�� Six Things that happen when you Stop Eating Meat

Vegan Feta Cheese | The Edgy Veg

Are You Able To Give Up Cheese?

Some of you reading this will be vegan, some will be vegetarian and some will be flexitarian. If you are vegan, then this won't apply but if you're vegetarian or flexitarian then here's a challenge -
Will you to consider giving up cheese, or at least, cutting back on the amount you are currently eating?
So let's see if there is something below that will start you thinking or lead to more research and education.
1. The dairy industry is, sadly, one of the biggest polluters of the environment... that and cattle.
As the need for dairy products increases worldwide, the number of cows being milked also has to go up. Currently there are 264 million dairy cows, producing nearly 600 million tonnes of milk every year. This is a staggering amount as you can add on the beef cattle which is around 971.482 million. That's an awful lot of bovine that have to be fed and watered.

So, not only is there a drain on the water, destruction of rain forests for feed for these animals, but there is also the waste and the amount of methane that each cow produces... daily!
Unfortunately water can be contaminated due to leakages of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus either directly into the stream/river or through the water table which then can pollute waterways further down the line making them very toxic.
Even when farmers are careful and are environmentally conscious, the sheer number of dairy cows just makes it all too much of a losing battle.
2. Then there is the actual method of getting a cow to give her milk. This comes under the cruelty label as the calves anywhere from just born to 3 or 4 days old are taken away from their mothers. It is heart-wrenching to hear the plaintive cries of both mother and baby. The male calves are killed as they are of little use to the farmer and the females are kept to replenish the herd. A cow is kept pregnant and lactating constantly until around 5 years by which time they are so spent they are just sent off to slaughter.
3. On a different note - cheese is as addictive as sugar. Yes, it's been scientifically proven. So if you think you really can't go without cheese, now you know why. Also, unless your ancestors are from Europe where a genetic mutation spread that gave people the ability to produce lactase and drink milk (only about 35% of humans have this gene), then dairy is NOT good for your health no matter what the dairy industry spin doctors tell you.

So how do you give up cheese? Start slowly.
Make a list of the cheeses you really love - e.g. Edam, Brie, Feta then pick one, e.g. Feta, and go online and search for "make Vegan Feta cheese" - you must use the word vegan.
You will get a number of recipes back... some are made from tofu, others from nuts... check them out. You may have to make a couple of different ones to find one that really appeals to your palate.
Once you've got used to the plant based Feta - go try another one.

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How to Become a Vegetarian - Simple Guide to a Healthy Vegetarian Lifestyle

Becoming a vegetarian is indeed a challenging choice and if you want to learn how to become a vegetarian, you may need to learn some tips and strategies to help you in making the big shift towards cutting down and totally avoiding animal meat. Whatever reason you have in going for the vegetarian lifestyle, here are a few things that you may find useful.

-Make sure that you are in good shape to be a vegetarian. Some health issues also need to be considered if you want to go for a vegetarian diet. This includes anemia. If you have anemia, it may not be advisable to go for a vegetarian diet. Indeed, you need to consult your doctor if you can go for a vegetarian diet.
- Learn everything you can about being a vegetarian. Being a vegetarian is not just about avoiding animal meat but it is also about respecting animals and standing for the environment as well. Some who want to become vegetarians also do so for the environment. Whatever it is your reason for going vegetarian, it is important that you know what you are doing. Of course, it does not make sense if you invest your time and effort in something that you just know a little about.

Learn how you can get the same nutrition even without animal meat and animal products in your diet. If you think there are limited choices, there are actually a lot of things you can do with plant food. You can even get a good resource or recipe book for vegetarian diet. One thing that you may find useful on how to become a vegetarian is to learn some substitutes that will give you the same nutrients that you need for your body.
Learn the benefits of tofu, which can be a good source of protein. Also explore alternatives for milk, cheese and meat. You can also explore protein powders, veggie burgers as well as nutritional yeasts and other alternatives especially for cheese or other sources of protein and nutrients.

It also helps to find someone or a group that also lives by the same principle of respecting animal lives and protecting the environment as well by being a vegetarian. It helps a lot to have a buddy and someone who also shares your principles as well to make your efforts easy and attainable. It can also help you to be motivated as well. You can actually find a lot of groups who are into a vegetarian diet and this can be helpful in your quest on how to become a vegetarian.

Take everything slow. This is important in your quest on how to become a vegetarian as this will put your health at risk if you do it abruptly. Of course, abrupt change to your food or diet is not good for your health.
Find some resources that will help you learn some recipes and menu on plant foods. This will help you plan your meals and will help you in never running out of vegetarian recipes or menus.
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