Cheese is addictive: how to cut it out for good

For a lot of people trying to transition to veganism, or even just removing dairy from their diet, cutting out cheese is seen as the hardest part of the process. It's one of the most common reasons people give for not switching to veganism and for not giving up dairy. But giving up cheese is so important. More and more now, people are starting to realise how awful dairy production is for cows, for the environment, and for our own bodies. We're simply not designed to consume milk beyond infancy, especially that of another species.

But I love cheese! I can't imagine my life without it! I can't go a day without eating cheese!

I once felt this way, and I know so many others who are facing the same problem. We're accustomed to topping nearly everything we eat with cheese. We can't imagine eating pizza, pasta, sandwiches and salads without it. Have you ever wondered why that is?

Well, recent research has found that cheese is addictive. That's why it's so hard to give up. But cheese addiction, like any addiction, is possible to break. And luckily, cheese addiction is one of the easiest to let go of. There are so many alternatives out there to try, but if they're out of your price range, you can make your own fairly cheap.

Saying cheese is addictive is a pretty hefty claim, but there is a scientific basis for this assertion. Of course, for every scientific study released into the realm of journalism, there will be a conflicting scientific study saying the first was totally false. Personal experience, though, has lead me to believe that the cheese certainly feels difficult to give up at first, whatever the reason may be.

Cheese contains something called casomorphins. Casomorphins are protein fragments derived from the digestion of casein, a milk protein commonly found in cheese. According to some sources, casomorphins have addictive properties comparable to those of opiates such as codeine and morphine.

If you're unconvinced about the addictive properties of casomorphins in cheese, consider the high fat content of dairy products. People suffering from food addiction often gravitate towards foods with a very high fat content, such as fried foods, oily food, meat, chocolate and - of course - dairy. According to some studies, high-fat and high-sugar foods are addictive and, when suddenly eliminated from the diet, may evoke depression-like symptoms.

Despite all of these claims about addiction, it's not impossible to remove cheese from your diet. If you are genuinely concerned about your health, our environment, and the welfare of farmed animals, the following advice may help you cut out dairy products for good. And even if the addiction claims are entirely false, it's still true that people find cheese hard to cut from their diets and that dairy just isn't meant for human consumption.

"In western society, cheese is essentially a dietary staple. Tradition, like addiction, can be hard to break - but the availability of vegan cheese alternatives makes things much easier."

The issue of addiction goes hand-in-hand with the issue of tradition. In western society, cheese is essentially a dietary staple. Tradition, like addiction, can be hard to break - but the availability of vegan cheese alternatives makes things much easier.

For those looking to transition from vegetarianism to veganism, I have another useful article on that exact topic, which you can find here. It offers advice for cutting out dairy products, eggs, honey, and other animal products featured in the average vegetarian diet.

Cashews can be used to make delicious, creamy cheese alternatives

But if you're more interested, specifically, in cutting out cheese, here is a list of alternatives you could try. I have included brands purchasable in the three countries (the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia) that make up my blog's main audience.

United States: Chao, Daiya, Tofutti, Go Veggie!, Follow Your Heart

UK: Violife, Vegusto, Sheese, VBites, Tesco Free From

Australia: Daiya, Cheezley, Sheese, Biocheese, Tofutti

Of course, there are many other dairy-free cheese makers out there. If you're looking for other alternatives, Google is your friend!

If you're looking for a healthier cheese alternative, you could always try making your own. Vegan cheese can be made at home with common household ingredients. There's cashew cheese, almond cheese, macadamia cheese - the list goes on. And there is a seemingly endless list of different flavours and types of cheese to try - chilli cheese, Gouda, parmesan, black sesame, nacho cheese, feta, mozzarella, brie, pepper jack, and much more. Why not give them a go?

You can find a list of vegan cheese recipes here.

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Sources: 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9216246

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0117959

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/98684/20151023/cheese-is-addictive-as-drug-dairy-product-triggers-brain-region-linked-to-addiction.htm

https://skepticalvegan.com/2012/08/10/cheese-addiction/

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/12December/Pages/High-fat-food-addictive.aspx

How to Easily Transition from Vegetarian to Vegan

The idea of transitioning from vegetarianism to veganism can seem daunting, especially if you have only recently switched to vegetarianism. In reality, it's easy. If you do it the right way, it can be one of the simplest and yet most rewarding changes you ever make. There are so many vegan alternatives for animal products available these days, all helping to make your transition much easier.

I became vegetarian at six years old and became vegan at age eighteen. For most of my life, I couldn't imagine being vegan. I didn't know much about it, and it seemed so difficult. No ice-cream? No chocolate? No cake? No cookies? No cheese? What a horrible life that must be! 

How naive I was! I had no idea about the abundance of vegan ice-creams, chocolates, cakes, cheese and cookies available. I couldn't fathom how these foods could taste delicious without milk or eggs.

What's awesome is that since becoming vegan - which wasn't that long ago, only three years - the amount of vegan food available at the supermarket has grown exponentially. I can walk five minutes to my local supermarket and find all sorts of animal product alternatives - vegan cheese, cake mix, biscuits, meats (everything from herb sausages to pepperoni), cookies, chocolate, yoghurt, ice-cream... the list goes on. Five years ago, this wouldn't have been possible. Awareness of veganism certainly has grown in leaps and bounds over recent years, bringing an abundance of cruelty-free food along with it. It's fantastic.

