I am not new to vegetarianism, but I am new to veganism.

I've been a gung-ho lacto ovo vegetarian for a while, but for several reasons I am going vegan. For one thing, I've been concerned about the amount of saturated fat I've been consuming, and just yesterday a news report came out on msnbc.com about new studies showing the dangers. I researched this and found the study on the internet, and it totally convinced me that saturated fats are "evil."

But even more important, I finally forced myself to watch Alec Baldwin's "Meet Your Meat Video." That is my main reason for switching. It's called conscience. My husband will be watching it tonight. For those who have not yet viewed this, it's available free on the peta website - no need to purchase it.

So, as a cheese lover, do you have any suggestions as substitutes? I also tend to do better on more protein.

What are you seasoned vegans eating and how do you cope with eating out?

Thanks in advance for any answers!

My suggestion would be not to try cheese substitutes right away. I waited a month after going vegan. But, when I did use it, I used Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet. It has a slightly different texture, but it's good. Also, you could try the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak. She has many good recipes for "cheesy" dishes.

Eating out can be a challenge, but it doesn't have to be. Don't be shy with your server. Know the names of the by-products that you're trying to avoid. It also helps to know ahead of time where I'm going so I can kind of plan what I'd like to order or what type of questions I want to ask (like if the veggies are sauteed in oil or butter, etc.)

Hope this helps, and good luck!

I understand nutritional yeast can be used as a substitute for cheese in certain recipes.

Free & Easy do a vegan cheese sauce mix. I'll be honest and say it tastes nothing like a home made or restaurant quality sauce would, but its ok in things like lasagne. Otherwise I mix it with some cayenne pepper and oregano and then use it like a normal cheese sauce.

Vegan parmesan is easy to get hold of, and it is pretty good. I've even made 'traditional' pesto with it which turned out really nicely.

I've heard (not tried it personally) that you can make a decent feta substitute by putting chunks of tofu in a strong olive oil with herbs, pepper corns etc.

I think there's one called "Veganrella" that's really good. I'm not sure if that's the right name. The same company also makes a "Veganaisse" that's super good. :)

As a recovering dairy addict I would advise you to get used to life sans fromage. I found follow your heart vegan gourmet cheddar in my health food store today, ripped it open, eagerly tried it and nearly spit it out from shock. It's been a few months since I've eaten cheese but it hasn't been THAT long. lol It was really, well, not good. My husband described it as "Burnt cheese tasting moistened sawdust". That about sums it up. But I would have to give a second thumbs up to the uncheese cookbook. You may be able to special order it through your local bookstore and I know Amazon.com sells it. I bought it on saturday and I tried the American cheese recipe and it's pretty good. It doesn't taste like cheese, not by a long shot, but it makes a really good grilled sandwich spread and would even be a nice stand in on a cold cut sandwich. Sort of mustard-y like tasting. Could've been the way I made it but it was pretty good. I'm trying the mozzerella recipe tomorrow in my lasagna.
I've not found a lot of really decent dairy substitute items, it's certainly harder than finding meat subs that don't suck. Soy yogurt is pretty ok. Tofutti's better than cream cheese and sour cream subs aren't bad (their sliced cheese sucks imo). The *only flavor ice cream that I think is remotely close to dairy is Soy Delicious Peanut Butter Zig Zag. It's so good my husband thought it was dairy ice cream. That's about it on the good. lol
Only my opinion of course but I was a major dairy freak so I like to weigh in just in case anyone is as fussy as I was about fake dairy products. Could save you about $30 in experiments. lol
Mary

Just thought, swedish glace do a great vegan ice cream.

Oh! Mary said what I was going to say. My first year (or more) of attempted veganism could be subtitled "the hunt for something that tastes like cheese".

I've found some of the Soy Delicious and Soy Creams to be good ice cream subs, and I'd not been a big milk drinker for awhile, but cheese...yum. :)

It must be something to do with your feelings about cheese pre-veganism, but I have to chuckle at these "it's really good posts" about vegan cheese. I've tried them all, and while I've found a couple that taste good, there are none that taste like cheese. None. I don't care what anyone says, lol.

