ps: I am going through your old blog posts (from before the time I first ‘met’ you) so you can expect sporadic replies on older topics. Curiously, the change in your food habits are so evident when I read your older posts – you seemed to use white sugar, all-purpose flour, eggs liberally back then

Hope you try some of those. ;O)

@Clare: you stated that the “Burt’s Bees lip stuff-as well as some of their other products have lanolin (sheep fat!) in them.” However, as someone who lives on a sheep farm, I beg to differ. Lanolin is not “sheep fat.” It is a wax-like substance found on the WOOL of sheep and other similar (wool-bearing) animals. A Wikipedia quote further outlines the extraction process:
“Lanolin’s ability to act as a waterproofing wax aids sheep in shedding water from their coats. Certain breeds of sheep produce large amounts of lanolin, and the extraction can be performed by squeezing the sheep’s harvested wool between rollers. Most or all of the lanolin is removed from wool when it is processed into textiles, such as yarn or felt.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanolin)

As I am sure you know, shearing sheep to remove the fleece does not harm the animal at all (unless the shearer is careless and accidentally nicks the animal); in fact, getting rid of the wool actually does the sheep a favor, as such a thick coat can get extremely unwieldy and hot (this explains why sheep are often sheared in spring or summer, so as to prevent them from heat-related discomfort). Thus, to my knowledge, sheep are not harmed at all from the process. Vegans may have problems with using lanolin simply because it is from sheep. But considering that the animal actually benefits from its removal (because it comes off the HARVESTED wool–wool that can be bothersome to the creature–and is thus no longer needed in anyway by the animal.) I am assuming most vegans care about the planet, and wasting that wool and lanolin, seeing as it does not harm the sheep, would be environmentally unfriendly. Especially when such a natural, useful product can be used in place of many other toxin-ridden moisturizers and products.

So, yes, lanolin is “sheep fat”, but it is important to note that that “fat” is not from inside the sheep, but rather is discarded from its exterior.

Perhaps there is a side to this argument that I am not yet aware of, but to my knowledge, anyone who cares deeply for animal welfare and seeks to live this conviction through their lifestyle and consumer choices, should feel absolutely no guilt at all for buying products including this ingredient. Please educate me if I am incorrect. : )