Well. I'm gonna keep on trying. I could use some buddies. Are you trying to quit or drastically reduce dairy? Have you tried a bunch of times and failed? Are you a guilt-ridden mess like I am? Then here's your spot. Vegans who have lots of info about the evils of the dairy industry, please try to abstain from preaching here. Many of us who have tried to quit and failed are fully aware of the horrors and the ethical unsupportability of dairy as a food source. Many of us know we want to stop and want help in stopping but not a lecture as to what is wrong with us that we have not stopped yet or stopped and restarted. I fully admit that I love cheese more than almost any other food. I cannot drink milk, it disagrees with me. I have Lactose Intolerence and if I eat too much cheese or dairy I get very sick indeed, so I have several great reasons to keep trying to get rid of the dairy or minimise it as much as I can. Both practical and ethical.

I just ate lunch now. A Tasty-Bite veggie curry. Alas, it had trace amounts of butter in it :( I do consider that meal to be a better choice than the paneer curry with chunks of cheese in it because I am trying to take baby steps as many wise people advised me to do. The house is stocked with soy cheese which has trace dairy in the form of casein but I think it seems like a great step towards eliminating the dairy. Trying to adjust my palate, etc. Because my cold turkey efforts were awful failures. :(

So come on and tell me your dairy woes. I can sympathise. Maybe we can succeed if we stick together.

Deb :vebo:

I've reduced drastically. This past week though, my husband came back from a long 3 week trip and wanted pizza (he was in England with no pizza) so I've had more cheese than I wanted to have, but this week I'm off it again. I feel so much better off cheese than on.

Halloumi cheese (Greek) is great. It's goat cheese. Somehow it doesn't make me _____ as much as cow cheese. (fill in the blank with whatever word you'd use for 'sickly') Halloumi is able to be grilled. Amazing. No rennet.

If I end up eating it once in a great while, like when we go to a friend's house and she makes homemade pizza with cheese, i'm not gonna say "no, I can't eat it". I'll just eat it and stay off it when I can. I would never make a good vegan, that's for sure. The :notvegan: would be after me all the time!

I do the dairy elimination dance. For every step forward I take towards avoiding dairy, I take two steps back (such as eating cheese and cheese-and-egg-containing desserts last weekend. I did manage to avoid eating plain old eggs, though). But I haven't given up entirely. I'm still trying, and I think that's worth something.

Hi

I just stopped eating dairy last Friday....today I REALLY wanted an ice cream cone, it's so hot here. Soy Dream just doesn't taste the same to me.

I, too, am lactose intolerant, but only milk makes me physically ill, while cheese and ice cream dont do much, unless eaten in large quantities.

I'm dieing for some ice cream.

Anyways I don't know if I 'belong' in the thread because I did stop eating dairy already....definitly feeling the pain of missing cheese and ice cream lol. The only soy cheese I can find has casien.

When do you plan on eliminating dairy or do you ever?> It is tough.

ella, try soy delicious if you can find it.. it tastes much better/more like real ice cream to me than either soy dream or rice dream did.

I've been trying different brands and flavors of soy ice cream, but it's just not the same as real ice cream. I don't care what vegans say. I DON'T think soy ice cream tastes better than the real thing. My desire to eliminate dairy from my diet is more for ethical/environmental reasons than for taste/health reasons, so whenever I crave moo ice cream or other dairy, I just try to remember that "it's for the animals".

Tofutti Cuties! I like the regular vanilla ones with choco sandwich part or the Strawberry Wave ones which remind me of Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake bars.

And yeah, minimising dairy is better than scarfing it. I don't care what radical vegans say. I say you are doing great for even trying!

:lovesign:

***Edited to remove snarky comment about lack of support***.

Trying is better than not trying.

d

I found that putting toppings on soy ice cream makes it harder to tell it from the real thing. I could put Reese's Shell chocolate and peanut butter syrup on ice cubes and still think they're yummy. :D

Mmmm ... Tofutti Cuties are my favorite frozen treat! :drool: I'd choose them over dairy ice cream any day.

I would also like to cut my dairy down to only trace amounts. All that cheese has got to go before I clog up the ole ticker :no:

I found that putting toppings on soy ice cream makes it harder to tell it from the real thing. I could put Reese's Shell chocolate and peanut butter syrup on ice cubes and still think they're yummy. :D


Ooooo! That sounds...really good for me in a bad for me way.

:D

One of the most depressing things that has been motivating me was the scandal with Horizon Dairies and their total disregard for the standards of Organic that other farms are adhering to.

