janiee
09-28-2003, 01:22 AM
Hi!
I really need some advice. I've been a vegan for about 3 years now... I never really ate much dairy in the past, just cheese and well, let's just say I'm sufferin' now. ;D I've tried soy cheese substitutes, but the ones without casein really taste awful... and I'm not even quite sure what casein really is, beyond a milk protein...
I stopped with dairy because of my extreme fear of the Mad Cow disease epidemic going around. My question is:
Is there a risk of mad cow disease in dairy OR the casein protein?? Please tell me.. it's important...
Thanks-
Jan
I really need some advice. I've been a vegan for about 3 years now... I never really ate much dairy in the past, just cheese and well, let's just say I'm sufferin' now. ;D I've tried soy cheese substitutes, but the ones without casein really taste awful... and I'm not even quite sure what casein really is, beyond a milk protein...
I stopped with dairy because of my extreme fear of the Mad Cow disease epidemic going around. My question is:
Is there a risk of mad cow disease in dairy OR the casein protein?? Please tell me.. it's important...
Thanks-
Jan
Sponsor
Shane S
09-28-2003, 03:09 AM
While dairy products carry the risk of getting mad cow disease (this has been established with milk, but I haven't heard of any link between casein and mad cow disease yet), the odds of getting the disease anywhere in the world are so microscopic that I wouldn't remove dairy (or anything else) from my diet for that reason alone. Do not be misled by the hype. There is no cause for alarm in the foreseeable future, and even the worst case long-term estimates are extremely mild.
fishnets
09-28-2003, 03:14 PM
I doubt it. Though if you ate it, you wouldn't be considered vegan. I wish "veggie cheese"'s would stop putting milk in them!! Kind of defeats the purpose you know?
janiee
09-28-2003, 09:59 PM
Yeah, it does defeat the purpose. It sucks.
Someone told me casein is more harmful (mad cow disease wise) because it's the PROTEIN from milk-- and the disease is a protein, right?...
Just wish I knew what to do here.
Someone told me casein is more harmful (mad cow disease wise) because it's the PROTEIN from milk-- and the disease is a protein, right?...
Just wish I knew what to do here.
Rogue
09-29-2003, 05:57 PM
fishnets,
Actually Vegans are people that will have NOTHING to do with animal products or by products.
So if you eat eggs and drink milk then you would be considered a vegetarian.
If you eat fish then you would not be considered a vegetarian or a vegan.
Actually Vegans are people that will have NOTHING to do with animal products or by products.
So if you eat eggs and drink milk then you would be considered a vegetarian.
If you eat fish then you would not be considered a vegetarian or a vegan.
junkbondtrader
11-09-2003, 10:33 PM
mad cow is spread by a prion, and unlike a virus, it cannot be killed. i've heard that it is so potent that if there is an amount similar to a few drops in a freight train car's worth of food, it will all be contaminated enough to infect you. (according to howard lyman, author of mad cowboy).
so, if you're abstaining from dairy out of concern for the health risks of BSE/mad cow, you should know that casein poses as much risk as any other dairy product would.
the nasty tastes of some soy cheeses which don't contain casein (i.e. veganrella- some people actually love it, i think it is foul verging on vomitous) actually have nothing to do with their lack of casein. all that casein, the milk protein, does is allow these cheeses to "stretch" like normal cheese.
there are a few truly vegan versions which taste decent. they're a little hard to find, but WELL worth it in my opinion. they are tofutti and imearthkind/follow your heart.
i used the follow your heart kind last night on pizza and it was delicious. check it out here:
http://www.imearthkind.com/
so, if you're abstaining from dairy out of concern for the health risks of BSE/mad cow, you should know that casein poses as much risk as any other dairy product would.
the nasty tastes of some soy cheeses which don't contain casein (i.e. veganrella- some people actually love it, i think it is foul verging on vomitous) actually have nothing to do with their lack of casein. all that casein, the milk protein, does is allow these cheeses to "stretch" like normal cheese.
there are a few truly vegan versions which taste decent. they're a little hard to find, but WELL worth it in my opinion. they are tofutti and imearthkind/follow your heart.
i used the follow your heart kind last night on pizza and it was delicious. check it out here:
http://www.imearthkind.com/