What the heck is animal rennet and why is it in our cheese?

My daughter is a vegetarian and has been for many years. She is very aware of what she puts in her body. She is always reading the ingredients of everything I buy. A few months ago she started reading the ingredients of the cheese we bought from Costco. Underneath the ingredients, almost as a warning she read "Contains no animal rennet". Below is a picture of the back of the package. 

 

Okay ewwwww what's animal rennet I asked. We decided to Google it and below is what we found. 

The definition from Wikipedia

Rennet /ˈrɛnɨt/ is a complex of enzymes produced in any mammalian stomach, and is often used in the production of cheese. Rennet contains many enzymes, including a proteolytic enzyme (protease) that coagulates the milk, causing it to separate into solids (curds) and liquid (whey). They are also very important in the stomach of young mammals as they digest their mothers' milk. The active enzyme in rennet is called chymosin or rennin (EC 3.4.23.4) but there are also other important enzymes in it, e.g., pepsin and lipase. There are non-animal sources for rennet that are suitable for consumption by vegetarians.

I would not suggest looking into everything you eat if you have a weak stomach. The stuff that is added into our food is just gross. I think sometimes it's just better not knowing. 

What do you think about using animal rennet in our food?

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Doritos are healthier than Sun Chips. Check your child's lunch!

I've been packing my sons lunch for years after seeing what the school was serving him. The food I was paying for didn't even look edible. I decided to pack his lunch everyday. Now I have yet another concern with the lunches I'm packing him. I usually give him a slice of turkey rolled up or a PB&J, a slice of string cheese, a bag of sun chips or Doritos and Capri sun juice drink or Sunny D. After reading the article about the Fed Up Movie I decided to see for myself what was really inside my sons food. I really couldn't believe all the items that contain added sugar. 

First I checked his Capri sun juice drink. The nutrition facts are not listed on the individual juice drinks so I checked the box. It says 100% fruit juice all over the box so you think you are making a good decision for your children. Now for the sugar content...........  This juice contains 21 grams of sugar. 

I sometimes switch his Capri sun drink for a Sunny D. I was equally surprised to find that this had a lower amount with 19 grams of sugar. 

Here are a few examples of the chips I pack in his lunch. On the left you see Doritos and on the right you see Sun Chips. I buy Sun Chips because I think they are the better and healthier choice. Looking at the nutrition facts I found that Sun Chips have 3 grams of sugar and 10 grams of fat. I then read the Doritos nutrition facts and found that they contain less than 1 gram of sugar and 8 grams of fat. So the Doritos are a better and healthier choice for my son. Boy was I fooled. I even choose to eat the Sun Chips as I thought they were healthier.   

I hope you consider checking out what's really in the food your feeding your family.  I can't imagine outliving my children all because of our food choices. 

Please share this with someone you love. 

This documentary will give you better insight into the food we are putting in our mouths. I highly suggest you check it out Fed Up the Movie