cheese addict - need diet balance help
Even before I was an (ovo)-lacto I was quite fond of cheese.
That's ok.
But NOW after taking on this new diet, I find I have cravings for cheese.
I know from past experience that when I crave something to that degree, it's because my body is lacking-vitamins or minerals or something.
I take a B-group supplemnt, a multi-vitamin and an extra iron every day.
It's not calcium I'm lacking--i drink lots of soy milk and eat yogurt.
I can't figure out what it is I'm actually craving.
I don't intend to cut out cheese, but I would like to cut down on i t since cheese is very artery clogging. :?
Random suggestions as to what I might be lacking in my diet are more than welcome!!!
because at this point, I'm certainly out of ideas.
cheers!
ps- forgot to mention. Don't bother suggesting nuts. I'm deathly allergic to them. :(
I'm still an ovo-lacto, but I've been trying to limit the amount of animal products I eat. I've basically made a rule for myself that I will eat basically vegan, or very close to it at home & allow some cheese (and very limited amounts of eggs) outside the house.
I'm definitely a cheese-a-holic, and this has helped me cut back a bit.
I was a cheeseaholic for quite some time and I have to admit that this is something I still miss every once in a while. There just is no good vegan sub for a nice stinky blue. So I stopped looking for one. I also tried the limiting approach on and off several times before I finally just went cold turkey. I got rid of all the dairy in my house. One of my cheese connoisseur friends was very happy to inherit a big block of monchego and a raw blue that was to die for. This ended up being much easier than trying to ween off of it for me and it is what finally kicked the habit. I think that when I was trying to ween off of it I look for any excuse to get a little nibble. I felt much more deprived then when I just decided to stop. I still miss a good aged gouda but I feel much stronger in my resolve as to why I don't eat it.
Yogaferet, Could it be fat that your body is craving?
I've heard that dairy products may contain small amounts of opiates. I don't know if that's actually true or not. Could explain a few things, though. ::)
I'm a lacto-ovo that tries to avoid animal products the majority of the time. Sometimes I get killer cheese cravings. When I do eat the cheese, I usually find it repulsive. :P Most food cravings are not linked to a nutrition deficiency, unless you have pica or are depressed/have PMS and your serotonin is low. I think tanevab has it right when she says that it might be fat. Human beings a physiologically disposed to craving fat, sweets, and other things that are usually only good in moderation. It might help to try to reprogram your cravings - every time you get a cheese craving, eat something else instead. I like to eat things with coconut in them, or eat avocados when I refuse to indulge in cheese cravings. Eating a combination of fat, protein, and salt (what's in cheese) might help too. Maybe add some more cooking oil to your protein-heavy dishes?
This is a good craving-sub that doesn't taste like cheese, but is rich: Toast some foccaccia or similar dense bread. Rub the toast with a cut clove of garlic and droozle or brush with olive oil. Top with a few slices of ripe avocado and sprinkle some Herbamare or other herb salt. Yummy. I eat this for breakfast sometimes.
Do you get enough salt?
We sub hummus for cheese whenever we can...
K
Many response to the current suggestions. :)
Yogaferet, Could it be fat that your body is craving?
That was I was thinking too as an option, but I think I get enof of those in chocolate.
This is a good craving-sub that doesn't taste like cheese, but is rich: Toast some foccaccia or similar dense bread. Rub the toast with a cut clove of garlic and droozle or brush with olive oil. Top with a few slices of ripe avocado and sprinkle some Herbamare or other herb salt. Yummy. I eat this for breakfast sometimes.
Sounds very yummy. But you can't find avocados here and I can't eat any wheat products either. :(
Eating a combination of fat, protein, and salt (what's in cheese) might help too. Maybe add some more cooking oil to your protein-heavy dishes?
As I cook many curries, I would think I do get enof oils. There's also salt in the dishes as a little 1/2-3/4 teaspoon is essetial to blend the spices.... :?
Thanks for the comments! I'll wait for some more before I checkin again and start experimenting. ;)
Vegan md Dr. Neal Bernard has written the book Breaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons Behind Food Cravings---And 7 Steps to End Them Naturally which might be helpful. He says that cheese/diary is definately an addictive food. Might be worth checking out.
Tweety--I was just about to say that! Also, sometimes when a person is allergic to something, they crave it. My Mom, for example, is allergic to cheese and yeast (among other things) and she often craves bread and cheese sandwiches. As far as something to replace the craving with something healthier, Dragonfly's bulk dry uncheese mix is amazing--and surprisingly cheesy! Hope you find what you're looking for.
I know this one, sadly I know it well. Because I know that even a small dietary indiscretion will make me ill, I sometimes think longingly of several animal foods I can't eat ever again. I feel sad about it and try to find a way to cut the cravings. Cheese was very hard, so were eggs.
I think these are very good suggestions. Cheese is dense in fat, salt and calories. It is also dense in protein and lactose. I often think that if I am craving this it is because I am short of calories and am craving something with fat and protein. Cheese also gave me migraines and just another reason not to eat it, but I miss it...ohhh I miss it!
I am sorry you can't eat wheat or nuts. This makes being vegan or vegetarian rather difficult for you.
