Cool Cups

on May 27, 2009

in All Posts

Afternoon! I’m chugging right along. How are you?

Lunch was eaten in parts between 10:30 to 11:30. I like to stretch it out. 🙂

First up: a bowl of watermelon!

I finally finished that ENTIRE watermelon. I think the Husband only helped a little!

The main part of lunch:

1 cup of Wolfgang’s Roasted Red Pepper soup:

And a whole wheat English muffin with melted cheese. Plus cucumbers on the side:

My lunch-time dessert was something new and fun!

Cool Cups sent me a pack of Natural Gels to try. I was very excited because I love Jell-O, but I don’t like the Jell-O ingredients!

Cool Cups are:

Gelatin Free
Vegan
Less than 95 calories
Gluten, fat, dairy, and GMO free
Artificial flavoring and preservative free!

Gelatin is a big "thing" in the vegetarian/vegan world. Gelatin is the stuff inside Jell-O that makes it wiggle, but (grossly enough) gelatin is actually formed from a structural protein in animals’ connective tissue, skin, and bones. According to the Gelatin Manufacturers Institute of America (GMIA) (yes, there is such a thing), pork skin, cattle bones, and cattle hide are the predominant raw materials used to make gelatin. So, strictly speaking, Jell-O is not vegetarian. Ew!

Cool Cups are not only vegetarian/vegan, but they are also delicious! Very yummy. Instead of gelatin, they contain carrageenan. Carrageenans are a family of linear sulphated polysaccharides (i.e. carbohydrates) extracted from red seaweeds.

I don’t normally enjoy little snacks like these, but it was nice to have something sweet, light, and refreshing after lunch. The perfect summer treat!

How carefully do you read ingredient lists? Do you ever Google ingredients you don’t recognize?

{ 30 comments }

Recipes for Creativity May 27, 2009, 8:58 am
I always read ingredient labels for many reasons, and looking for gelatin is one of them! I was bummed when I went veg and realized I could no longer eat marshmallows (or s’mores), frosted mini wheats, or Junior Mints! Oh well, it’s worth it to me to be vegetarian!
Bec May 27, 2009, 9:15 am
those cool cups sounds amazing!
Jess May 27, 2009, 9:18 am
Funny coincidence – I was just reading about carrageenan this morning. It’s used in a lot of soy milks and can give some people GI trouble…including me (I think!). So I’ll be staying away from those!
Lindsay May 27, 2009, 9:19 am
Cool Cups sound fantastic! I’m constantly watching for that pesky Gelatin! So not cool! It’s either Dole or Del Monte, they use carrageenan instead of gelatin in their fruit cups, while the other one uses gelatin.
Jenny May 27, 2009, 9:23 am
those cool cups sound fantastic – i have always been such a huge jello lover.. but all those artificial ingredients are less than appetizing – i will have to keep my eyes peeled for ’em!
Leah @ Simply Fabulous May 27, 2009, 9:24 am
The children I teach are not allowed to have gelatin in any sweets that they eat. Being mostly muslim children gelatin is a big no no. They will also only eat Halal meat.

Interesting, hey?
Ashley May 27, 2009, 9:29 am
I don’t always read every ingredient in ingredient lists, but I try to stick to lists with only a few ingredients, in my opinion less is more.
Diana May 27, 2009, 9:29 am
Ah, thanks for the carageenan definition – that’s one of those ingredients I see often (Because I do read ingredient lists) but am too lazy to look up. I guess that answers the question – I see ingredients that I don’t recognize all the time, but don’t bother to look them up! I try to stay away from the obvious no-no ingredients, but sometimes if I want whatever it is bad enough, I’ll just look the other way. Everything in moderation!
Erin May 27, 2009, 9:29 am
I always ‘glance’ at ingredient lists.. I mostly just check for how LONG they are, to check for the type of flour, and to see where sugar is placed in the list. I’m not sure what would be a better strategy for me in being more diligent – either finding a list of things you should not be finding on an ingredient list, or google-ing individual ones. I think the latter might become too annoying for me so I’d stop. Hm…
seesaraheat May 27, 2009, 9:47 am
I check ingredients on everything! If I haven’t heard of it, I usually look it up when I get a chance. Did you know there is gelatin in altoids? I keep finding it in weird places.
Kaye May 27, 2009, 9:48 am
Your watermelon looks SO good right now…when you talked about the fruit baby yesterday, I was totally feeling you. I ate about a quarter of a 10lb watermelon yesterday…it was insane. I felt like walking was not a possibility.
redheadedjournal May 27, 2009, 9:54 am
That’s so great they don’t have gelatin 🙂
Priyanka loves food May 27, 2009, 10:06 am
The whole process of making Gelatin completely grosses me out! I was a jello lover once upon a time, but when I got to know about this, I completely gave it up. Now I buy Jelly mixes from the Indian grocery store as they are 100 % vegetarian and use Carrgeenan.