I read the expose on Horizon at Salon.com

Here is a link but you will have to get a daypass by viewing an ad. Follow the links where the story stops to get your daypass.

http://archive.salon.com/news/feature/2005/04/13/milk/index.html

Amazing article and something that has been helpful to me. I am saddened and ashamed because I had been buying Horizon for my daughter who loves the yogurt tubes (no gelatin in, which is rare in kid yogurt) and the mozzarella sticks for her lunchbox. They also make animal-free jelly cups that are vegetable gelatin. Fruit flavours. I was so happy she could have "jello" sometimes. Not anymore Those effers are wrecking the organic label.

It's one thing to try to buy better sourced dairy for her and another entirely to find that the source is as bad as regular dairies. Very depressing. We're doing Organic Valley for her stuff now but we have to drive to find it sometimes. :juggle:

She has her own drawer in the fridge into which one must never venture unless preparing a bag lunch for the child.

*sigh*

d

Mod post

Supportive comments only; Satyagraha, please edit your post.

I am entirely off dairy except a few trace things here and there. I approach it from a least-harm perspective so that is consistent with my beliefs. I never thought I'd get to this point, and never pressured myself to. I found over time any amount of dairy (or eggs) became less and less appealing and I just naturally started abstaining. I no longer desire cheese, and I used to be one to order pizza with only double cheese. Cheese on everything. Four or more cups of milk a day. I NEVER backslide, and have some ice cream or cheese or whatever, just two or three items with trace amounts of dairy (i.e. last ingredient on the list). I'm nearly 100% dairy-free. :D

weaning and replacing

one thing that i often do to 'get off' of a product or foodstuff that i feel i'm eating too much of or i would prefer not to eat, it so wean and replace. So, it's a two-part process.

for instance, as i wrote somewhere else, i'm striving to remove soda from my diet entirely. Now, i'm not a heavy consumer--i used to have only about 1-3 sodas per week. I want to be soda free. So, i currently only have 1 soda per week (on saturdays), and then i have tea whenever i want a soda (iced tea).

You may notice that i chose a specific day on which to have soda as part of my weaning process. It's a 'cheat' day, and on that day, i have a soda. Currently, i'm striving to have 1/2 of a soda on that day.

You may also notice that i did a replacement of the soda for whenever else. Instead of a soda, i'll have tea. I've picked a rather sweet tea, which i brew and then ice. I chose a sweet tea because i often want 'sweetness' when i want a soda. I also will sometimes have strawberry-lime water (which is sliced strawberries and limes soaked in water for 1/2 the day or so). I find that these two replacements are great--because they're refreshing, special, and they replace the soda craving.

ok, so how might this relate to cheese or other dairy products. Lets talk first about cheese.

first, pick your day of the week that you're most likely to eat cheese. For me and the soda thing, i was more likely to have it when i was 'out with friends' having fun--which is on saturday afternoon. we always go to my friend's restaurant with two other friends and so i have a soda. it's a habit. I knew that it would be hardest for me to 'turn down' soda on that occassion--so i told myself that until i'm 'broken' of the habit of the soda, it's ok to have it.

So, you pick a day when you're most likely to want cheese. Do you go wine tasting on sundays? they offer cheese and crackers too--then it's probably the best day for you to set aside as your 'ok' day to eat cheese. is monday the day that your friend makes her awesome mac-n-cheese? then that's the day for you! So, you pick a day and you stick to it.

lets just say that, like me, you do want cheese on those other days. Perhaps you take that cheese and save it until your 'cheat' day. Your cheat day is usually sunday, but your friend made mac and cheese for you! Great, thank her for it, and then put it in the fridge until sunday. when you get to sunday, you can have it--and you can have cheese with your wine too. but, it's likely that you won't be able to eat yoru stockpile once it gets there! and, you'll also see how much cheese you really eat/want--so that'll help give perspective too!

Now, for replacing. Cheese is satisfying because it has a lot of fat. Fat is good for us (even the fat in cheese, TYVM), so it's ok to eat it. Just remember the calories! BUt, truth be told, there are lots of great, tastey, fatty things to eat that are dairy/cheese free. Perhaps you love nachos with lots of cheese--instead make chili, add salsa, and then add some good guacamole! trust me, you won't miss the cheese. Say you love lasagne--instead make a tricolore pie (pasta sauce, yellow squash, zuccini and eggplant cut into thin, long-ways slices, layer and bake). Make sure that you have some fat to replace the cheese, and you'll feel good (i love olive oil!).

now, ice cream is a good one too, but easliy fixed--all-fruit sorbets. they exist, even in regular grocery stores, and they taste great! they're often better than their soy counterparts. but, there's also soy delicious, rice dream, and tofutti. so, you do have options. there's also some frozen banana "ice cream" recipes in the raw food section here!

