This lifestyle can seem restrictive. Getting over certain food cravings and / or addictions can be a challenge.
It seems people miss things like cheese, chocolate, crunchy things, salty things, flour things, ice cream, coffee, sugar, creamer, milk etc. Just the mention of the food item, a thought or a picture of it, can set off consuming thoughts and longing.
This is for those who are not lucky enough to be able to make up their minds and swear these foods off forever. Although it is best to taper off these foods as they are calorie dense, harmful to your health, make one eat more calories and do not help heal the addicted brain, here is some help for those in transition.
My next few blogs will attack these Beasts. Today I will help you deal with Cheese.
Cheese
Cows milk is designed to grow a 70 pound calf into a 700 cow in 12 months (yes, even a grass fed cow). Cheese and ice cream are more concentrated versions of this growth formula.
Cheese is another addictive food. There are great recipes in our recipe page for creamy, vegan cheeses. These cheeses are great for recipes like vegan lasagna and fettuccine Alfredo.
If you are looking for a transition food that is much like gooey cheese, try Dalia Cheese which is available in the refrigerator section in most grocery stores.
Dalia Cheese is made with oil, so while it is an acceptable transition food, and a better option than dairy cheese, my family and I eventually stopped using this product.
Here are a few nice recipes to try:
Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese
Cheese and Alfredo Sauce and Dressing Recipe
If you are addicted to cheese, I highly recommend reading this book by Dr. Neal Bernard, The Cheese Trap: How Breaking a Surprising Addiction Will Help You Lose Weight, Gain Energy, and Get Healthy
Next time, we will deal with crunchy cravings.
Are you experiencing challenges with this lifestyle?
If so, what are / were they and how do / did you deal with them?
Read more about this in my blog Making Deals With Cheat Meals.
I have helped many people recover from going off the wagon. If you would like help to prevent yourself from going off the wagon and learn other ways to navigate this lifestyle, please contact me for a coaching session. I have learned many strategies, tips and hacks while coaching people since 2012. I would love to help you be successful as well.
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Check out my blogs below on beating Cravings:
It is not your fault that you are craving highly palatable foods. Fell Off The Wagon? Ouch….
Your taste buds have been hijacked by the food industry.
This book is a great resource to help you understand why Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us
What strategies do / did you use to resist temptation?
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Check out my BeGreenWithAmy YouTube Channel for lots of whole food, plant based hacks, recipes and more.
Be Strong, Be Well and Be Green!
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I do love Daiya cheese, but as you said, it’s a transition food. There are many great recipes for cheese sauce with nutritional yeast on the Internet. My all-time favorite is the cheese sauce in Angela Liddon’s Life Affirming Nacho Dip in her Oh She Glows Cookbook. (I’m always recommending this cookbook. No, I have no financial interest in the success of this book. LOL.) As a personal note regarding the addictive nature of cheese, I don’t eat cheese, but I allow my daughter to eat grass-fed organic. (She begged and begged.) She left some on her plate yesterday, and I wanted it so badly I almost swooned. I’m chalking that up to allowing myself some oily, creamy restaurant foods over the holidays (and beyond). When I was strictly vegan (but not whole foods) for 8-9 years in my 20’s and 30’s, my desire for cheese never subsided. But I had no desire for cheese after I ate a strictly whole foods vegan diet for a year. I’ll be interested to hear others’ experiences.