There are some things that help stave off cravings though, I think. Some folks swear by grilled avocado sandwiches. Some vegan stores sell this powder called "Instead o' Cheese" that is good on pasta. PunkMommy's nacho cheese recipe from here at VB satisfies a lot of nacho fans, Tofutti makes a "cheese" pizza that's not half bad, and you can make a "sorta" grilled cheese sandwich with their slices.

There are some tips/tricks, but overall I've found it to be a very different experience than giving up meat. There are several meat analogues that are so "real" that they've kinda freaked me out. With cheese, I had to grow new tastebuds :)

Thank you so much for all your responses. I just came back from Whole Foods and did spend over $20 on the varieties of Follow Your Heart cheeses. I figure if I don't like them I can always cut them up and stir into a strong flavored pasta dish. I love ANYTHING in pasta!

I bought a book by Neal Barnard called Foods That Cause You to Lose Weight and will be making the Cheezy Garbanzo Spread recipe tonight. I did buy the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook as well.

I realize that nothing will taste exactly or maybe even close to dairy cheese, but I thought long and hard about my cheese "history" and remembered as a kid I absolutely hated cheese! I was encouraged by my mom to eat cheese as a source of calcium so I learned to love cheese. I realize now it was really an acquired taste, and I can also unacquire that taste!

This new way of eating is more important to me than the taste of cheese, but it will be nice to have non-dairy substitutes to fill in that gap. My husband has agreed to watch the Meet Your Meat video tonight, and that is so important to me. He is a die-hard meat eater.

Thanks again for your input everyone!

That's interesting about your mom, maybe that will help you a bit. Channel that inner child who hated cheese! :D

<<<loved cheese then too. I swear, I thought my mom was genius because she could make Kraft Mac & Cheese. :D

Jen, that's what I'm doing! My memory made me realize cheese is just an acquired taste, like so many things.

I made that Cheezy Garbanzo Spread recipe and it is excellent. I do believe I will have great fun experimenting with different cheese substitutes!

My husband has agreed to watch the Meet Your Meat video tonight, and that is so important to me. He is a die-hard meat eater.



Wow, I hope you tell us how that goes.

I too used to be absolutely addicted to cheese. I put it on literally everything. When I decided to go vegan a few years ago, I had to just cut cheese out completely from the start. I think that's your best bet. It'll be really tough for a few weeks but you really won't miss it once you've gone a while without it.

There really aren't any good cheese substitutes out there from what I've seen (although tofu subsitutes really nicely in the place of cheese in a lot of recipes, like casseroles). Honestly, you won't even miss cheese after a few months. I went back to being just vegetarian about a year ago and I had to get a taste for cheese all over again. I'm sure once you find some good vegan recipes, you really won't miss cheese in your diet.

As for going out to eat, it too will be pretty rough at first. Once you know what kinds of food to avoid and have tried a few places out, you'll find some favorite places that work with your diet.

Just a suggestion from my past experience: avoid Italian restuarants like The Olive Garden (unless they have a salad bar or veggie burgers), fast food restaurants, and Asian fast food restaurants (unless they have specific vegan entrees, because they often cook with fish stock and other seafood).

Good luck!!!

Oh, yea, I forgot - I really wanted to add that you'll want to watch out especially close for things like toothpaste, gum, candy, jeans... I may be telling you something you've already heard before, but in case you haven't heard - a lot of toothpaste and most chewing gum has milk extract in them. A lot of candy does as well, even those that may not seem like it (like Starbursts and Skittles). Also, I've heard that a lot of companies use animal products in the lining of their blue jeans, although not all companies list them on their labels (so I've heard), so it'd be a good idea to try to find some clothing lines that are made specifically vegan (you can find them all over the Internet). I hope that helps!

