veggies.
His response: our bagels aren’t really vegan because we brush egg over the dough before baking.
ME: ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! (I had no idea and my ‘vegan homies’ did warn me!)
HIM: Yes, that is how the bagel gets that shine and slight crunch.
ME: Are you for real? You do that to ALL your bagels?
HIM: Yes, before we bake them.
ME: Oh, WOW. (silence)
HIM: But we have some bread that will work, if you want we can make you a sandwich.
ME: Egg, on ALL the bagels?
HIM: Yes, ma’am. (pause) But I can make you a garden veggie sandwich. (smile)
[vegan bagels — lies you tell, not today! smh]
So that encounter prompted me to do some research because I was feeling some type of way. Especially knowing that a plain bagel has become an item of choice if meeting a client at certain places, like ******. [Light bulb] Oh, no does ****** use the same method? I just had an everything bagel from ****** the other day because it is listed as being vegan by my ‘homies’. But do they ‘wash’ those bagels with eggs??? —-This is the dialogue I was having with myself**
Why not call and ask? Whelp, I called Customer Support:
ME: Is an egg wash used before baking your bagels?
Response: I am not sure, can you hold for me please. (Hold time 3 minutes). No, we do not use an egg wash on our bagels. In looking at the ingredients, egg is not listed as an allergen. All the ingredients for our food is listed on the website and allergens are noted also.
ME: I called customer service because I received some conflicting information and wanted to be sure.
Response: Corporate stores have to follow the corporate standard and would not be using any sort of egg wash, especially since eggs are an allergen, we would need to list it. But there are franchises that may follow different practices.
Although, I felt a little better, my skepticism is on an all-time high. Not that it is going to matter much after we relocate but it is frustrating to know that regardless of how you try to be mindful of what you eat and how you live there is always something that we aren’t being told, unnecessarily. We have been told so many untruths about food. So many lies about what is good and not good for us. Many misconceptions are floating around about what’s included and excluded in foods. WHY?!?! The lies YOU (them, they) tell.
I must share that their website does state that their bagels are vegetarian and vegetarians do consume eggs and / or dairy. However, if you look at the ingredients in their bagels, eggs are not listed. The allergen note reads: produced in a facility with eggs, which is a lot different than saying brushed with an egg coating. Also, my vegan reference points have several spots listed as VEGAN, not vegetarian so I have to let my homies know.
Through this incident I have discovered: Most bagels should be vegan, as the traditional recipe is simply a bread dough that is boiled and then baked. However, some places put an egg wash on top before baking to make it shiny. Also, sometimes the dough has egg, honey, and / or whey added to it. For the record, the veggie loaded sandwich that was prepared for me was a tasty choice and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The take away here is ———->>>> It is super important to ask questions. Don’t feel like you are doing ‘too much’ by being aware of what you put in your body – you only get one so do your best to take good care of it and I will do what I can to continue to help ya!
Stay connected, ya girl is making moves ?
*Now, if I did eat that egg washed bagel and my GI tract was edgy I would whip out my DiGize (Young Living’s Blend for the digestive system) rub some on my belly, add a couple drops to my water, say a prayer and cleanse. No worries, I would have a back-up plan. This is why we are going RAW! I did not need that bagel anyway LOL