...how do you do it? (And by minimally lacto-ovo, I mean the vast majority of your egg/dairy consumption being in the form of trace ingredients.) I am just curious, because I've heard people describe such a thing and I tried to do that when I first went vegetarian but failed (now have been completely egg/dairy free for approx. four months, which I find easier than being minimally lacto-ovo). It seems that if I say dairy is ok, I wind up stuffing my face with cheese pizza. Do you know what I mean?

I'm mostly vegan, but not out of any real desire to be vegan - it's just working out that way. I don't even know if it counts as "minimally," but I think it's pretty close.



When I cook or when I'm ordering something that obviously contains animal products (like pizza) I simply omit/substitute. I only cook recipes marked vegan, but when I'm eating at a restaurant or eating prepackaged foods I don't usually worry about it. It probably sounds like I don't care, but for me, the hassle of finding/ordering animal-product-free ready-made foods still outweighs the impact I feel I'm having in the world.



Hope that makes sense. It's a good question.

I agree with broccoli chick.... I too find myself overindulging if I 'allow' myself dairy.



Sometimes I have vegan days.... and on those days it is easy for me to stick to it. The rest of the time I am trying to be minimally lacto-ovo and I have days where the minimal kind of fades into the distance..... So I have decided that the only path for me is to be fully vegan - I start Friday at midnight

I consider myself "minimally" lacto-ovo. I may even eat vegan for a day or two without even noticing or trying.



I drink almond milk, eat soy ice-cream, and don't even BUY eggs (blech). Too much cheese gives me a stomach ache, so that in itself is a natural deterrant



I don't really mind if there is dairy baked into what I'm eating, but I will avoid it if there is an option. I don't find myself over-indulging on dairy, but I guess I can see how someone would.



The only thing I have to limit my intake of is chocolate :P

I don't purchase dairy or egg products or order food with dairy or eggs in it when I'm at a restaurant (to my knowledge. I don't ask whether the bread had an egg wash, for example). I prepare almost 100% of my own meals and make them vegan. I don't tell other people that it's ok to feed me dairy or eggs.

I'm lactose-intolerant so that's not hard to stop myself from avoiding! As for eggs, I generally avoid them. I haven't decided one hundred percent whether I'm against them - IF they're seen as waste products the hen isn't going to use, like a pet hen. But since I'm not in a situation where that is a possibility, I try to avoid them. However, I live in Japan and I can't read anything (and most restaurants have no vegetarian, let alone vegan, things on their menus and will not substitute), so I don't worry about trace ingredients. I try to limit how much processed stuff I buy so that I'm avoiding more, but I don't obsess over it.



Not being a big cheese fan helps (that and not being able to eat it, even if I want! I tried lactaid before, but it doesn't work).

I'm a former vegan, and I expected that would happen to me but surprisingly, it hasn't and I've always really loved cheese.



Initally, I thought it was because I'm living with vegans who were keeping me more strict than I otherwise would've been, but I'm not even thinking to myself that I'd like some cheese as I once did. I've been spending a lot more money on food lately and perhaps my diet is slightly better balanced to the point where I'm not craving specific foods like that anymore - who knows.

I'm just kind of losing my taste for cheese...though alot of restaurants I've been to lately have just had cheese on everything that was marked vegetarian.

So..yeah.

This is me too.....But my main problem IS cheese. I never drink milk straight anymore, and only have egg whites maybe twice a month. but darn cheese....it's so addictive, and good...It's my weakness. OP I can see what you mean when it comes to cheese....though not so much the other two (which I mainly only consume in ingredients.)

ive mostly lost the taste for cheese after not eating it for about a year. I *did* indulge a bit during the holidays, w/ my mother's cheese periougis, but like i said, ii lost the taste for EVEN THEM! so i didnt eat much.

Plus, the idea of biting into a piece of coagulated pus just turns my stomach.

If there is a trace ingredient in something, i have to ignore it while i eat...b/c usually its because otherwise, id have no other food option.



I agree w/ Hell, part of me not being vegan is b/c my carbon footprint to search out completely vegan foods around here doesnt justify it. When i have the choice though, which is most of the time, i eat vegan.

Hello! I don't know if I fit in here :/ I rarely have eggs, as in myabe once a month? twice at the most... (that doesn't include trace ingredients tho) and I don't drink milk straight anymore. I used to love milk and cookies, but it's been a few weeks since I had that. All i can think about when having the milk is the background it would have come from, and the health problems it causes. I use non-dairy butter, but as we live with my partner's mom she says what I use is to expensive and uses dairy butter, which I consume sometimes I guess. but I don't go out of my way to avoid it.



