For those of used to dairy and meat products, making the switch to
vegan alternatives can be a struggle. When we are raised on animal products, the stubborn perception persists that vegan alternatives often pale in comparison in taste and texture, and sometimes that is true. Of course, as is the case with any giant diet change, the more you go without something, the less you miss it. So with that said, let me be blunt:
vegan marshmallows are pretty darned good.
Personally, I remember drinking soy milk long before it became commoditized, and never minded a vegan alternative to the classic hamburger. For others a change is much more difficult to embrace. The vegetarian and vegan debate is a tangled one, involving ethics, long term sustainability, and health. Here is what I will say to anyone dubious about vegan or vegetarian products:
Since last Christmas, we went “veganist,” reducing our meat and dairy consumption even more that we already previously had. The result was that I lost ten pounds in about six weeks with no radical change in my exercise regimen. As I experimented with different food products, I found that some vegan alternatives are just fine--others are quite weak.
Nevertheless, the vegan marshmallows I have sampled so far are often better than the corn syrup-laden alternatives. Not that marshmallows are a culinary Tila Tequila: a few in hot cocoa, plunked in a fudge recipe, or toasted over a fire are hardly going to make Americans even more obese. Marshmallows in their soft, chewy, and puffy glory make for the ultimate comfort food.
But the vegan options I have tasted make for respectful alternatives.
Chicago Soydairy makes a pretty mean and flavorful one, and other brands hold their own. The difference is that they do not contain gelatin, and do not have corn syrup.
To that end, I am actually disappointed that the author of the “open-source”
Vegan Marshmallows blog decided to stop posting--even though he did so for commendable reasons, fighting obesity being one of them.
So give vegan marshmallows a shot and a shout--they are simply good!
And our own
vegan marshmallow challenge, pitting Chicago Soydairy’s Tweets vs. Marshmallow Peeps, is still going strong.
