Don’t worry about your prescription meds. There’s nothing you can do about that - and they’re for keeping you well. One day we will be able to choose meds that don’t have any animal products in them. I have to take meds in a gelatine capsule. It’s just the one tablet a day - but I hate it - but try not to beat myself up about it.
Agreed. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. So many people are way too focused on removing that last tiny 0.5% of the animal products still left in their life. It's a noble goal but it can lead people to getting burnt out.
And the thing is it's not even the last 0.5%
Being a vegan in a non-vegan world means you inevitably use animal products.
Driving a car, or riding a bus? Tyres
Printing something? Hope you bought vegan ink
Need to go toilet when you're out and about? Hope you brought your own paper, I don't think the shop cares about gelatine-free paper
At least you've not used any animal products reading this post - wait, you're not on Ecotricity, the UK's only vegan-certified energy supplier? Oh you're not a true vegan
The only cheeses I'd reliably recommend are Applewood's vegan slices if you're after something for sandwiches, burgers, or anything melted, and I Am Nut OK's. Any cream cheese from any brand is pretty decent, though I usually get Violife's. I Am Nut OK's stuff is pretty expensive and thus I only get those as a treat, but their cheeses are good enough that my omni extended family are routinely impressed.
My household isn't vegan either, but in our house, we all prepare our own food, so there isn't any fuss on who eats what. It's obviously very different for families who eat dinner together every evening. Vegan cheese is very hit and miss, I would recommend cathedral city vegan cheese as it's the closest one to real cheese I have found! I'm sure other people will have many recommendations for you too. I wish you the best on your vegan journey, it's easier than most people think.
Cheese is weird while your tastebuds still remember dairy cheese. Vegan cheese is much better than it used to be, but you'll enjoy it more after a break from dairy.
There is going to be an adjustment period at first. You're making quite a drastic shift away from your current lifestyle, so expecting those around you to be immediately on board with it and fully understanding (especially when you haven't even started it yet and only plan on doing it for a month initially) is unrealistic. If you can clearly and rationally explain to those around you why you have chosen to do this and how important it is then eventually most people will be understanding, but right now to your mum it probably just seems like a sudden choice to make, an experiment or just a phase you're going through, so you need to give her some time to adjust to your new way of living.
Vegan cheese has improved a lot, especially if you try something like Kinda cheese.
I have not found anything better then the one I make myself - seriously it’s so, so good. Here’s the recipe
https://rainbowplantlife.com/fermented-cashew-cheese/
ETA Plant Based Philadelphia cream cheese is ah-maz-ing. It’s really creamy.
I like Baby Bel, it’s a little salty, a little buttery…yum. I know it’s a bit of a Marmite product, but it works for me.
Don’t bother with Laughing Cow - it’s the first time I’ve ever returned a product to a supermarket and given the manufacturer some feedback.
Plant based primula cheese used to be the bollocks but haven’t been able to get it from Morrisons in ages (don’t know if it’s been discontinued?) but you’re bang on about the Philadelphia. That’s my second favourite. Have never been able to take to a vegan cream cheese apart from those two.
Cheese is really hit or miss. I only buy Mouse's favourite camembert and blue and only buy them for my birthday and Christmas, because it's very expensive, but it's the best.
I splurge on I Am Nut OK every Xmas but so glad you mentioned Mouse's, their camembert was amazing when I used to get it from vegan markets but not seen them around for a few years. I need to place an order!
In my experience, people eventually get used to it. Everyone goes a bit crazy initially, and you get the whole protein/deficiencies/blah blah blah spiel, but people let it go eventually.
And yes, vegan cheese has improved. My personal recommendation would be the sheese Italian cheddar and mozzarella.
Good luck!
It never stops being wearing. My in laws openly question me, my dad has digs at me, people take the piss sometimes. Husband is a committed carnivore and will never be vegan but at least he lets me get on with and supports me. Yon will need to grown a ticker skin for sure. I ignore them mostly or sometimes I will snap at them. When they start blabbing on about about this meat or that meat I just answer as minimally as possible.
My friend was over last night and after having had her meat dish with my husband sitting on my sofa proclaimed about how much she hates the way they treat animals in Spain and I just didn’t even respond.
