I've been vegetarian for a few years and have finally decided to go vegan. I went to the grocery store to buy some "vegan" food. I found some soy cheese, brought it home, ate a piece, looked at the ingredient and there was milk protein in it. I assumed since it was soy there would be no milk products in it. Was I wrong to assume that? Also any other tips anyone could give me would be much appreciated.
Just started being vegan today!
- Thread starter Nicole1
- Start date
Blobbenstein
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the milk protein was probably casein, which lets the cheese melt under heat. There are vegan cheeses though like Sheese and Cheezly, Daiya . I haven't tried Daiya, though people say it is good.
ledboots
Peace
I made that same mistake with the cheese. You would think no milk meant no milk....
I don't think there's a person out there who would guess that soy cheese contained dairy...unless they had previously made that mistake (or read about it online!). My tip would be to not beat yourself up about mistakes 
Congrats on going vegan, Nicole. And I agree with Liz about going easy on yourself. It's a common trip-up. You will become an expert label reader in no time.
Nicole, great job going vegan!
Also look out for eggs and milk in veggie burgers.Sometimes I just look for a label on the product that says it's vegan.If there isn't one then I know to look harder at the ingredients.
Also look out for eggs and milk in veggie burgers.Sometimes I just look for a label on the product that says it's vegan.If there isn't one then I know to look harder at the ingredients.
HoorayI remember doing that my first attempt. Was so confused!
Another thing that confused me is that most "non-dairy" creamers have dairy. WHAT!?
How can something be non-dairy if it has dairy!? LOL
peacefulveglady
Forum Legend
Great and don't beat yourself up for mistake, I am doing many as I am slowly turning Vegan soon.
You might want to eat the rest of the milk-containing soy cheese, unless you can give it to someone else. But it's annoying to buy things you would think were vegan and find that they're not. If I were into conspiracy theories, I'd think there was a plot to make life difficult for vegans. I'm fortunate in being able to find a variety of vegan commercially-baked breads in my area, at least.
I guess we just have to read labels carefully.
I guess we just have to read labels carefully.
peacefulveglady
Forum Legend
Yes I agree and just finish the product and remember to read labels next time, I usually look up stuff online and read through the labels online first before I go get the products.
Congratulations on going vegan!! woohoo! That's awesome!
I'm pretty sure we've all gotten tripped up by ingredients lists so don't be hard on yourself. Just be patient when reading labels. I made that same "non-vegan soy cheese" mistake before too.
I'm pretty sure we've all gotten tripped up by ingredients lists so don't be hard on yourself. Just be patient when reading labels. I made that same "non-vegan soy cheese" mistake before too.
Just a sort of aside wrt to the cheese....if you really dig dairy cheese, it might be easier to just skip the soy/imitation stuff for awhile. 8+years on, I still don't think it tastes the same. I have some cheesy things that satisfy that fix for me, but when I was first vegan, the fake cheese tasted vile to me.
CrazyCatLady
Forum Legend
Are u in the UK? Not sure what allergy labelling is like elsewhere but here it's great.
One of my best tips...
Very quick way to scan if something is NOT vegan, whether eggs or milk are in the allergy list.
( I personally will eat food if it 'may contain' non-vegan ingredients for my own reasons but others are different. )
One of my best tips...
Very quick way to scan if something is NOT vegan, whether eggs or milk are in the allergy list.
( I personally will eat food if it 'may contain' non-vegan ingredients for my own reasons but others are different. )
CrazyCatLady
Forum Legend
Couldn't agree more.
I used to eat cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Hated all vegan cheeses as soon as I tried them. I just have a yummy guilt free pizza a few times a week with no fake cheese haha.
I've finally found one vegan cheese that I like. But even that I don't use v often xxx
Blobbenstein
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I really liked dairy cheese. I'm not sure how long I went before I had some vegan cheese, maybe only a few months, but when I got some I wolfed it down, and it really filled a gap.....you might not need 8 years, but I think a bit of a gap between giving up, and trying vegan cheese might help a bit.
Smoked Sheese is pretty good. I liked some of the Tofutti slices, and Redwoods(V-Bites).
Smoked Sheese is pretty good. I liked some of the Tofutti slices, and Redwoods(V-Bites).
Good advice. I waited three years before I tried any of the subs. Daiya does satisfy my cheesy needs, but I don't think I would have liked it as much had I tried it right away. That said, it makes great nachos and a decent grilled sandwich.
Congratulations on your decision! I'm pretty new to veganism myself.
I agree on skipping out on the cheese for a while. There are some things that can give something a sort of cheesy taste when mixed with something else if you're craving it. For example, an avocado on its own doesn't taste ANYTHING like cheese, but when it's on a sandwich loaded with other veggies it actually gives it a bit of a cheesy taste and texture. Same with certain hummus flavors.
That's what I'm doing at least. I'm skipping the 'cheese' products to give myself time to forget what it tastes like. (which for me is pretty easy, since I was never really big on the cheese anyway even as an Omni, but there are tips and such online to help people who have a harder time giving it up. Reading those may help if you're super into cheese.)
I'm pretty new to veganism myself.I agree on skipping out on the cheese for a while. There are some things that can give something a sort of cheesy taste when mixed with something else if you're craving it. For example, an avocado on its own doesn't taste ANYTHING like cheese, but when it's on a sandwich loaded with other veggies it actually gives it a bit of a cheesy taste and texture. Same with certain hummus flavors.
That's what I'm doing at least. I'm skipping the 'cheese' products to give myself time to forget what it tastes like. (which for me is pretty easy, since I was never really big on the cheese anyway even as an Omni, but there are tips and such online to help people who have a harder time giving it up. Reading those may help if you're super into cheese.)
ledboots
Peace
Great tips! Baba ganoush is great on sandwiches, too. With falafel omg so good.Congratulations on your decision!
I agree on skipping out on the cheese for a while. There are some things that can give something a sort of cheesy taste when mixed with something else if you're craving it. For example, an avocado on its own doesn't taste ANYTHING like cheese, but when it's on a sandwich loaded with other veggies it actually gives it a bit of a cheesy taste and texture. Same with certain hummus flavors.
That's what I'm doing at least. I'm skipping the 'cheese' products to give myself time to forget what it tastes like. (which for me is pretty easy, since I was never really big on the cheese anyway even as an Omni, but there are tips and such online to help people who have a harder time giving it up. Reading those may help if you're super into cheese.)
:hungry:
