How To Successfully Give Up Dairy Without Missing Cheese

"I could never be a vegan, because I can't give up cheese.", is a common objection I hear from people who say they could never go vegan. I get it! Cheese is delicious!

Cutting out dairy was how my journey to veganism started. I have rosacea and eczema, which I have been able to get under control through diet changes. Around 2015, I was very frustrated with how my rosacea had flared up. I noticed when I ate certain foods, my face would get red and burn. It was uncomfortable and made me self-conscious. I started looking up how food impacted the condition and saw how eliminating dairy was one way to help. I decided to do an experiment and gave up dairy for 30 days. My experience was surprising!

I noticed an improvement with my skin. I also noticed my sinus issues improved and I felt a an overall sense of well-being that I had never felt before. I discovered that dairy was making me feel crappy in ways I didn't realize, until I took break from it.

During this time I looked up a lot of dairy-free recipes and kept coming across a lot of vegan ones. I discovered a whole new world of eating that was more exciting than the way I was currently cooking. I talk more about this experience in a previous blog post here.

When I had frozen yogurt after my 30 day break from dairy, I felt the inflammatory effects almost immediately! I did my best to cut out dairy products in my diet as much as possible, and would occasionally splurge and eat something dairy on occasion and delt with the consequences that emerged from it.

Being exposed to vegan food led to me learning more about veganism and what happens in animal agriculture. It was sad and horrifying! Something deep down within me wanted to become a vegan, but thought it wouldn't be possible because my family wouldn't want to. After about two years of my soul yearning to live this lifestyle, I finally committed to it. You can read more about that journey here in a previous blog post.

If you are someone who wants to live a vegan lifestyle, but can't seem to let go of cheese, then this post is for you. I am going to share strategies that helped me give up consuming dairy products (including cheese). Maybe they can help you too.

Remember It's A Process & Give Your Tastebuds Time To Adjust

Lifestyle changes, especially those involving food can take time! Food plays a big part in our lives personally, socially, and culturally. It took me about two years to fully commit to no longer consuming dairy at all. Your journey is going to be unique to you.

It took my tastebuds about two weeks to adjust to vegan cheese. In the beginning, eating vegan cheese all by itself without being on pizza or a pasta dish with sauce, didn't quite satisfy my tastebuds. However, I did notice that having vegan cheese on dishes with sauces and other flavors mixed with it did. After a couple of week, my tastebuds adjusted and enjoyed eating vegan cheese on it's own.

Get Clear On Your Why?

When we know why a goal is important to us, we are able to stick to it and commit better to not abandoning it. For me my why started out for health reasons, but that wasn't enough for me to stay committed to being dairy. When I really understood what to cows in the dairy industry and in other forms of animal agriculture, I no longer wanted to be a part of that. It went against my values. Being clear on why you want to eliminate dairy products, will help you stay strong when temptations present themselves.

Here are 4 reasons why to give up consuming dairy:

1. Dairy can contribute to inflammation, digestive issues, and skin problems for many people. Giving it up is a powerful way to tune into your body’s true needs. Click here to learn more about how dairy products can have a negative impact on your health.

   
   

2. The dairy industry is built on cruelty—from forced impregnation to mother-calf separation. You can read more about cows and the dairy industry here in a previous blog post of mine.

   
   

3. You don't need milk to get calcium. In fact, there are many plant-based calcium sources including soy milk, chia seeds, and almonds. You can learn more about dairy-free calcium sources here.

   
   

4. You're not a baby cow. Humans are the only species that drink another species' milk.

Try Out Recipes

We don't need dairy products to enjoy the same types of foods we love! In fact, when I have gone to vegan restaurants with non-vegan friends, they ended up liking the vegan cheesecake more than dairy cheesecake. Why? Well first of all it tasted good. The other reason was that they noticed it was lighter and not sitting heavy in their body like a piece of dairy cheesecake would. Go explore, experiment, and most importantly have fun!

Click here for a list of my favorite vegan recipe creators.

Vegan Cheese Has Come A Long Way! Try Out Different Brands

Vegan cheese has a bad a reputation from how it used to be in the past. By the time I was vegan there were some decent options. As I mentioned earlier, my tastebuds needed some time to adjust. Vegan cheeses have advanced even more since then.

Violife and Diaya are two brands I like to use. Over the past few years I have also been able to find some store brand versions that have been pretty good too. You can even make delicious cheese boards when company comes over (or just for yourself) with brands like Treeline and Rebel Cheese.

Check out this clip of Rebel Cheese winning over the sharks on Shark Tank.

You Can Enjoy Other Vegan Dairy Products Too

Now there are lots of varieties of vegan ice cream, whipped topping, butter, yogurt, and cream cheese available. Even some mainstream non-vegan companies are making vegan versions of their products.

Like I said before go explore, experiment, and most importantly have fun!

Plan Ahead For Social Situations

Planning ahead makes this easier. Communicating your needs to others in your life will help help social setting go more smoothly. If you are going to someone's house, let them know and offer to bring something that you can eat and share with others.

If you are going to a restaurant with friends or family, check out the menus in advance before picking a place. The Happy Cow app and website are a great resource for this.

Find Support

When we want to achieve a goal, it's important to spend time with others who are either working towards the same goal or have already achieved it. There are many vegan groups on Facebook and MeetUp. You can also send me a message here to learn about ways I can support your journey.

Try Your Own 30 Day Experiment

We don't know what something will be like for us until we try. If you want to give up dairy products, try it out for at least 30 days. This will give your body time to adjust. Journal about your experiences and see what the process will be like for you.

What are some of your favorite dairy-free alternatives? Let me know in the comments.