Rennet
Posted by melissamarie on Jun 10, 2008 · Member since Dec 2007 · 8 posts
Hello All !
I have recently found out that cheese contains Rennet, which is dried Calf stomach.
This made me completely sick to my stomach.
However, I do need to eat cheese for the protein.
Does anyone have any suggestions for cheese that I can still eat?
Thank you!
Well, I'm glad I read this- because I had no idea there were dead animal parts in cheese! *eyes cheese suspiciously*
That's so gross and unnecessary. Time for me to find different cheese, too. I've been considering looking for nutritional yeast, anyway.
I would suggest a handful (or two!) of peanuts and a tall glass of water. Peanuts are really yum, and way more filling than cheese. I love peanuts. And I also sympathize with having a long day and needing a snack to relieve headaches. I get horrible headaches (and grumpiness!) when I'm hungry and my blood sugar gets low. I don't have a fridge or microwave at work, and I am usually there for 8 hours a day.
Peanuts solve everything. Unless you're allergic, in which case I have not been at all helpful. ???
Thank you very much, Finnegan. I did feel like I was being lectured, in a sense.
I have also tried eating some nuts mid-day, but that doesn't seem to do much for me. I will definitely take into a consideration relating my headaches with the consumption of dairy.
I didn’t make my post to offend any vegans, I asked my question because I felt that a vegan would be more knowledgeable in cheese substitutes ect.
The majority of information that everyone has shared with me has been very useful, and I do thank you for taking the time to respond.
One last question, I’m not sure if anyone can help me out with this, but I’ll give it a shot.
Has anyone ever read the ingredient Microbial Enzymes? I’m not sure if it’s vegetarian, and I’m having a hard time finding a clear understanding of it what it actually is.
Has anyone ever read the ingredient Microbial Enzymes? I’m not sure if it’s vegetarian, and I’m having a hard time finding a clear understanding of it what it actually is.
Since reading this thread earlier today, I dug out my package of cheese to read the ingredients. It does say "enzymes". I was about to post asking basically the same thing: is "enzymes" just a euphemism for "animal parts"?
As a side note, I never considered myself to be the label-reading kind of vegetarian... but oh, how I surprise me!
???
Melissa, I hope you don't feel too offended by the responses. Folks here are very nice and really helpful. Maybe some were thrown off by the "need cheese" part of your post, and didn't understand exactly what you meant. This site is just about indispensable to me (a lacto-ovo vegetarian), and I can't think of a time anyone here purposefully made me feel unwelcome.
So... anyway... welcome! And let's find some decent cheese alternatives together, because I don't want my cheese to have calf stomach either!
>:(
Wow, thank you very much for that post.
:)>>>
I really didn't mean that I "need cheese" as in I would die without it, or thats all I eat for protein. I think I made myself sound kind of stupid.
Yes, let us go on the hunt for decent cheese! I spent about 20 minutes in the dairy section of the store today, looking for some alternatives. But I still have not found anything. I did find rice cheese, I believe thats what it was called. I'm not sure how it would taste, but I am willing to try.
Ahh, the answer to my question.
Today more and more cheeses are made with “microbial enzymes” which are widely used in the industry because they are a consistent and inexpensive coagulant. The term “microbial enzyme” means it is a synthetically developed coagulant. The term “vegetable rennet” means it is derived from a vegetable source. Soft cheeses such as cream cheese and cottage cheese are manufactured without rennet. Some cottage cheeses, however, may contain gelatin which is derived from animal sources. All labels should be read carefully.
Since no ones actually answering your question...here's a vegetarian cheese list: http://cheese.joyousliving.com/
Actually VIg, i did answer the question w/ the same link.
and i second the handful of nuts or trail mix for a quick easy snack. Raisins were found to be one of the best snacks to have for a boost of energy, the nuts give protein and fat, which help sustain you. Give it a try anyway, you might like it! :P
ETA... thanks AC and LBS for havin' my back, i didnt see your posts when i posted. :-*
Raisins AND peanuts! Oh, dear! Why did I let J take my bag of raisins to work with him tonight??? I have a craving for some trail mix now!