Those cups look great!
Annabel May 27, 2009, 10:10 am
Eww to what’s in gelatin! I try to read up on every ingredient I do not know. sometimes it’s disturbing :/
Matt May 27, 2009, 10:11 am
I always read the ingredients list. A lot of times I’ll buy another brand because I don’t like the ingredients!
Hallie May 27, 2009, 10:15 am
I don’t Google ingredients, but one time when I was in Spain I made my mom Google a medication I was given by a doctor for allergies…turns out it was (shockingly) the Spanish name for a common antihistimine. I love me some Google!!
Niki May 27, 2009, 10:19 am
That’s so gross how they make gelatin!! Don’t think I will be eating Jello anymore!! I have just started reading ingredient lists a lot more carefully.
Christina May 27, 2009, 10:21 am
Ew – after reading this post, I’m glad I never liked jello!
Peanuts & Crackerjacks May 27, 2009, 10:24 am
I have to! I’m allergic to HFCS so I have to be very careful. I am getting my PhD in molecular biology so if there is an ingredient that I have never heard of I DEFINITELY don’t eat it!! hahaha
Aggie May 27, 2009, 10:38 am
I’m a label reader…its kinda ruined a lot of food for me, lol. But I feel so much better when I eat clean so its worth it for me and my fam.

I wanted to ask you if you like that Wolfgang Puck soup? I’ve seen it in the store but I don’t usually buy prepared soups…but it’s nice to have for lunches!
Brandi May 27, 2009, 10:40 am
nice lunch! Yes, we read labels on everything now. i hate seeing words I can’t pronounce OR know what they are.
Trish May 27, 2009, 10:45 am
OMG!! I never knew that – now I won’t be eating jello anymore. How gross!
K from ksgoodeats May 27, 2009, 11:22 am
Gelatin free Jello – yay! Thanks for the heads up 🙂
Nicole (anotheronebitesthecrust.wordpress.com) May 27, 2009, 2:16 pm
I always check ingredients! I find that whey sneaks its way into lots of food I would have not imagined!
Catch Me If You Can May 27, 2009, 2:28 pm
I read ingredients list constantly. I try to limit processed foods, white flour and artificial sweetners and it is SHOCKING what foods contain them!
Katherine May 27, 2009, 6:24 pm
I definitely read labels – I try to avoid HFCS and artificial sugars. I am not vegetarian, but I still keep an eye out for ingredients that I can avoid without feeling like I’ve made too much of a sacrifice – HFCS and artificial sugars are definitely on that list!
Missy May 27, 2009, 6:55 pm
Hi!!!! We always read ingredients!!! Being a veggie /vegan is so hard! I ate cheese for so long having no clue that Rennet or enzymes is actually animal icky stuff.. Google it.
Now we by cabbot or whole foods brand because they use microbial enzymes!
I love your blog!
ChickPea May 27, 2009, 10:10 pm
Fun factoid: Hunt’s fruit gel cups are also vegan–they use carageenan as well. I don’t think they’re as natural as your brand seems to be, but I just thought you might be interested!
spicygranola May 28, 2009, 5:54 am
I am a stickler for reading labels. Also, I work for a natural pharmaceutical company so it is part of my job to know about all kinds of ingredients. Honestly, I can’t believe what’s allowed in food and personal care products.
On a sunnier note, I like orange cool cups best!
Joe August 16, 2012, 6:56 pm
Knowledge is bliss!

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