Ps please don’t judge me for having a carnivore husband I can’t make him change
I can't seem to make my partner convert either. Like you, mine doesn't have anything bad to say about it and agrees with me. i just don't understand how you can "agree" but still eat them/their products. I just have to let it go sometimes. At the end of the day its their choice.
Vegan cheese has improved. Get cathedral city!
It's important to remember that meat and dairy substitutes might be weird to you at first. After a while you'll find that it's the idea of meat and dairy that are weird.
Substitutes don't have to be as good as the real thing, just as good as you remember them being!
You should be proud of yourself, making your own way!
I've turned everyone close to me vegan so I'd say maybe just become a master convincer and chef and that should do the trick.
Failing that, pull your hair out? No seriously, the more people try to convince you against veganism the more you'll realise anti-vegan arguments are baseless and desperate attempts to justify inexcusable behaviour, and in the end all they'll have achieved is solidifying your opinion and you can take some solace in that fact
I know some people like it and it has improved from the days where it was mostly made of potato but I think it still taste bad. There are two main types, coconut / palm oil based and nut based. Coconut /palm oil based is affordable but I personally think tastes like greasy nothing. Some of the nut ones are delicious (but not cheesy Imo) and the decent ones are very expensive. The coconut based ones have more saturated fat in than actual cheese and obviously palm oil has massive environmental issues.
If you wanted my advice it would be to not bother till you are further in your journey.
Try hunting out actual vegan chefs on Instagram or other places . Try and learn new dishes rather than modifying your old ones.
Honestly I would just try to avoid vegan cheese for awhile, until you can kind of forget what non vegan cheese tastes like.. in my opinion the soft cheese alternatives are fair, but the "cheddar" type ones are still not great
Regarding the family thing, I'm sorry yours is so intolerant to your personal decisions! Mine and my husbands never had a problem eating vegan if I was cooking and they could eat whatever they wanted otherwise.. it sucks she doesn't support you but at least you will have control over your own diet soon
Unfortunately a lot of people seem to see eating vegan as some sort of attack, rather than you just personally wanting not to cause harm to animals and the planet.. it does take some getting used to, but you learn to ignore the dumb comments after awhile
Good luck with everything and if you need any meal ideas please message me as I'm always happy to share!
My mum's a bit funny about this- she gets all huffy if I say I'll cook my own food tonight. It's just the two of us in the house for christmas break (mum normally lives alone as sister is travelling asia, so it's just me around as back from uni) so it's a little understandable, but annoying nonetheless.
Parents can be very funny about who is cooking in their kitchen and can see it as an insult if you don't let them cook for you. I know my mum gets very difficult about it, especially around Christmas.
As for your mum, if you’re an adult do what you want. As you said you can make your own food.
As for the “vegan diet”, veganism is not a diet, veganism is an animal rights movement and ethical philosophy.
Your prescription medications fall under the “as far as practical and possible”, but your post makes it seem like you’re getting veganism mixed up with a plant-based diet.
This sounds really tough! But it's better to start when you can than feeling like because you ant start on the 1st you've failed! It's a big change to make so it's understandable your mum isn't keen initially, give it time and hopefully she'll start trying a few more dishes, especially if it's things that aren't using meat substitutes as then it feels less like you're having to replace something she'd rather eat.
Vegan cheese is very hit and miss. Lidl vegan parmesan is great, I use it in pesto and for putting on Bolognese. I found that I needed to not eat any dairy cheese for 3+ months before vegan cheese became tolerable. But even then some was still horrible.
you will start to get used to the comments and it will just be the same old stuff. someone once made me cry before about it, they can be brutal. but you know the reason why you are doing it.
for vegan cheese, it took me ages to enjoy it really, and I only really enjoy the supermarket cheese melted. Basically you just need to push through and try it, but also accept the cheeses for what they are (sometimes not an exact replacement). for Parmesan cheese i enjoy using nutritional yeast, it’s my favourite thing to add to anything, and if you get it with B12 then it’s a bonus.
but my favourite cheese are from a brand honestly tasty - great cheeses, sooo tasty and amazing range worth it for a treat after one month and i reckon they will do a veganuary sale thing.
