Last semester, I attempted to become vegan. I lasted a month and I was pretty proud. But I failed due to one particular food. Cheese. Yes, I missed eggs and milk. But I could go without them. But cheese is my actual weakness. I love cheese. I am a cheese addict. I craved cheese. There was no way around it. Cheese was everywhere. When I was a vegetarian, I would have cheese in almost every meal. Fake cheese never tasted as good. I did find a few vegan cheese recipes that were good, but nothing like the real deal. So I only lasted a month and binged on cheese and never looked back. But why was cheese my downfall? Was it me? Did I just love cheese that much? Or was it something in the cheese? So, apparently, cheese can actually be addictive.
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The Facts
There are protein fragments in Cheese called casomorphins. Yes, you read that correctly, CasoMORPHINS. And we all know how addictive morphine is. So imagine every time you eat cheese you're really getting a little bit of morphine. Not actually, but your brain responds like it's on morphine, which is an opioid. Heroin is also an opioid. Also, the human brain has evolved to really like fat, salt, and sugar. We crave it actually. It's no wonder that we love cheese.
But, do you have to give up cheese?
So, I'm a cheese lover and I'm proud. But if you're a cheese lover and not proud then you can go get help. There are support groups and rehab programs. My cheese addiction isn't me, and if you tried to be vegan and failed, it isn't you either. It's the Cheese. But, everything in moderation.
If you are in desperate need of a cheese fix, here are 57 cheese recipes to try.
Image from WikiCommons