vegan cheese: So I am deciding to be vegan. I saw the documentary Earthlings and just other videos like the Paul Mccartney one where he says if slaughterhouses had glass walls everyone would be vegetarian and I am a crazy animal lover haha my dog is like my kid and this just broke my heart to watch.. i just am angry too that people can even be so cruel :( it's being done and there is nothing I can do about it, except refuse to be a part of it and that is what i am going to do.. i just made a promise to myself that i won't eat meat again i can't look at it the same.. even milk, but luckily i bought some almond milk and it is so much better anyways! :) my only problem is like breaded chicked and cheese.. i can do without meat bcuz i dont even like hamburger and steak etc. . oh but i love chicken nuggets & chicken patties.. i bawled my eyes out after watching those videos and just said i can't look at meat the same.. but now i feel a bit of anxiety bcuz i am afraid i won't be able to have my spicy chicken sandwiches anymore with pepper jack cheese or chicken nuggets in bbq sauce lol.. i found that they have vegan cheese called Daiya that lots of people say is really good, but is it reallyyy healthy for us to eat fake food? like tofu and just rubbery fake meat and cheese? i found this page online where someone is talking about how daiya cheese is really bad and can cause heart attacks n etc and it just kind of discouraged me like i cant live on beans and plants.. as much as i would like to i just cant. so what am i gonna do? :( is there any healthy vegan alternatives?? http://soulveggie.blogs.com/my_weblog/20鈥?/a>|||You poor thing. I know it must be tough to actually come to realize that for you to live, some animals are going to be killed. But it's the truth. You're listening and buying into animal rights/anti meat/pro Monsanto propaganda. Monsanto created GMOs. Over 90% of the soy in your supermarket (tofu, veggie burgers, etc.) is GMO soy. Just because you refuse to eat them doesn't mean SOMETHING isn't going to die so you can have the veggies and grains that a vegetarian depends on for their life. Research indicates over a billion animals are killed every year in the fields (field mice, bunny rabbits, snakes, moles) during the planting and harvesting of grains and veggies. Why is it ok to kill a mouse, but not a cow? You are as much a part of nature as that mouse in the field. She may live to produce another litter of babies; she may be crushed under the tractor. That's called life and you're just as responsible for her death as I am for the cow's death in the slaughterhouse. Oh, and that billion+ doesn't include the thousands of mostly rodents and birds that are deliberately poisoned to keep them out of the big grain storage bins so you can have bread, cereal, etc. And you're certainly right about fake foods. They are much worse for you than whole foods. Plus you'll probably need to take some pills if you give up meat, and must take some pills if you give up all animal products (vegan). If you don't want to live on pills and veggies, look for a local farm/ranch to visit and buy meat from. A place that will let you see how they take care of the animals. This link has resources across the country you could look into: http://www.eatwild.com/products/ Ellie Krieger from the Food Network actually visited a slaughterhouse and here's what she said about the actual killing of the animals: "The last thing I saw was the actual harvest or killing. To be sure, it is not a pleasurable thing to witness in general, but if you eat meat, the simple fact is an animal is sacrificed for your nourishment, a reality we are all too removed from in modern society. The trick is to do it humanely, and this is where I was most impressed. The system Cargill uses was developed in part by Dr. Temple Grandin, the autistic animal scientist who, with her heightened sensitivity, was able to pinpoint specific ways to keep cows stress-free throughout the process (there is an award winning HBO film about her starring Claire Danes.) The whole environment is kept purposefully calm, with no loud noises or bright lights. Before they realize what is going on the cows are hit precisely on the head, given a concussion so they are rendered senseless, then their throats are cut and their blood is drained. The whole thing takes roughly a minute. I watched intently as the cows moved through and noticed no shred of panic or unease." Humans evolved as omnivores, meaning we can get nutrients from both plants and animals. There is some stuff in plants you can't get from meat; there's stuff in meat you can't get from plants. That's why we do best on a balanced diet: some meat, some veggies, some fruit, restrict processed carbs and sugars.|||Daisy sucks. she is a closed minded thinker.. I saw earthlings and food inc. both have changed the way i eat. also read skinny *****. i highly reccomend it. im not vegan but only eat chicken/turkey and try and eat all organic. Report Abuse |||also, my sister has been a vegetarian for 8 years and doesnt need pills like daisy claims. wish i saw this question before it was resolved! Report Abuse |||DAISY 1. 90% of tofu and soy products you find in the supermarket is NOT GMO (go take a look). All that GMO soy you are talking about gets fed to livestock (funny huh?) 2. You do not need animals to live. I've been vegan for 20 years and I am very healthy and fit. Report Abuse |||3. Livestock eats plants. Plants need acres of farmland. Animals will be killed in the process of growing crops no matter who eats the veggies. Raising livestock and eating animals kills more, so don't tell me that a vegan diet kills more animals. Report Abuse |||4. Tell me that a bean burger with NO PRESERVATIVES and spices is more unhealthy than a patty filled with thousands of different cows, their random bodyparts, living in their own ****, eating soy (not their natural diet), given antibiotics, requiring preservatives, requiring refrigeration Report Abuse |||5. If you give up meat, you do not need pills to substitute your diet. A vegan diet is approved by the American Dietetic Association for all stages of life including pregnancy and infancy. I myself know a few lifelong vegans (myself included). Look at the scientific literature on Omega 3's + B12 Report Abuse |||5. (continued). The ammount of B12 needed is very low, and it is certain that omega 3's from Flax seed is sufficient for health. Report Abuse |||6. Use your common sense. 