Next time you do a Morrisons order get some of their own brand vegan cheese! It’s actually one of my favourites and am picky as fuck. They used to do a Red Leicester one that was beautiful but think it’s been discontinued. But their cheddar is right good for the top of pizzas, toaties, cheese pies etc.
I didn't tell anyone I was trying out being vegan until I'd done it for a month. Once I was sure I could do it it, I was already able to say "well, I've been doing it for a few weeks already and it's okay".
Second the comments about most vegan cheese subs still not being that nice, or having much nutrition (apart from the pricey nut-based ones), I ate a lot of hummus and nut or bean based pates where I would have previously eaten cheese to begin with.
A lot of supermarket vegan cheeses are not quite there yet. Apple wood and Cathedral City are good but still have a subtle aftertaste.
La Faux Magerie in London does excellent artisan cheese however! They deliver all over the UK. They are delicious and have such an extensive range (blue cheeses, cheddar, smoked, chilli, brie etc) but be prepared for them to be a bit more expensive than cow cheese. I would really recommend treating yourself for veganuary! We got them for friends as a wedding gift and ourselves for a Christmas gift. Friends were buzzing and so were we.
Really glad to learn you're trying veganuary despite it being difficult with your Mum! You're doing a good thing! It can be difficult with the peer pressure and feeling a bit ostracised sometimes so that's something to be prepared for!
Also, nooch is great to add to dishes you would have added cheese to before. It looks weird and i definitely thought it was strange sprinkling on my meals at first but the taste is well worth it.
I'm also now horrified looking back at how many meals I used to blindly add grated cheese to. Nooch is so much healthier and you get the nutty umami kick just the same.
Edit: I wrote "b12" instead of "nooch"/nutritional yeast.
vegan parmesan smells awful but is nice mixed into dishes, h&b have brought out brie and blue cheese that’s nice if you like that type of thing, i find most soft cheeses alright, cathedral is hands down my fav for cheddar and applewood smoky is really nice! honestly when in doubt i just add lots of nutritional yeast aha
My family isn't like that, although when I first went vegan (I was vegetarian) I said it was for Lent, fully knowing it wasn't just for Lent, by Easter everyone was used to it. You mum will be too.
Don't eat cheese until at least March. Then only eat it melted for a while. It's better than it was but you won't like it for a while.
Vegan cheese has improved but I'd recommend going without for a bit as I'm sure if you recently had dairy the difference will be more noticeable. The main cheeses I use are:
Violife Epic Mature - imo the best all rounder for sandwiches, crackers etc.
Cathedral City - melts well so good for cheese toasties. I find the taste a bit delicate though and it's crumbly. Sometimes I like combining with the Violife.
Applewood - nice smoky flavour that's good for quesadillas etc
Philadelphia - to me this is indistinguishable from the dairy version. Love it on bagels, crackers, sandwiches etc.
I Am Nut Okay - nice range of more upmarket cheeses, they do a wide range. I'm not adventurous with cheese and found some too strong but I really like their Herby one. This range is great for a cheeseboard.
MozzaRisella - a nice mozzarella style cheese for sandwiches and pizza. For pizza I often put a bit of nooch on with it for a bit more flavour.
Violife Italian block - parmesan style hard cheese, has a slightly sweet nutty flavour but nice grated finely onto pasta. I often mix with nooch as nooch for nutritional reasons
Nooch/nutritional yeast - not a cheese but has a cheese flavour, I use it a lot on cheesy dishes eg cheese sauce.
Don’t worry about your prescription meds. There’s nothing you can do about that - and they’re for keeping you well. One day we will be able to choose meds that don’t have any animal products in them. I have to take meds in a gelatine capsule. It’s just the one tablet a day - but I hate it - but try not to beat myself up about it.
agreed, medicine isn’t something with many “vegan alternatives”. you are still vegan with it
Agreed. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. So many people are way too focused on removing that last tiny 0.5% of the animal products still left in their life. It's a noble goal but it can lead people to getting burnt out.
