vegan cheese: I bought soy cheese from Whole Foods and it was with all the other vegan cheeses and alternatives so I assumed I could eat it. I had only a couple bites (I still need to find a good cheese alternative) because I didn't like it. I just looked at the ingredients and then I saw contains milk and casein. It even said lactose-free on the front. I feel really guilty even thought I didn't mean to, should I? I mean why would they make soy cheese and then add milk? Also, my stomach hurt really bad for about an hour afterward, does that have anything to do with consuming dairy after not having it for a long time?|||Lactose-free doesn't mean dairy-free. Lactose is just a milk sugar. People who are lactose-intolerant can still consume casein. Your stomach most likely feels bad because you want it to. It will validate your emotions. You're fine. These things happen. Next time, read the label better. No biggie.|||I acquired a dairy allergy at age 50 and you may have acquired one also. It is a mystery to me the things they put milk in: margarine, meat pies, most cookies, beef Rice-a-Roni (only), frozen vegetable combos, etc. The bottom line is that cow milk contains a lot of really complex proteins the human digestive system was never intended to handle. The immune system does some really alarming things when cow milk is drunk, even in people without a dairy allergy. My advice, make no assumptions, and read all labels. By the way casein is a protein, lactose is a sugar and can be removed from milk without affecting the proteins.|||Casein gives cheese the "stretch" when it's melted, so many companies add it to non-dairy cheeses to give it a similar texture to real cheese. It's made for the lactose intolerant, not for vegans. You can make non-dairy cheese at home; try the Uncheese Cookbook by Joanne Stepaniak.|||Make sure to look for that vegan stamp! :) It's ok though, you didn't know, I won't chastise you. You didn't mean to harm anyone. Just remember, lactose is dairy sugar- it doesn't mean there is not dairy in it.|||They make soy cheese and add milk probably because they assume people who are concerned about ingredients READ THEM before buying and eating food. "Lactose-free" is a codeword for cheese alternatives for the *lactose-intolerant*, not vegans.|||It's okay, you made a mistake. **** happens! But yes, very important to read ingredients. Even if the product is marked vegan I still check to make sure because companies can be verrry sneaky!|||your body has stopped making the enzymes necessary to break it down. that really sucks but at least you learned to read lables.|||If you want vegan cheese you should try Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese or Daiya cheese. They are definitely vegan. I've had the exact same problem, especially when my friend's families try to make me vegan food. I feel super guilty when I find out what they use, but then being vegan is about consciously making the decision not to eat animal products, if you accidentally eat some dairy, you shouldn't feel too bad because you didn't mean to. You're doing your best and that's all anyone can ask for. :) As for the stomach thing, that happened to me too, but I'm not sure if it was caused mentally or not. xxx