To eat cheese as a vegan?

[Sparksi]

I’ve been vegan for 5 years. I’m 8 weeks pregnant and craving cheese triangles. There isn’t a vegan equivalent anywhere. Vegan cheese is not the same. I haven’t had any dairy for years and read somewhere you can develop a bit of an intolerance to it if you’ve not had it for a while - if this is true it would be silly to succumb to the craving if it’s only going to upset my stomach.

I do feel a bit icky if I think about the morals as to why I have been vegan for so long, and definitely wouldn’t be making any permanent changes. I am wondering if it’s my body telling me I need something, though!

WIBU to have it or should I find something else?

Yeah eat cheese by all means. You won't be a vegan anymore though.

I think it’s fine but I think you would likely be intolerant after avoiding it for so long.

Can't you have a calcium and protein vitamin?

Vegans don’t eat cheese. Nothing wrong with not being vegan though. Just go with the flow.🙂

I do, and my diet is very good other roads round but just can’t shake this craving

There is a theory that cravings are related to deficiencies. Calcium for you maybe? Fat?

Or indeed... you might really just fancy the cheese.

This I would be VERY careful

Go for it if you want, it’s a free country, but you’ll be a vegetarian.

I think pregnancy cravings are often a way for our bodies to tell us what they need. I can't speak about possible intolerance and tummy upset, but morally I think you have an excellent reason to eat cheese right now if you want to.

8 weeks pregnant?
I’d been vegetarian for around 18 years, first baby craved fruit so that wasn’t a problem. Second baby craved tuna. Not me, it wasn’t me. The baby woke me up at night with telepathic cravings for tuna.
So I ate it a couple of times a week.
Around the seven month mark, the cravings vanished. I’ve been vegetarian again since then.
Do what makes you happiest, but if you decide to introduce cheese again, do it slowly and in moderation until your body remembers.

I'm tee-total but with (not so) occasional bottle of wine

Do what you need to ... but I'd suggest (a) take some lactase tablets (available from health stores like H&B), and (b) get some organic, higher welfare happy-moo type cheese. The dairy industry is, frequently, an absolute bastard for animals, as I'm sure you're aware.

Thank you. Is it a given I’ll be intolerant? Don’t know much about it

I think people can get a bit obsessed by the rules.

personally I think any choice someone makes for health or environmental reasons are valid and every little choice that helps the planet is great but that doesn’t mean you absolutely have to stick to every hardcore rule unless you want to.

i don’t eat meat or eggs in fact I am almost exclusively say 99% vegetarian (I’d be vegan except for milk and cheese) but because I’m not absolutely hardcore about every aspect and that means occasionally il eat gelatine if I’ve not checked a packet or might eat a roast potato at Christmas that isn’t cooked in vegetable fat or buy leather boots from a charity shop etc I don’t use the term.

so yes eat the cheese you don’t describe yourself as vegan for a while.

just take it a bit easy to test your stomach at first though eh 😂

Hard cheese like mature cheddar will have less/no lactose in it. Softer/younger cheeses are higher in it.

The cheese is getting made regardless of it you eat it or not. You're not making things better by not eating it, and you won't be making things worse by eating it.

Have the cheese.

I'm newly vegan (previously vegetarian) - I did Veganuary then ate cheese on holiday in February and it did make my stomach hurt. So have gone back to vegan again. Probably not guaranteed you will be intolerant but just a warning! Can you substitute cheese flavoured junk food that doesn't really contain cheese? Restaurant near me does very convincing vegan Mac & cheese...

YANBU to eat cheese. It's the food of the gods! YABU to call yourself vegan if you do, though. Call yourself a vegetarian, or call yourself a fallible lapsed vegan who eats cheese.

Also, YABU to limit yourself to triangles (presumably, Dairylea or something like that?). If you're going to fall, fall hard and have some proper cheese!

Eat whatever you want. Nobody cares. But if you’re going to eat cheese don’t call yourself a vegan or preach at others or judge their food choices.

At no point was the OP preaching or judging.. what an odd response!

Oh no, I never would anyway. Each to their own. I just individually feel bad, but that’s probably silly!

Haha hello! Just had to start a thread for a verdict 😉

Just eat the cheese.

I'm sure I've seen plant based cheese triangles in Asda!

Yeah you might get a tummy ache. I accidentally had milk after 4 years vegan and oof... Wasn't nice. Don't Kinda Co do a spready one?