All about Vegan Cheese

The globally famous, garnished over sandwiches, melting in pastas, stuffed inside garlic breads or oozing out of cheese burst pizzas is how well known this ingredient is. Well, who doesn’t love cheese? The dearly loved food of the majority of kids and adults now comes in varieties with the growing demand and popularity of plant based diet. With varying styles and flavours, vegan cheese now exists and that too in varieties.Cheese could be healthy or unhealthy depending upon what is made from and how frequently do you consume it, pairing with what all food options.

About the well-known vegan cheese

There are two major types of vegan cheese- nut based and soy based.

Nut based cheese is made from whole food which includes real ingredients while soy based is made industrially so it is more of a processed product.

• Soy based cheese is prepared from tofu or other forms of protein and it contains soy based protein i.e. casein, a milk protein.
• Easy to make at home is the nut based one. You can choose alternatives from a wide variety of various nuts and seeds. The nuts and seeds chosen are soaked, blended and fermented using the same type of bacteria in dairy cheese. Seeds like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds while nuts like cashews, almonds and pine can be utilised.

Other few types of vegan cheese include the following:

• Coconut cheese, which is prepared from coconut milk, oil and cream. To add flavour garlic, onion powder and salt can also be added.
• Root vegetables based cheese is also an option. Made from carrots and potatoes, this type is similar to gravy like cheese sauce.

Is it really healthy?

Cheese whether vegan or regular should be consumed in the right amount with portion control. Also, it should not be the only source of nutrition and how healthy a cheese can be depends on how often you consume it.

Which is a better choice?

• Choosing vegan cheese is a good choice and it depends upon the preference and taste of the individual. Choose option which is made more from whole ingredients and is less processed of all.
• Anything in excess is harmful and so remind yourself to include all the five major food groups which are carbs, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals in the diet to make it a balanced one. It is best not to replace any food group or have servings more than required of cheese.

Over to you

It is better to keep in mind that whatever type of cheese you consume, make sure that you consume in a small amount. Also tie up with a regular physical activity so that even small quantities of cheese consumed doesn’t affect your body and avoids making your weight shoot up or adding fat to your body.