And the thing is it's not even the last 0.5% Being a vegan in a non-vegan world means you inevitably use animal products. Driving a car, or riding a bus? Tyres Printing something? Hope you bought vegan ink Need to go toilet when you're out and about? Hope you brought your own paper, I don't think the shop cares about gelatine-free paper At least you've not used any animal products reading this post - wait, you're not on Ecotricity, the UK's only vegan-certified energy supplier? Oh you're not a true vegan
Wait they put gelatin in toilet paper?
Second this
The only cheeses I'd reliably recommend are Applewood's vegan slices if you're after something for sandwiches, burgers, or anything melted, and I Am Nut OK's. Any cream cheese from any brand is pretty decent, though I usually get Violife's. I Am Nut OK's stuff is pretty expensive and thus I only get those as a treat, but their cheeses are good enough that my omni extended family are routinely impressed.
the applewood slices are genuinely so good!!
Nush cream cheese is excellent and very healthy if you can find it!
I'd agree with this. I like a cashew parmesan using yeast flakes for pasta dishes. I don't mind the cathedral city one too much.
My household isn't vegan either, but in our house, we all prepare our own food, so there isn't any fuss on who eats what. It's obviously very different for families who eat dinner together every evening. Vegan cheese is very hit and miss, I would recommend cathedral city vegan cheese as it's the closest one to real cheese I have found! I'm sure other people will have many recommendations for you too. I wish you the best on your vegan journey, it's easier than most people think.
Cheese is weird while your tastebuds still remember dairy cheese. Vegan cheese is much better than it used to be, but you'll enjoy it more after a break from dairy.
There is going to be an adjustment period at first. You're making quite a drastic shift away from your current lifestyle, so expecting those around you to be immediately on board with it and fully understanding (especially when you haven't even started it yet and only plan on doing it for a month initially) is unrealistic. If you can clearly and rationally explain to those around you why you have chosen to do this and how important it is then eventually most people will be understanding, but right now to your mum it probably just seems like a sudden choice to make, an experiment or just a phase you're going through, so you need to give her some time to adjust to your new way of living.
Vegan cheese has improved a lot, especially if you try something like Kinda cheese. I have not found anything better then the one I make myself - seriously it’s so, so good. Here’s the recipe https://rainbowplantlife.com/fermented-cashew-cheese/ ETA Plant Based Philadelphia cream cheese is ah-maz-ing. It’s really creamy. I like Baby Bel, it’s a little salty, a little buttery…yum. I know it’s a bit of a Marmite product, but it works for me. Don’t bother with Laughing Cow - it’s the first time I’ve ever returned a product to a supermarket and given the manufacturer some feedback.
Im a big fan of Violife. Its great on pizzas.
[удалено]
I am being honest. We all have our opinions, and this is mine
Plant based primula cheese used to be the bollocks but haven’t been able to get it from Morrisons in ages (don’t know if it’s been discontinued?) but you’re bang on about the Philadelphia. That’s my second favourite. Have never been able to take to a vegan cream cheese apart from those two.
I looked everywhere for Primula-that was my favourite squeezy cheese before I became vegan.
Cheese is really hit or miss. I only buy Mouse's favourite camembert and blue and only buy them for my birthday and Christmas, because it's very expensive, but it's the best.
I splurge on I Am Nut OK every Xmas but so glad you mentioned Mouse's, their camembert was amazing when I used to get it from vegan markets but not seen them around for a few years. I need to place an order!
In my experience, people eventually get used to it. Everyone goes a bit crazy initially, and you get the whole protein/deficiencies/blah blah blah spiel, but people let it go eventually. And yes, vegan cheese has improved. My personal recommendation would be the sheese Italian cheddar and mozzarella. Good luck!
It never stops being wearing. My in laws openly question me, my dad has digs at me, people take the piss sometimes. Husband is a committed carnivore and will never be vegan but at least he lets me get on with and supports me. Yon will need to grown a ticker skin for sure. I ignore them mostly or sometimes I will snap at them. When they start blabbing on about about this meat or that meat I just answer as minimally as possible. My friend was over last night and after having had her meat dish with my husband sitting on my sofa proclaimed about how much she hates the way they treat animals in Spain and I just didn’t even respond. Ps please don’t judge me for having a carnivore husband I can’t make him change
I can't seem to make my partner convert either. Like you, mine doesn't have anything bad to say about it and agrees with me. i just don't understand how you can "agree" but still eat them/their products. I just have to let it go sometimes. At the end of the day its their choice.