So I was wrong about vegan food. It isn't boring. It isn't lacking in nutrition. For most people, it isn't difficult to find. For the majority of vegetarians, the transition from vegetarianism to veganism should be a smooth and delicious one. It certainly was for me!

Why vegetarians should switch to veganism

At first, vegetarianism can seem like enough. I mean, it's fairly obvious that eating meat causes animal suffering. Most people know about the horrors of slaughterhouses. Many people, however, don't know about the extra suffering hidden under the surface, the suffering that isn't so obvious - all caused by the dairy and egg industries.

As a young vegetarian, I didn't really understand why vegans existed. I figured it was a health fad. I couldn't see how taking milk from cows and eggs from chickens could possibly harm them - you don't have to kill a chicken to take her eggs, I thought, so what's wrong with eating them?

There is a great deal wrong with eating eggs, and drinking milk is just as bad. The level of suffering caused by the egg and dairy industries is just about on par with the meat industry. I won't go into too much detail here - there are plenty of sites that offer this information already (here, here) - but, in essence, the dairy and egg industries kill cows and chickens by the millions (after letting them suffer for their entire short lives).

If you want to stop animal suffering and promote animal rights, going vegan is the best way to do it. Vegetarianism is definitely a good step forward, but there is always more we can do to help. We should be striving to do our very best. And veganism is simple and easy, so why not make the switch?

Replacing cheese, milk and eggs in a vegan diet

One thing always seems to get in the way when people try to switch to a vegan diet: cheese. A lot of people crave it and end up switching back to vegetarianism. There's a reason for this: cheese is addictive! There's an ingredient in cheese called casein. When casein is digested, a protein fragment known as casomorphin is produced. Casomorphin has properties similar to opioids, which can be highly addictive and cause withdrawals. That's why withdrawal symptoms are experienced by people trying to cut out cheese! (Source, source)

I don't recall suffering any cheese withdrawals after switching to veganism, but I did miss the flavour. I no longer do. I eat cheese substitutes from time to time, sprinkled on pasta or other hot meats, but I certainly don't garnish every meal with cheese like I used to. I can quite happily go without it. In fact, the smell of cheese is very off-putting to me now, along with the smell of milk and eggs (well, I've always hated the smell of eggs). Cheese substitutes are nice to have around, but I don't feel like I need them.

You can make delicious vegan cheese from nuts and spices

I also used to be a big milk-drinker - especially flavoured milk. Banana milk was almost a daily staple in my vegetarian diet, despite how bloated and nauseous it often made me feel. Since dropping dairy, I rarely feel those effects.

If you're looking to drop cheese, milk, eggs, and other animal products from your diet, here's a table that can help you find alternatives:

Product	Faux/Processed Vegan Alternative	Natural/Homemade Vegan Alternative
Cheese	Vegan Cheese – Chao, Daiya, Sheeze, Notzarella, etc.	Homemade vegan cheese using nuts – cashew cheese, almond parmesan
Egg	Egg replacer powder – Orgran, Ener-G, etc.	To replace one egg: 1 TBSP ground flax seed + 2 ½ TBSP water 1 TBSP chia seed + 1/3 cup water ½ banana, mashed ¼ cup of applesauce
Milk	Almond milk, hemp milk, oat milk, rice milk, soy milk, coconut milk, etc.	Easy-to-make homemade plant-based milks such as almond, oat
Honey	Vegan honey – “Bee Free Honee”, etc.	Agave nectar, maple syrup
Yoghurt	Vegan yoghurt – So Delicious, Trader Joe’s, Alpro, Kingland, Co Yo, etc.	Homemade yoghurt
Ice-Cream	Vegan ice-cream – So Delicious, So Good, Almond Dream, etc.	Frozen bananas, blended

With all these alternatives readily available, making the switch from vegetarian to vegan shouldn't be difficult at all. Once your body has moved past the brief "withdrawal" stage that you may experience, you will feel wonderful; and eventually, the mere thought of eating animal products will make you sick. You won't crave it anymore, and you'll feel better for it.

If you're looking for specific recipes, search online! You'll find an abundance of information all over the internet. I'm not a great cook myself, so I can't provide you with any awesome recipes, but there are many vegan food blogs out there that will help. Here's a few popular sites to get you started: link, link.

Of course, you don't have to replace any of these products if you don't feel like it. You could just go without, as many vegans do. Plain fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and seeds are more than enough for many people.

Make the switch today

If you're a vegetarian looking to become vegan, hopefully this post has helped you. If you're vegan already, and have vegetarian friends (I know many of us do) this post may help them out - why not share it with them?

I definitely haven't regretted making the change from vegetarian to vegan. Honestly, it's the best decision I've ever made in my life. It opened my eyes to so many new foods, new people, and the blogging community. It really has changed my life for the better. If you love animals and don't want them to suffer, and if you love to eat delicious, healthy food, I encourage you to make the switch to veganism. If you do it right, you'll never look back.