This is from Dr. Neal Barnard of PCRM with regard to the addictive qualities of cheese:
Cheese, for example, is loaded with casein, a protein that breaks up during digestion to produce morphine-like opiate compounds called casomorphins. These substances are thought to contribute to the mother-infant bond that occurs during nursing. A cup of milk contains about six grams of casein, and skim milk contains a little more, but casein becomes even more concentrated in the production of cheese. So it’s no surprise that many of us feel bonded to our pizzas. Chocolate, sugar, and meat work in slightly different ways, but they all release drug-like substances that seduce the brain into coming back for more.
It usually takes three weeks to make a change - whether it be dietary or personal. So try eliminating dairy for three weeks and you may be pleasantly surprised that your cravings disappear! Good luck!
The cheese has been hard for me to give up too because I haven't found vegan products that taste similar, have similar melting properties or offer the varieties of cheeses I like.
I love cheese slices, but the Veggie Slices I tried were bland and resemble melted plastic more than melted cheese when I tried to make a grilled cheese sandwich.
Tofutti wasn't as flavorful as the cream cheese I'm used to on my bagels.
I haven't tried any of the mozarella cheese substitutes because of my bad experience with the melted cheese before.
And what about smoked Gouda, Brie, Parmesan, ... a sharp cheddar? Can someone suggest some flavorful vegan cheese brands and/or ones that melt well?
Of course! No nuts.... I still stand on the Dragonfly's Uncheese, instead of cashews use a mixture of sunflower seeds and oatmeal. I often use one cup each plus a cup of cashews, I think it would still be amazing without the cashews though.
Saskia,
I was a huge cheese snob before finally going vegan a while back. I still crave a stinky blue or a raw aged Gouda. Trust me there are no good substitutes out there. I finally got peace of mind when I stopped searching. When I stopped trying to replace those things and found wonderful new flavors instead it really helped.
I did a google for casomorphins and found a more detailed article on what Dr. Neal Barnard says about it:
http://www.healthscience.org/Articles/Break_Food_Seduction.htm
The Wikipedia article about them is interesting too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casomorphin
And then there's this article:
http://mywebtimes.com/ottnews/archives/ottawa/display.php?id=292266
The beginning paragraph is an eye opener:
A hamburger and french fries from a fast-food restaurant have been sitting in Kaye Norlin's office since October, but even more than three months later the food still looks -- and smells -- the same as when it was purchased.
Whoa, I gotta show this one to my DH! Imagine a class room of kids fed natural foods; they just might want to learn.
I'm still an ovo-lacto, but I've been trying to limit the amount of animal products I eat. I've basically made a rule for myself that I will eat basically vegan, or very close to it at home & allow some cheese (and very limited amounts of eggs) outside the house.
I'm definitely a cheese-a-holic, and this has helped me cut back a bit.
This is kind of what I do...and I wish I could stop, but it is a better way to try and do what is more possible without let downs.
Hey, that's right up the road from me!
Vegan md Dr. Neal Bernard has written the book Breaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons Behind Food Cravings---And 7 Steps to End Them Naturally which might be helpful. He says that cheese/diary is definately an addictive food. Might be worth checking out.
Interesting. I wonder if there's Japanese version. I'll check at amazon.co.jp.
Does he actually give you *effective* methods of how to overcome your addiction?
Just wondering if anyone has actaully tried it and had success. Otherwise, it does seem to be perfect.
Of course! No nuts.... I still stand on the Dragonfly's Uncheese, instead of cashews use a mixture of sunflower seeds and oatmeal. I often use one cup each plus a cup of cashews, I think it would still be amazing without the cashews though.
Unfortunately, not only can't I eat cashews (nuts), but I haven't seen any nutritional yeast around here.
Also, oatmeal is 99% of the time contanimated with wheat - produced in the exact same factory - so that is also a no-no.
sorry! Sounded like a wonderful solution, but just not workable for me. :(
I am sorry you can't eat wheat or nuts. This makes being vegan or vegetarian rather difficult for you.
That's why I feel neither guilty in being *only* an (ovo)-lacto veg*n nor obligated to do more. ;)
This is from Dr. Neal Barnard of PCRM with regard to the addictive qualities of cheese:
Cheese, for example, is loaded with casein, a protein that breaks up during digestion to produce morphine-like opiate compounds called casomorphins. .......
It usually takes three weeks to make a change - whether it be dietary or personal. So try eliminating dairy for three weeks and you may be pleasantly surprised that your cravings disappear! Good luck!
Interesting....I really don't consume much dairy except for milk and cheese or ice cream products.
However, I don't ever crave the other stuff. Only cheese. I know casein is in all those product, so really I should be craving those too. ??
Thanks for all the replies so far! I'll keep checking in to see if there's some new suggestions.
It's like a running poll: my personal favorites to date are..... ;)
(the addiction theory and the book, in case you are wondering.)
cheers!
MD
Wow! That's interesting! Thanks for posting this. I'm trying to turn vegan & am having such a hard time giving up cheese. I don't miss anything else but cheese! Now I know why. ;D
I Just wanted to post an interesting (for me at least) update on this.
I think it was last month or so, but I realized I was having no more cravings at all!
It helps that cheese in Japan is usually not very good, but I think more than that, it was like a drug addict's craving. ;) Once the drug is cleaned out of your system, you no longer feel the need for it. I'm even getting to where I don't like plain milk. :( Ice Cream or things with milk tastes good to me, but plain milk is starting to taste icky. I'm ovo-lacto so it's not really my intention to give up dairy products. I just mention that as it seems to be a side effect.
cheers!
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Do you get enough salt?
We sub hummus for cheese whenever we can...
K
I agree you might be missing the salt