"mac and chreese" or something is a good alternative to boxed mac and cheese, but to make it taste good, one shouldn't follow the directions exactly, rather add some margarine... which granted may be defeating the purpose of eating healthier. i also like the soy cream cheese, but some don't seem to like it as much as i do. it's not quite as creamy as the real thing.

i think that fake cheeses taste much better melted on sandwiches or on pizza as long as one doesn't expect them to taste like cheese. not all cheese alternatives really melt though. that said, they don't taste that amazing so most of the time i don't waste the money. i'd rather have pizza with only sauce and veggies anyway.

I can't stand any fake cheeses, with the exception of this one from BC and I can't even remember the name, but it has TONS of oil and casein in it, so it's neither healthy, nor vegan.

I like things like veganaise, soymilk and toffuti cutties for dairy subs. Oh and even soygurt. I eat that every morning, but I just reach for some avacado's when I need something gooey and cheese like!

Good luck!

My husband had to work last night, and tonight our contractor to work on the bathroom is coming in, so it looks like we'll be watching it tomorrow night. Meet Your Meat is so upsetting, I want him to have quiet time to watch it. Thanks for asking!

My mom was taught by a vegan we know how to make 'veggie parm' by mixing nutritional yeast with ground almonds-- awesomely delicious!

Everyone here had me pretty convinced that there was no Good store bought cheddar substitute. I used to love extra-sharp cheddar. You know how it makes your face warm or even sweat a little? Well, I found a vegan alternative. Galaxy Nutritional Foods makes a vegan "american" slice. It's not the one labeled "veggie", this one has some purple on the packaging and says in bold type "Vegan". Anyway it has that warm face / sweating quality, but will only pass for a mild cheddar taste. It makes me happy.

For the most part I like every single Tofutti product there is (except their cheddar slices). I also make my own liquid cheeses using Nutritional Yeast, soymilk, tomato sauce, spices and sometimes salsa.

Eating out is a little harder than it was when I was vegetarian. It's not impossible though. I've even had steakhouses and foreign restaurants be completely honest and helpful. -- telling me that "no.. you can't have the potato because they are all rolled in bacon fat already." or "Yes, we can chop up some fresh tomatoes and green pepper for you to top your pasta."

Alot of pizza doughs are vegan. Just ask what ingredients they use. They'll most likely say flour, yeast, water, and spices (like oregano and/or rosemary).

When I go out to restaurants I am always prepared to go raw if that will make it easier for the chef. I'd rather have fresh than cooked for obvious reasons. Let me say that I have not gone w/o a meal yet.

I realize now it was really an acquired taste, and I can also unacquire that taste!
Amen. That's how I came to prefer soy milk over dairy. At first I thought soy had a weird nutty after taste now I think dairy has a gross mucus after taste.

I haven't found any vegan cheese substitute, and it seems to me if they managed to formulate one that tastes as good as cheese it would be as bad for you as cheese.

TrueVeggie14, thanks for your helpful words. Regarding the cheese, I could be wrong, but I think Galaxy American cheese uses hydrogenated fats in their cheese, and as a matter of principle, I just avoid any product with hydrogenated fats! These fats are basically outlawed in Europe, and for good reason!

I am by no means a health fanatic; I'm primarily doing vegan because of my concience, but I know from past experience that eating hydrogenated fats really raises my cholesterol.

The latest gimmick with American labels is that if a food contains a very small amount of hydrogenated fat they can still list 0 trans fats on the label. What they don't tell you is that's just one serving, and if you eat this day after day, or even more than one serving, it really adds up!

Sorry to go off an a tangent!

For those of you wondering, I am still waiting for hubby to watch Meet Your Meat. He admitted he is dreading it.

Totally off topic, but have you heard that Fast Food Nation is being made into a movie with Ethan Hawke? For those of you who read the book, it will be out in the fall I believe. There's a website on it with a really neat trailer! Sorry I don't have the web address, but a google search will take you there.