My worst downfall used to be cream. Ilove cream (as in wipped, or thickened cream). I had some last night even, and I don't know. It just isn't hitting the spot, or I'm thinking about it and the background sub-consciously... I think it's going to get cut out next



so in answer to your question, I'm finidng I seem to slowly ween myself off of the dairy and that. Hopefully when I move out, I will be able to buy my own groceries and that won't be on the list.

I'm exactly like you, unfortunately. I've managed to go through periods of being minimally l/o as you describe, but it always balloons into more dairy/egg consumption. No advice, but I know how you feel!



I'm not a dairy fiend -- I do drink soymilk and use Earth Balance at home instead of butter, and I don't buy eggs. But I do eat cheese and yogurt, and I'll eat whatever's vegetarian when I'm out without worrying about whether it has dairy or eggs in it.

its easy for me because dairy actually makes me ill. so I know that if I eat it I am going to have a tummy ache and a giant zit the next day. So I have no problem turning it down. And on the rare occasion I want something enough to brave that fate I do it, but its hardly ever anymore. I don't have the same reaction if its 15th down the line on a veggie hotdog or something, so I feel okay eating something like that at BBQs or whatever.



I always go back to there being opiates in cheese. Its why we all have a hard time getting off it. Being addicted to things that harm me peeve me in a major way (I was addicted to nutrasweet for years at the expense of my health) so thats generally enough incentive to keep me off it. When I am really jonesing I eat avocado. There is something strange about having tacos without something a little creamy.



eggs I struggle with a little more. I actually like them, although the industry is probably the cruelest. I just keep them out of the house.

When I first went vegetarian I eliminated most forms of dairy/egg. They don't coincide with my view of a vegetarian lifestyle (just an opinion, I know some people disagree.) I could live a perfectly happy life without them. However, the reality is that there are trace ingredients unnecessarily in a lot of products. It would drive me (and my family) nuts if I tried to be fully vegan. I cook pretty much entirely vegan food at home, with the exception of honey. I drink alternative milks and don't eat eggs. However, when I'm out at a restaurant or at my in-laws' house I like being about to eat with them without it being too difficult. I could easily eat at my in-laws house during the holidays without eating meat, however if I didn't eat any dairy, I probably wouldn't have been able to eat much at all. This would have made them and me feel bad. Also, as a vegetarian I'm able to say to my friends that I can eat at pretty much any restaurant. They don't have to go out of their way and try to find an acceptable place for me. I'm sure it would be much different if I were vegan.



This is what works for my life right now. It may change in the future. But for now it feels right and fits easily into my lifestyle.

Oh thanks, not seeking advice, just was curious. Right now following a vegan diet for me is easier than being 'minimally lacto-ovo'.

I was Vegan a year...Veggie...17 years...and am now Vegan again...for 30 some days....I dont plan on going back to dairy...but I used to love cheese till I weaned myself off it.

VG, you should try making a cheez sauce to drizzle over your taco stuffs.

Sometimes, i will cook up smart ground and veggies and then mix in and dollop w/ a simple cheez sauce...its REALLY good!!

have you tried making tacos w/ tofu?

also, a little tofutti sour cream is good too.

this is a bit off topic but i just wanted to say/ask



For me to give up meat, it was so easy (except when i was living at home, too scared to tell mum and giving my dinner to the dog) BUT I'm finding it so hard to limit my dairy! Like, I'm slowly composing more vegan recipes, which eventually allow me to really control my dairy but at the moment it's insane, like I ordered a milkshake today, went away drinking it, then ten minutes later was like "****, I'm drinking milk!".



And this is even worse, I try not to eat chocolate, unless it's fair trade because of the cruelty behind cocoa beans. But I can't! CHOCOLATE IS THE HARDEST THING TO GIVE UP! I start getting cringey and twitchy when I haven't eaten it in awhile! I try to buy fair trade, but I have to travel half an hour to get some fair trade chocolate, and it's so tempting just to grab a bar of chocolate after work!!



Please help I need advice!

I am a chocolate fiend as well. I find that chocolate soy milk really helps my cravings. It is so delicious. You can even blend it with a banana and some peanut butter for a "milkshake." And if you're rolling your eyes at me thinking that chocolate milk can't possibly compare to a chocolate bar, at one time I would have agreed with you. But don't knock it until you try it, it's damn good!

