Vegan questions?

Read or watch Forks Over Knives.

For the OP, it might be best to wait until you are not in school to go vegan. There are far too many things above meat, eggs and dairy vegans do not consume that it will be tough for you to get everything you need in your diet from the dining hall at school.

Vegans don't eat honey, jello, eat only organic apples (the shine on apples is due to shellac which is not vegan), some dyes are excluded, some soy products.. etc. If you want to become a very strict vegan that means cutting out a lot of beauty care items.

I remember also there was a big controversy a few years ago with McDonald French fries because of some use of beef broth in the preparation...don't remember all the details, but I do remember they changed over that part of the process so it would accommodate vegetarian customers

There was also an issue with Starbucks recently as they used a food coloring that was actually made from beetles and hence not vegetarian or vegan.

Moral of the story, being vegetarian or vegan you really need to research and know what is in everything you eat and where it comes from which is very hard to do when someone else decides what you can choose to eat.

I remember also there was a big controversy a few years ago with McDonald French fries because of some use of beef broth in the preparation...don't remember all the details, but I do remember they changed over that part of the process so it would accommodate vegetarian customers

Unfortunately they never did the change over:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2104472_2104473_2104489,00.html

The beef flavoring can also be found in the grocery store in some fries and hash brown products.

They did change them... at least in Canada and the UK. The flavouring now is a vegetable source and they are cooked in vegetable oil/canola oil.

So, you want to return to a way of eating that already made you sick?

Eating mono-culture grains is worse nutritionally, politically, environmentally, and ethically than eating animals (that are NOT factory farmed and grain fed). Have you considered spending some time on really understanding where your food comes from? Get to know your local farmers, learn about their farming practices. Perhaps learn to hunt. There's nothing wrong with eating animals as long as they were treated with care and respect. That includes being allowed to graze on grass, like they were meant to, while their manure, and all manner of rotting materials, keep the soil alive and the perennial plants producing.

Don't take my word for anything. Start doing research. Learn about biology (including what lives in top soil, and how plants get nutrients), agriculture, physiology, food politics, history, anthropology, etc.

So what are some big no no foods to avoid that people don't think about?

If you want to be full vegan?

Lots of protein bars, jello, certain restaurants fries, a bunch of salad dressings... all not vegan. Yes, jello is not vegan.

Depending on how strict of a vegan you want to be certain clothing and beauty products are out.

Do your reserach on what is and is not vegan. A lot of things will surprise you. McDonalds fries for example aren't vegan in the US as they use milk and beef when making them. Pudding I don't believe is vegan due to the milk but I could be wrong. Cake and pies are not vegan... Cesear salad at restaurants and the dressings sold in stores are not vegan. A lot of cookies, chips, frozen/packaged foods are not vegan.

So what are some big no no foods to avoid that people don't think about?

Anything that comes from an animal, including dairy, eggs and honey (ie even if the animal doesn't die to provide them)

The biggest problem is the additives and processes that are not considered vegan.
For example, a lot of sugar is processed using bone char so it isn't vegan (white sugar, icing sugar and brown sugar for example) So foods with added sugar are out, unless it specifically states the type of sugar.
Gelatin - not vegan. It's in tons of foods like marshmallows, gummies and jello.
Red food dye - carmine - made from big shells.
Many beer and wine are not vegan due things like isinglass (dried fish bladder) and egg whites in the processing.
Soy cheese - sounds vegan but some brands are made with rennet - not vegan.
Egg and egg whites appear in lots of foods.
There are tons of flavorings and other additives that appear in a lot of our food.

And then you need to look at how food is prepared. Refried beams sound vegan, but can often contain lard. Same with tortillas. French fries are often cooked in oil that was used for meat products (McDonalds used to add a beef extract to their fries so even of they were cooked in their own oil, still not vegan)

Here is a more exhaustive list
http://www.veganwolf.com/animal_ingredients.htm

And, of course, vegans don't use anything animal products. I believe that list covers the things found in cosmetics and other stuff.