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Hey, really excited to join this site. Trying to make the transition from vegetarian to vegan...I'm really trying hard....the cravings for cheese are so hard though...could anyone give me tips on how to deal??? I feel like I'm an addict or something...lol...is it really supposed to be this hard?:(
Cheese is a tough one for me, too. There are soy-based cheeses out there but unfortunately they don't come close to real cheese (at least the ones I've tried). I have been searching for vegan pizza and also vegan mac-n-cheese. I did find Amy's vegan mac-n-chs at the grocery store today - there's hope! Also made a big discovery today...one of the treats I used to have in the morning was a cup of coffee with an envelope of hot cocoa mix in it. However, hot cocoa mix contains milk so now it's out. I have been settling for plain old Silk or So Delicious coffee cream, until today I found Splenda "Flavors for coffee" in Mocha. Made my coffee as usual with some Silk in it but added the little packet of Mocha Splenda, and my goodness that was good! Just like the old days with the cocoa. Anyway, good luck...I'll let you know if I find any really good cheese. I'm sure I will as I haven't tried that many yet...
Hey Debbie! When I was an aspiring vegan, I replaced dairy with a lot of rich, fatty foods like hummus, avocado, and I even made a luscious peanut sauce for my stir fry. It was like asian alfredo! Don't skimp on the good fats and that should help.
Hey Debbie,
I just made the switch this week! My last trip to the grocery store looked a little different, and I had to force myself to walk past the cheese aisle. But so far, so good. I exchanged bagels with cream cheese for bagels with peanut butter, and replaced regular milk with almond milk for my cereal. I've also been distracting myself from cheese and dairy with other delicious food like tomato and cucumber sandwiches, and chili! You might find it easier to avoid cheese if you take some time to plan other meals that you really love. That's what I'm doing :)
I also had cravings for cheese the first couple months after becoming vegan, and actually gave into them a handful of times, like on a pizza or something. Then I saw a speech by Gary Youofsky at Georgia Tech last summer (having trouble adding the link, but you can see it on YouTube). During his speech he shows two very short vidoes, one of which is undercover footage at a "mom and pop" dairy farm in Ohio. I couldn't stop crying and felt horrible for days afterwards, but ever since then I don't have trouble resisting dairy. I just think of the poor cows and how I cannot participate in their torture. Also, Kind Lifer Dani A. has a great recipe for a "cheese" sauce that I use all the time to made mac n cheeze. It makes a lot of sauce, and to leftovers I add some jarred salsa, my favorite hot sauce, and a few pickled nacho jalapenos, and you've got vegan queso for dipping chips.
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