:-D
;D JC... its soo good aint it?? We used to make this "trail mix" (ok,so not as healthy,but *meh* ) that consisted of Cheerios,raisins, choc bits and peanuts. OMG it always hit the spot! yummers!! :P
MelMarie...i wasnt being judgemental, in fact i dont consider myself vegan yet, b/c i still consume the rare egg white or milk byproduct in some kind of convienience foods (availability is hard here). But my first stab at veganism began when i found out about rennet, about ten years ago, when there wasnt much alternatives/ veggie rennet available. So,i understand it could be a process for you.
I *did* notice that headaches (and other issues) went away after i gaveup dairy. And even in recent months,if i did happen to eat cheese...i would get mega headaches! really, its crazy.
also to do w/ headaches could be blood sugar swings, which a good snack of carb and protein will help.
Didn't mean to start problems...just wanted to clarify that not everyone on this site is vegan (yet :)) and they also need to feel welcomed, accepted and free to ask questions. I just felt that some of the comments were not exactly friendly.
I can't beleive it's so difficult to get veggie cheese in the states (veggie as in dairy, not vegan) In the UK there are loads of cheeses in supermarkets that are labelled as vegetarian - as in no animal rennet. It is also quite widely known that lots of cheese isn't vegetarian, and most restaurants will state if the cheese they use is vegetarian or not.
Not that it matters to me anymore though! ;)
I don't know if you have a Trader Joe's near you, but they have a great selection of rennet-free cheese (cheese cheese, not vegan cheese). They will also provide a list of which ones have it and which ones don't, in case you don't feel like standing there forever reading labels. They're really great about labeling. Oh goodness, how I miss TJ's, lol.
There's no Trader Joe's in Louisiana. :'(
It makes me sad, I went there once and I thought it was such a neat store.
Just to let you know, if it is a kosher product (look for the symbol) the rennet or other enzymes are either created or from vegetables.
I really like the Tillamook brand.I'm not sure about all varieties, but the Mexican blend is rennet free...says so on the package. :)
this whole thread just made me go
*sigh*
for various reasons.
It makes me sigh because it makes my brain hurt. I don't get it.
Like an earlier poster said, that's what happens when you ask a bunch of vegans about cheese. Don't be surprised.
I hereby bestow upon this thread the "Hitler Toad of Thread Death" (stolen from PPK)
http://www.sfgate.com/n/pictures/2008/01/10/oui10.jpg
It means, DIE, YE THREAD!
It makes me sigh because it makes my brain hurt. I don't get it.
Like an earlier poster said, that's what happens when you ask a bunch of vegans about cheese. Don't be surprised.
I hereby bestow upon this thread the "Hitler Toad of Thread Death" (stolen from PPK)
http://www.sfgate.com/n/pictures/2008/01/10/oui10.jpg
It means, DIE, YE THREAD!
i agree (though by posting this, i am defying thread death, i suppose, but i just wanted to clarify what i meant). i was surprised at the question and was interested to see the answers, and thought everyone was being pretty helpful and not at all rude, but then some was taken as rude anyway and then things just got carried away. oh well.
No post in this thread was rude. The original poster should be glad that I didn't see this way back when it was originally posted because I probably would have been nothing short of an asshole.
Ha!
;D
i don't think this thread deserves death. some good definitely came from it.. one of the posters mentioned that she herself hadnt known about the rennet issue until this thread brought it to her attention. so maybe it's good to have around to educate others about rennet and then it also follows it up with alternative protein filled snacks.
i personally didnt know about rennet until i saw on a fantastic foods box that listed itself with things like 'vegan' & 'rennet-free' it made me wonder what was rennet and what was so bad about it. i googled it and it burst my cheese bubble. (and this was after many years being vegetarian)
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