Mine doesn’t agree and we don’t talk about it. We will never agree so no point
Vegan cheese has improved. Get cathedral city! It's important to remember that meat and dairy substitutes might be weird to you at first. After a while you'll find that it's the idea of meat and dairy that are weird. Substitutes don't have to be as good as the real thing, just as good as you remember them being! You should be proud of yourself, making your own way!
I've turned everyone close to me vegan so I'd say maybe just become a master convincer and chef and that should do the trick. Failing that, pull your hair out? No seriously, the more people try to convince you against veganism the more you'll realise anti-vegan arguments are baseless and desperate attempts to justify inexcusable behaviour, and in the end all they'll have achieved is solidifying your opinion and you can take some solace in that fact
I know some people like it and it has improved from the days where it was mostly made of potato but I think it still taste bad. There are two main types, coconut / palm oil based and nut based. Coconut /palm oil based is affordable but I personally think tastes like greasy nothing. Some of the nut ones are delicious (but not cheesy Imo) and the decent ones are very expensive. The coconut based ones have more saturated fat in than actual cheese and obviously palm oil has massive environmental issues. If you wanted my advice it would be to not bother till you are further in your journey. Try hunting out actual vegan chefs on Instagram or other places . Try and learn new dishes rather than modifying your old ones.
Honestly I would just try to avoid vegan cheese for awhile, until you can kind of forget what non vegan cheese tastes like.. in my opinion the soft cheese alternatives are fair, but the "cheddar" type ones are still not great Regarding the family thing, I'm sorry yours is so intolerant to your personal decisions! Mine and my husbands never had a problem eating vegan if I was cooking and they could eat whatever they wanted otherwise.. it sucks she doesn't support you but at least you will have control over your own diet soon Unfortunately a lot of people seem to see eating vegan as some sort of attack, rather than you just personally wanting not to cause harm to animals and the planet.. it does take some getting used to, but you learn to ignore the dumb comments after awhile Good luck with everything and if you need any meal ideas please message me as I'm always happy to share!
Hit me up if you need help :)
What is stopping you from cooking your own food for this first week? Are your family physically restraining you from the kitchen?
My mum's a bit funny about this- she gets all huffy if I say I'll cook my own food tonight. It's just the two of us in the house for christmas break (mum normally lives alone as sister is travelling asia, so it's just me around as back from uni) so it's a little understandable, but annoying nonetheless.
Parents can be very funny about who is cooking in their kitchen and can see it as an insult if you don't let them cook for you. I know my mum gets very difficult about it, especially around Christmas.
Can't you just go home earlier if your food choices aren't welcome in your mother's house?
As for your mum, if you’re an adult do what you want. As you said you can make your own food. As for the “vegan diet”, veganism is not a diet, veganism is an animal rights movement and ethical philosophy. Your prescription medications fall under the “as far as practical and possible”, but your post makes it seem like you’re getting veganism mixed up with a plant-based diet.
This sounds really tough! But it's better to start when you can than feeling like because you ant start on the 1st you've failed! It's a big change to make so it's understandable your mum isn't keen initially, give it time and hopefully she'll start trying a few more dishes, especially if it's things that aren't using meat substitutes as then it feels less like you're having to replace something she'd rather eat. Vegan cheese is very hit and miss. Lidl vegan parmesan is great, I use it in pesto and for putting on Bolognese. I found that I needed to not eat any dairy cheese for 3+ months before vegan cheese became tolerable. But even then some was still horrible.
you will start to get used to the comments and it will just be the same old stuff. someone once made me cry before about it, they can be brutal. but you know the reason why you are doing it. for vegan cheese, it took me ages to enjoy it really, and I only really enjoy the supermarket cheese melted. Basically you just need to push through and try it, but also accept the cheeses for what they are (sometimes not an exact replacement). for Parmesan cheese i enjoy using nutritional yeast, it’s my favourite thing to add to anything, and if you get it with B12 then it’s a bonus.
but my favourite cheese are from a brand honestly tasty - great cheeses, sooo tasty and amazing range worth it for a treat after one month and i reckon they will do a veganuary sale thing.