Oh, I've been eyeing that in the supermarket...but too scared to try it, I might just try it now

*raises hand*



I have a similar problem. I never drink straight up milk anymore, or eat eggs.. When I'm at home and have the time to actually cook a meal from scratch, it's usually Vegan. However, I tend to find myself eating out with cheese and milk (and sometimes egg) ingredients. Ice Cream is another downfall even though I love my soy ice cream. I found myself eating a pint of almond chocolate swiss (I don't even know what it was but it was SO good) regular ice cream after a really, really bad week.



When things get bad, I turn to the dairy. I guess I'm weak. I don't think I'll ever be a full-on Vegan but I try to limit myself as much as possible.

oh, only be scared of the addiction that will ensue. Its soooo good, and im not even a choc lover!!

I believe Hersheys choc syrup is vegan too, so you could try that...its cheaper after all.



when i was weaning off dairy, the last things that i gave up were desserts of dairy or eggs. Then i learned to bake as easily as just grabbing something on the go.... plus, putting in my own effort made it so i had to work for it, and thus ended up not eating so much junk.



I have a hard time finding well stocked health food stores around me, so when i do traipse out 45 mins to whole foods or something, i stock up. Try to do that for your choc bars, keeping a few on hand. Also, i have found that fair trade has been becoming more available. If you are close to a HFS, ask them to stock your fave brand.

oh i do try and stock up, but im a bit of a greedy guts...

Well, I hardly ever eat anything that contains milk (except for when I NEEED some cheese) and I DO NOT eat honey , I never eat eggs.



I don't overeat on the cheese cause I think about how it makes me put on weight I guess.



When I cook at home most of the meals I make are vegan and when I go out to eat I order things without cheese. When I go out to eat is when I seriously tend to over eat.

I wouldn't say I am minimally lacto-ovo- but I do not EVER buy milk or eggs and I don't cook with them either.



But lately I've been eating cheese/yogurt about twice a week. I used to eat it much less than this, but for some reason I've been wanting to get more dairy.



That said...I find I'm getting pretty sick of it! I wanna go back to eating mostly vegan meals now. So maybe eating more dairy will put you off it, rather than vice versa!

I don't know if I eat too much dairy/eggs to be considered "minimally lacto-ovo", but I don't eat much at all. I just went veg at the begining of the year, but even as a meat eater, I didn't eat much dairy/eggs.



I was served an undercooked fried egg at a restaurant about 8 years ago and from that moment on, all eggs were repulsive to me. I will eat eggs as ingredients in things (liked baked goods) as long as I can't tell they are in there, but I don't eat a lot of baked goods (except for bread).



As for dairy: With the exception of ice cream, I've never been much of a dairy fan. I'll have something "cheesy" or some ice cream 2-3 times a month, but otherwise my only dairy is a bit of milk or butter as part of some other dish (baked good or mashed potatoes or something like that).

I guess I'm "minimally lacto-ovo" because I don't consume milk/eggs/yogurt/cheese/ice cream etc. but I will eat things with traces of egg or dairy.

I don't find myself eating a ton of cheese pizza or anything because I don't allow myself to eat cheese. I cook vegan meals at home 99% of the time. I did buy Morningstar Chik'n Nuggets the other day without realizing they contain egg whites.

I try as best as I can at this point. When I go out to a restaurant I avoid cheese if I can but I'm not too concerned with trace ingredients.

Maybe eventually I will become strictly vegan but for now this works well for me!

I guess I am am one of the minimal ones. I just can't bring myself to worry about the trace amounts, because there are traces amounts of at lot of bug/animal derived things in just about anything we eat. Not all of it has to be labeled on the package because the traces of dairy is mentioned mainly due to people who have a severe allergic reaction to dairy.



And as far as dairy...I might consume some cheese from time to time when I eat out. I don't eat out too often, and I tend to avoid cheese when I do eat out, but once in a while I might be with a friend who wants to go some place and I will settle on some place that doesn't have vegan options but a sandwich might have some cheese on it. I just don't worry about it.



Part of it is because even to this day I am torn. I genuinely believe that people should consume a small amount of dairy. There is enough I've read up on the topic that I think there is some kind of health benefit from it that an all vegan diet cannot replace. That said, I think most American's consume WAYYYYY to much dairy and is dependent on it way too much. Also, I have a terrible time bringing myself to even eat it because I know it's produced under extreme cruelty. So that's why I avoid it as much as possible. The groceries I buy are always vegan, as are the meals I produce at home.



I know, I am a conflicted individual. But I don't think I could bring myself to eat a cheese pizza, or just go crazy eating dairy products. I don't mind consuming some every now and then when I eat out, but I just don't really have a craving for it any more.

I've never heard anyone say they've regretted trying chocolate soymilk. Delish.

Yeah it is! I just recently decided to try it