Dairy: Do You Or Don't You? Just Curious!

[K8-EEE]

Hi all, first of all, disclaimer, I'm not a vegan or even a vegetarian really but trying to cut out the meat, dairy, eggs more and more. I would say about three quarters of my meals are meatless and maybe half of those vegan.

I found a YUMMY soy cheese, first one I liked as good as the real stuff, but my vegan friend won't touch it because it has casein (dairy protein) as an ingredient. Understandable since she is a strict vegan, but now my husband says, well if that is the case why not just buy the regular cheese then, it's cheaper.

I just figure it's better to have less of dairy but find it so restrictive to have NONE! I find it difficult to be so strict on that stuff.

I find most people are either like my husband (doesn't like any restrictions at all) or my friend (will not eat even take a bite of marinara sauce unless she can get an afadavit that there is not a speck of cheese in it!)

Any other "middle grounders" on the dairy? I just had a yummy quesadilla with that stuff btw, it's called "Lisanatti Jalapeno Supreme." Tasty and it melts great!

[LeftyMom]

1. I'm vegan, so no dairy for me (I'm allergic anyhow)

I think a soy cheese with casein would be healthier for you than a dairy cheese, since you'd be cutting out the cholesterol, the saturated fat, the lactose, many of the allergenic proteins, etc. Casein isn't real great for a body either (it's another potentially allergenic dairy protein, and it actually has addictive properties) but still, if your options are soy cheese with one dairy protein or a dairy cheese I would definitely encourage you to go with the former.

Should you want to look for a dairy-free cheese, Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet is pretty good, it just needs a bit more heat to melt properly. There's also a vegan parmesean topping in a purple can (I can't remember the name of it) that's a very convincing fake.

[flvegan]

2. "Purple can" vegan parmesan...is this it?

Went and checked my fridge to get the website. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE the parmesan!!!

I'm also kinda pissed. Didn't know they made vegan sour cream. I love the Tofutti, but I'd like to try theirs.

[LeftyMom]

3. That's the stuff

I'm pouting right now because I can't get sour cream anyplace but accross town at Whole Foods now, because Trader Joes quit carrying toffuti and the food co-op here won't carry any due to transfats or something (they have a rice-based sour cream but it has dairy in it.)

[flvegan]

5. Erm...

transfats...Sour Supreme? They should recheck the label.

I'm going to go ladel Sour Supreme on something, just to spite you. May your pouting bill with the Gods!!!!!

I kid.

[LeftyMom]

6. So you mean they don't have it for no good reason?

Heads. Will. Roll.

I'm going to print the ingredients out and staple them to a product request or something, because they told me they couldn't find one with no tranfats. Morans. :eyes:

[flvegan]

7. Well, to quote Tofutti...

"For consumers concerned with their fat and calorie intake, TOFUTTI now offers a version of BETTER THAN CREAM CHEESE AND SOUR SUPREME without partially hydrogenated fat and no trans fatty acids. Both these products can be used just like the original versions. It is also made with organic sugar, no preservatives, and is available in most health food stores."

[LeftyMom]

8. ...and yet I have no onion dip.

Oh, the food co-op hippies and thier dairy sour cream shall feel my mighty, dipless vegan wrath, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. :P

PS Did you get my PM?

[flvegan]

10. PM? When sent?

[LeftyMom]

11. Last night or this morning.

I'll resend in case the forum ate it or something.

[flvegan]

4. FIRST of all, K8-EEE...

you don't need a disclaimer here. Congrats on what looks to be a much healthier than average diet (I'm assuming that your vegan meals aren't all tater tots and fried okra *snort*).

I'm no "middle grounder" on dairy, as I'm much like your friend. I do, however, want to point you towards the BESTESTESTEST non-dairy ice cream...EVAH!!!!!!

Turtle Mountain's Soy Delicious Purely Decadent...it's the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" of the ice cream world.

My fave:


Of course, that can change almost weekly. I finished off a pint of Cookie Avalanche today, I admit.

Also, as for the Lisanatti "cheese" and your husband's comment. Compare the fat/calories of one v. the other. Reason enough, I think.

