Pizza, nachos, pasta parmasean, all awesome. All cheesy and delicious. All full of saturated fat, blood, pus and hormones. Full of all the things that make us fat and sick. Why then, is it so difficult to give up? Why do we crave something that kills us?
A typical cheese contains 70 percent fat, and is loaded with cholesterol and sodium. All of these things alone are bad for your health, particularly heart health, so you can imagine the negative impact of all these things concentrated in one food. According to the NY Times cheese has become Americans’ largest source of saturated fat, it’s no wonder with a single slice of pizza containing 2/3 of the US daily allowance.
All dairy products including cheese, contain pus from the bacterial infections that the cows get from being hooked up to milk machines constantly. Cows are then fed antibiotics to fight the infections, which also end up in dairy products. If that isn’t enough to gross you out, many cheeses are also made with rennet which is an enzyme taken from calf stomach lining. Awesome, right? Cheese is also full of bacteria, some of which is fine. Some of the bacteria is not so fine, being the same bacteria that causes foot odor.
Cowsmilk contains a small amount of morphine, a ‘feel good’ drug in the opiate family that is highly addictive. Cheese is a concentrated form of cowsmilk therefore contains a higher amount of opiate, making cheese an actual addictive food. Your cravings for cheese are very real, but like all addictions can be broken, and you will be a better, thinner person for it. A few year ago when I was transitioning from vegetarian to vegan I lost 5 pounds when I gave up cheese.
Cheese is a totally unnecessary part of the human diet. Most of it is made from cowsmilk which is, of course, meant for baby cows. All of it is full of saturated fat which causes heart disease and stroke, and also ‘surprise’! makes you fat. Cheese also has milk proteins which promote cancer tumor growth. Cheese has addictive qualities that make it difficult to just have small amounts once in awhile. Cheese also has smelly bacteria and pus. Still want that slice of gooey, cheesy pizza? If you do, don’t worry there are plenty of cheese alternatives, including Daiya who makes a good shredded mozzarella and many great home made nut cheeses.
I hope that you are enjoying my Baby Steps to Plant Based series! If you are please spread the word, sharing is caring!, and like me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/annieeatsapplesforever
Annie Eats Apples 