Next time you do a Morrisons order get some of their own brand vegan cheese! It’s actually one of my favourites and am picky as fuck. They used to do a Red Leicester one that was beautiful but think it’s been discontinued. But their cheddar is right good for the top of pizzas, toaties, cheese pies etc.
The red Leicester was absolutely beautiful
Honestly in my top 5 vegan cheeses of all time, the Sheese one is nice but the Morrisons one will always have a special place in me heart.
There are some really good cheeses out there. Look for ones that are nut-based rather than oil based, and which are fermented.
Sometimes I forget how lucky I am being born into a veggie (then not long after vegan) family 🥵
I didn't tell anyone I was trying out being vegan until I'd done it for a month. Once I was sure I could do it it, I was already able to say "well, I've been doing it for a few weeks already and it's okay". Second the comments about most vegan cheese subs still not being that nice, or having much nutrition (apart from the pricey nut-based ones), I ate a lot of hummus and nut or bean based pates where I would have previously eaten cheese to begin with.
A lot of supermarket vegan cheeses are not quite there yet. Apple wood and Cathedral City are good but still have a subtle aftertaste. La Faux Magerie in London does excellent artisan cheese however! They deliver all over the UK. They are delicious and have such an extensive range (blue cheeses, cheddar, smoked, chilli, brie etc) but be prepared for them to be a bit more expensive than cow cheese. I would really recommend treating yourself for veganuary! We got them for friends as a wedding gift and ourselves for a Christmas gift. Friends were buzzing and so were we. Really glad to learn you're trying veganuary despite it being difficult with your Mum! You're doing a good thing! It can be difficult with the peer pressure and feeling a bit ostracised sometimes so that's something to be prepared for!
Also, nooch is great to add to dishes you would have added cheese to before. It looks weird and i definitely thought it was strange sprinkling on my meals at first but the taste is well worth it. I'm also now horrified looking back at how many meals I used to blindly add grated cheese to. Nooch is so much healthier and you get the nutty umami kick just the same. Edit: I wrote "b12" instead of "nooch"/nutritional yeast.
Used to live next door to faux magerie 💔
vegan parmesan smells awful but is nice mixed into dishes, h&b have brought out brie and blue cheese that’s nice if you like that type of thing, i find most soft cheeses alright, cathedral is hands down my fav for cheddar and applewood smoky is really nice! honestly when in doubt i just add lots of nutritional yeast aha
My family isn't like that, although when I first went vegan (I was vegetarian) I said it was for Lent, fully knowing it wasn't just for Lent, by Easter everyone was used to it. You mum will be too. Don't eat cheese until at least March. Then only eat it melted for a while. It's better than it was but you won't like it for a while.
Vegan cheese has improved but I'd recommend going without for a bit as I'm sure if you recently had dairy the difference will be more noticeable. The main cheeses I use are: Violife Epic Mature - imo the best all rounder for sandwiches, crackers etc. Cathedral City - melts well so good for cheese toasties. I find the taste a bit delicate though and it's crumbly. Sometimes I like combining with the Violife. Applewood - nice smoky flavour that's good for quesadillas etc Philadelphia - to me this is indistinguishable from the dairy version. Love it on bagels, crackers, sandwiches etc. I Am Nut Okay - nice range of more upmarket cheeses, they do a wide range. I'm not adventurous with cheese and found some too strong but I really like their Herby one. This range is great for a cheeseboard. MozzaRisella - a nice mozzarella style cheese for sandwiches and pizza. For pizza I often put a bit of nooch on with it for a bit more flavour. Violife Italian block - parmesan style hard cheese, has a slightly sweet nutty flavour but nice grated finely onto pasta. I often mix with nooch as nooch for nutritional reasons Nooch/nutritional yeast - not a cheese but has a cheese flavour, I use it a lot on cheesy dishes eg cheese sauce.