[K8-EEE]

13. Oh Thank You!

Thanks for the nice welcome everybody -- I have seen that ice cream at Trader Joe's, I will def pick some up!

I don't know why I'm always expecting to be scolded by vegetarians, it never happens, I guess I just feel a bit insecure that I haven't been as disciplined as some people are. You guys all rock and thanks for being understanding to those of us who struggle with these kinds of things!

[LeftyMom]

21. Trader Joes also has Good Karma Rice Cream and Toffutti cuties

Those are great too. I really liked the mint chip Rice Cream.

[RebelOne]

18. That stuff is delicious. Only problem is that it is so expensive. n/t

[jmm]

20. If you have a Stop & Shop near you it's on sale this week

I bought a quart today for only three dollars plus I had coupons for a dollar off. Thankfully I have a small stack of coupons so I will be stocking up soon :D.

[JitterbugPerfume]

9. I am not "officially" a vegetarian either

but I find myself eating more and more vegetarian and vegan meals , since factory farmed meat makes me want to barf!!

[peacebuzzard]

12. I am certainly trying to let go totally of dairy....not ez...but am 90%

vegan now. Feeling much better, thank you. BP has plummeted...
It was the fish that I held out for last. My last fish was over a half yr. ago.
All thanks to the little party around here ....the vegan / veg group on DU!!!

I have learned much around here.....

Would love to find that vegan parmesan. That would have been lovely on the homemade pasta pomodoro I just had for dinner......

[RebelOne]

14. I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian.

I do eat dairy products and eggs. My reasoning is at least the animals weren't killed for the cheese and eggs. I don't drink milk, but buy soy milk instead. But I do eat ice cream, but most of the time I buy soy ice cream.

[K8-EEE]

16. I Am Kinda Bummed Because

I thought by buying "free range" eggs, that it was better as far as humane issues go, well I was at this vegan restaurant the other day and they had pix labeled "THIS IS CONSIDERED 'FREE RANGE'" omg, not good pix.

So I really am going to do some research on companies that have humane living conditions for eggs and cheese!! I know that in France they really do try to keep the goats & cows happy as part of a "recipe" for gourmet cheeses, they think it affects the product adversely to have stressed or improperly fed animals, probably the same with high-end meat providers.

I know I have seen some places around central coast (CA) where the goats seem to have a pretty good gig...not that they love getting milked or whatever but they have an OK life, OK surroundings. I'd be OK with that.

If the stuff is way expensive I don't even care, because I would like to support family farms over the factory ones, and I don't need to eat the stuff every day. A little cheese and wine on the weekends is fine! Oh and now my vegan pal tells me that not all wine is vegan!! Truly it makes my head spin, which is why I am sort of phasing it in gradually.

[Coventina]

15. Dairy is my downfall, I have to confess

:cry:

I've never found a fake dairy product that didn't have me hankering for the real thing.

*sigh*

[K8-EEE]

17. Damn It, I Love Cheese, The Stinkier The Better! Wish I Didn't!

Talk about an acquired taste, I'm sure that places where they don't have cheese would gag on the stuff I eat (Danish blue, etc...my kids absolutely barf at the smell of it!) I sure wish I didn't like it so much!! The soy milk I'm OK with. Milk isn't really that good but cheese is goooooood, at least to me!! I love nothing better than goat cheese, crackers, apples and wine for dinner especially in the fall.

[Coventina]

19. Agree with you completely. I quit drinking milk as a beverage long ago.

As soon as I was out from under parental control, actually.

But cheese!! Glorious cheese! The lovely symbiotic relationship of ruminant and bacteria. How can something that sounds so gross be so delicious?

Damn our crafty ancestors!!!

[Ilsa]

22. Just a little. I don't have enough lactase in my gut to digest much

lactose. And aged cheeses can make my face break out. Before I was a vegetarian, cereal for breakfast, enchiladas with cheese for lunch, and then ice cream later in the day would finally set me off and keep me in the bathroom for awhile and moaning like a gassy baby.