So, there are possibilities. First, wean. meanwhile, replace. eventually, you'll have less and less dairy on your 'cheat day' and you'll be free of it. it takes time, so don't worry about it!

good luck!

What bugs me is the soy cheese that's available these days. It tastes like plastic and usually contains casein. I know that someday somebody will come out with soy cheese that actually tastes good and doesn't contain casein, but by then I'll be a strict vegan and not worry about it. :D But in the meantime... :dizzy:

:sunny: :sunny: :sunny:

I think I made great steps in reducing the amount of dairy I consume, and I notice I feel better about myself when I do. Last week I ate ceral with cow's milk (because I wasn't home) and I felt kinda sick afterwards. Diary isn't very good on my body, icecream usually made me sick, but I would always eat it anyways because mmmm chocolate. I used to think I wouldn't be able to give up dairy but the less I eat of it the more I don't miss it. Problem is everything that they serve here on campus is either meaty or cheesy. It would help if I didn't have to have a meal plan. :-/

Tofutti Cuties! They just got some at my campus store! I should have picked them up but I already had too much junk food as is. I gotta get some later.

That reminds me, I'm a huge sour cream fan, does anyone know if they make a vegan version?

Yes! There is a great vegan sour cream, called Sour Supreme. It's made by Tofutti, and it tastes almost identical to dairy sour cream. I love it.

Tofutti's Sour Supreme is vegan and very yum.

Yes! There is a great vegan sour cream, called Sour Supreme. It's made by Tofutti, and it tastes almost identical to dairy sour cream. I love it.

:smitten:

i think that the concept of 'soy cheese' should probably be abandoned. it's not really cheese, and even though the taste has improved over the years, you really don't 'need' cheese to be happy or healthy.

which is why i recommend making something different to replace it. Instead of trying something that is one thing that's supposed to taste like something else, why not just try something else that we already know is good. YOu know? instead of queso dip, and instead of some weird fake queso from soy (or whatever recipe), how about guac? i mean, it tastes great, it's very creamy, and it works. Or what about a black bean dip that's really spicy? right?

i don't mind the concept of occassionally using something that's a 'direct' replacement. My dad was really sweet last summer when he went to the local HFS and looked for "vegan" veggieburgers and "vegan" cheese for me. He bought both--two really terrible brands--and grilled them special for me and everything. He doesn't know that i greatly dislike vegan cheese. He didn't know that that particular brand of veggie burgers tastes terrible. But, he did something special for me and i ate it and it was great because it was made and given with love.

later, i made home-made spicy-black bean patties and served it with L,T, O, salsa and guac on a whole grain bun. He now knows that a good veggie burger tastes like! now, i just bring my own and he's happy! So, it's great--right? :)

anyway, good food--real food--is good for you. Real fruit sorbet, better than soy ice cream. real babaganouj spread, way better than crock cheese. see? :)

that's why it's hard for me to eat cheese. I have to FORCE myself to eat it--because there are so many tastey alternatives. You just don't understand! i can't consume that many calories! LOL i would have real sorbet over ice cream any day. I would have guac over cheese dip. God help me!

i know, it's so backwards. Ya'll are lucky that you get to wean!

This being said, AV, I think you should refrain from comments like this if you want to keep the peace around here:



It's not fair to provoke people and also insist they not post anything but supportive comments.

Point taken. You are right. I will edit. I just don't understand the jerky attitudes around here towards people seeking support. It's making me angry. I have to not let it and keep trying.

d

well i for one totally appreciate you starting this thread accidentalveg - ive read all the bad stuff as far as dairy but cant seem to bring myself to cut it out :( its so frustrating! ive switched to vanilla soy milk for my cereal and i really like choc flavored for when im craving chocolate - but i live in a small town and there is only one name brand of soy cheese offered in the grocery stores - i tried it in a variety of recipes and just dont like it! it tastes bland and doesnt melt. as far as ice cream - well there is no substitute for that here - i like sorbet but sometimes nothing will beat a blizzard from DQ! - i still eat eggs but only the ones that come from my Mom's farm - i refuse to buy them from the store - i know my Mom is good to her chickens (sometimes i think she likes them more then me and my brother!) ----- anyway - im glad to know im not the only one suffering guilt for this moral dilema! - accidentalveg you are the coolest - meatless you rock too! :)

Tofutti's Sour Supreme is vegan and very yum.

It's true. Baked Potato, salt, pepper, Earth Balance, Steamed Broccoli and Sour Supreme.

Ah. Life is good again!!

;)

There is no way around the cheese. I just learned to make lots of things that don't include cheese. It's been the only way to survive!