400 cows are killed per hour, you really think they will ALL be in a proper concussion going through the throat-slicing machine? Report Abuse |||7. You don't need meat, at all! Watch forks over knives or read any literature on vegan diets. A well planned vegan diet is very healthy and greatly reduces your risk of heart disease (the #1 killer in this country). Report Abuse |||You can't believe everything on the Internet. Vegan cheese is most definitely healthy. And meat is the cause of heart problems. Also, morningstar veggie patties and nuggets are excellent.|||Please be aware that what this person said about Daiya cheese (which is correct, btw ... it is not good to consume lots of fat) holds doubly true for any animal-derived cheese! Go ask a dietitian - is it healthy for my body to eat a hamburger, a steak, a chicken nugget, cheese and drink milk? I assume you can guess what he/she will answer. NO! All those foodstufs get the majority of their energy from fat, are processed and contain lots of animal protein (which has been shown in various studies - e.g. the "China study" - to be highly correlated with heart disease, cancer, diabetes etc.) So you should eat all of these in moderation (and the reason that the "average American" does not do that is what accounts for 30% of obese people and the highest number of heart attacks, diabetes etc.) But, consuming "meat analogs" and "Cheese analogs" and similar foodstuffs made from plant sources IN MODERATION beause you still crave some of them, and eating lots of fresh vegetables, beans, legumes and fruits otherwise will make your diet a much more healthy one (apart from a much kinder one). Best regards, Andy|||There's a lot of crazies out there that say eating "x" is going to kill you, make you sick, cause hair loss in women and make men grow breasts, etc. Unless there is a controlled scientific study, take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt. Actually, be skeptical even when there is a controlled scientific study, since often results can't be duplicated in later studies. The way I'd look at it is, vegan breaded "chik'n" patties may not be particularly healthy, but they're probably more healthy than "real" breaded chicken patties, which are typically made from the scraps left over from processing better cuts of chicken. And I doubt Daiya cheese (which I've never heard of) causes heart attacks on a more frequent basis than a high-saturated fat diet. Since fake meat and cheese products are fairly expensive, and processed foods aren't too healthy, you might want to save them for when you have cravings. But certainly eating them occasionally is not going to hurt you. Also, fair warning, they aren't going to taste like the real thing, so you might want to wait until you've been vegan for a while before you try them. I googled hundreds of vegan breaded chik'n recipes, and recipes from "The Uncheese Cookbook" taste better to me than any vegan cheese I've purchased in a store.|||Good for you for making the right choice and becoming Vegan! :D Okay, but just so you know, being Vegan is more than just what you eat. It's a lifestyle, which includes not wearing fur/leather, using products tested on animals, or anything like that. As for the cheese.. do you really think eating Vegan cheese, especially Daiya (which is soy/gluten/cholesterol/PUS free) is more unhealthy than eating cow cheese..? Think about it. Also, they make faux meats, such as chicken patties. Again, they're full of the RIGHT kind of protein and isn't dead animal flesh, so obviously, it's healthier. And the Vegan brand is called BOCA. They're amazingg. :) Also. You mentioned how you can't live on beans and plants.. well, technically you will be living on plants, but I know what you mean. I rarely eat veggies (which is bad, I know. I'm just lazy) but yeah, you can also make tacos/burritos. :) And fill 'em with refried beans/rice, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salsa/guacamole. They even make faux Vegan chicken/beef crumbles you can put in them, just make the faux meat like you would regular meat. It's soo good. x) And spaghetti. Without the meat, of course. I freaking love spaghetti. You can also make veggie wraps with all kinds of veggies. They also make Tofurky (faux meat) and Vegenaise (Vegan mayonnaise) and OMG, I literally live on Tofurky/Vegenaise sandwiches! Mmmm. ^_^ You can get this at Whole Foods or even Kroger. Anyway, you could look at Peta2.com's website. It's an awesome way to earn points and cash 'em in for veggie T-shirts, hoodies, etc. Check it out. They also have a huge list of cruelty-free companies (for shampoo, ect. I use Lo'Real EVERPURE, but there's other stuff too.) You're awesome for going Vegan. Just be sure to stick to it, as it is hard at first. But GOOD LUCK! :D|||Im Vegetarian not vegan, i do not eat meat fish or eggs. I dont hate meat. oddly enough I do believe fish and chicken are quite nice but its my personal choice to refrain from eating meat. However I do consume a lot of soya which is a substitute for meat. Where I live we get quite a nice range of soya products from Soya "Chicken" Burgers to Soya "Beef" Strips,It isn't the real thing but depending on the way you cook it, there isn't much of a difference. My favourite being Soya chicken nuggets. They are yummy, which I have with sweet chilli sauce... :) Soya products which are made from soy beans, You also get soy milk and soy cheese which is just like tofu. Maybe you should give soya products a try. Its yummy, packed with protein and a great alternative to meat.|||you'll get good answer from experts & members from this site.|||you'll get good answer from experts & members from this site.