Vegan Cheese Question

1fitchic

Ok.....so I have a question for my vegan friends. Considering what regular cheese does the body, would you say that vegan cheese isn't much different with how it digests since the consistency is basically the same??? I have tried to find information on this but to no avail. Any information would be appreciated!! I miss cheese However, I refuse to go back to the regular stuff.

elishazf

I eat vegan cheese pretty often/ It tastes the same to me except with regular cheese I would bloat or my stomach would be a little upset. I don't get that with the vegan cheese. It digests easy for me with no bloating or stomach ache. But that may just be me

1fitchic

I eat vegan cheese pretty often/ It tastes the same to me except with regular cheese I would bloat or my stomach would be a little upset. I don't get that with the vegan cheese. It digests easy for me with no bloating or stomach ache. But that may just be me

Thank you! I will give it a try then. Any particular brand(s) you prefer?

lovetobethin86

Same^^ I recommend Daiya for sure! They have shredded "cheese" and now block "cheese". I always get the Pepperjack shredded stuff (although its all good) depending on what u use it for u can pick a flavor. My fave of the block cheese is the "havarti style garlic jalepeno" soooo good...especially for grilled cheese:)

AnnaMaus

I haven't noticed any... problems, but vegan cheese is still mostly fat, so I use it sparingly.

Nothing to my knowledge beats Daiya for melting. I don't know of any pre-packaged ones that are good cold. I find a homemade cashew cheese is best for cold dishes, sandwiches, etc.

Ann Gentry's recipe is very popular:

Vegan Cashew Cheese

I’ve used this cheese recipe for over a decade at my restaurant, and published it in my first cookbook, The Real Food Daily Cookbook. It is an excellent non-dairy cheese that slices, shreds, and melts.

Makes 4 cups

1 1/4 cups raw cashews
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons sea salt1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 1/2 cups plain unsweetened soy milk
1 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) agar agar flakes
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup yellow or white miso
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Using the pulse button, finely grind the cashews in a food processor (do not allow the cashews to turn into a paste). Add the nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper. Pulse 3 more times to blend in the spices.

Combine the soy milk, agar, and oil in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the agar is dissolved. With the food processor running, gradually pour the milk mixture through the feed tube and into the cashew mixture. Blend for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is very smooth and creamy. Blend in the miso and lemon juice.

For grated or sliced cheese: Transfer the cheese to a container; cover and refrigerate until it is very firm, about 4 hours. Once it is firm, grate or slice the cheese as desired.
For melted cheese: Use the cheese immediately as melted cheese. To make the cheese in advance, cover and refrigerate it. When ready to use, melt it in a saucepan over medium heat until it is smooth and creamy, stirring frequently and adding more soy milk to the melted cheese to thin, if necessary.

The cheese will keep for 4 days, covered and refrigerated.

CorvusCorax77

i really like the daiya cheese. had to be said.

it doesn't have the same macros as real cheese...that's a down side. Upside, it doesn't sit in your gut and make you feel like you ate a rock.

and it's so hella good in tamales.

jamk1446

i really like the daiya cheese. had to be said.

it doesn't have the same macros as real cheese...that's a down side. Upside, it doesn't sit in your gut and make you feel like you ate a rock.

and it's so hella good in tamales.

Agree with this. I buy it for my daughter. She loves it but tries to use it sparingly because it doesn't compare to cheese nutritionally. We make "queso" with the jalapeno garlic havarti block.

lisaann1061

I don't use it often, but Daiya shredded is the best I've used ( melts great on homemade pizza.) Tonight I just made a fresh Caprese salad with a block of Vegan Gourmet mozzarella - it tasted really good!

redraidergirl2009

Considering that when I ate dairy I would get bloated, diarrhea, and increased sticky mucus I'd say I really really prefer vegan cheese. However, I don't really use it more than once a week. Just don't really have much of a taste for it unless I'm making vegan pizza or enchiladas or sandwhich. But yes most are high in fat so I use them sparingly since a reduced fat diet seems to work in my weight loss. I used to have lots of dairy in my diet so I also looked like a bloated calf..now I don't. Even if I have vegan cheese.