New research on cow's milk and breast cancer

I've been vegetarian since I was fifteen. Tried several times to go vegan but always gave up because I craved cheese and chocolate ice cream. This time when I made up my mind to do it I couldn't believe the changes since I last tried. Found a couple of vegan cheeses I really like, and a fabulous chocolate vegan ice cream I prefer to the dairy one I used to eat. Because veganism is so big now all the supermarkets are jumping on the bandwagon and offering vegan choices. I'm at the early stage of trying things out. Some things are really good, others I mark as never buy again. I never thought about diabetes being a problem with the vegan diet. But of course there are a lot of carbs in all the beans etc consumed. It's a problem also for people with nut allergies. Probably other things as well. Maybe things like IBS etc. All I had to worry about was terrible windy pops when I started eating loads of beans and lentils. Luckily that soon settled or else the cats might have left home!

Do try Swedish glace ice cream ! Much better taste than frozen dairy vanilla!  I didn't like chocolate but vanilla is my flavour of choice in dairy ice cream too.  The Swedish glacé comes in chocolate and strawberry flavours.    Also Tesco selling vegan Galaxy chocolate bars in various flavours!!!

my daughter uses Happy cow app for eating out.  No one on app unless they have personally tried.  Found us fabulous family run restaurant in Rome where half the family are vegan so mixed menu.  Also in Tenerife, both North and South of island small restaurants in side streets or residential areas .  You know when full of locals they are good !!

Thanks. I'll put the Swedish glace on my Wednesday Tesco order. Haven't tried the Galaxy chocolate, was waiting for it to be on offer as it is so expensive. The Tesco free from Rocky Road bites are vegan and I just love them. I don't want to turn into a junk food vegan, so weekdays I stick to stews and salads and the odd vegan cheese, peanut butter and celery sandwich. Then weekends I experiment with new stuff I have found online from Tesco's. I have never bothered with reviews before. But am finding reading reviews about all the plant chef, and wicked kitchen stuff very helpful. Also the reviews for vegan sausages as I tried the plant chef Cumberland ones, and vowed never again. Was going to try the plant chef mushroom pizza this weekend, but it has just vanished from my order as not available. I'll have to look again to see what else I can try.

Ben and Jerrys vegan ice cream and the vegan Magnums are favourites in our house.

I struggle with the plant milks though,  and have been trying on and off for 20 years.  My youngest will only drink Rude Health almond milk which I find too sweet, though like their tiger nut one. My oldest daughter (who is vegan) drinks any!  Oat milk is horrible in coffee but good in porridge,  which I take 50/50. I like the Alpro fresh unsweetened soya milk, but it's hard to get as often sold out at my local supermarkets. I can't find a decent cheese that isn't like plastic though.   Any other suggestions?

Hi,

If you drink tea I have found the PG tips.....Perfect for Non dairy....really works with Almond milk producing a reasonable cup.

I drink my coffee black so no problem there and I often put my porridge in a fruit goats yogurt, leave it an hour and eat it cold with berries.

I have found almost all the branded Almond milks seem to taste sweet even when they say unsweetened but In France the supermarket bio ( organic) sections have an own label milk which is definitely less sweet whichever shop I buy it from. Perhaps Tesco or Waitrose or Asda might do the same?

Can you get brebis cheese in England.? The brebis from the Pyrenees like Etorki are quite tasty and comes in a hard variety for grating. Tommes are ok too but of course they are not vegan. As I'm not vegan or vegetarian, just cutting out dairy in case it helps for the future ( this is my third year of consciously removing it) I can't offer you help for a non plastic variety there!

Hope you sort out the Letrozole.....the problems sound awful.

Love Karen

I haven't had chance to try many vegan cheeses yet as Tesco don't stock much. Only their own which I have tried and found disgusting, and just three types of Violife. The block cheese I didn't get on with. But the cheddar style slices I find okay, a bit like Edam, and the Greek white style block I really love. It's like a tastier and slightly harder Philadelphia. I need to get to the health shop and see what they have. I have heard that Violife do some really good mature style cheddar and some good ones for melting that I need to try. Tesco own vegan grated mozzarella and the jalapeno and chilli one did melt very well, but haven't tried the Violife ones for melting yet.

I've been vegetarian since I was 13 and since being diagnosed I felt that dairy ought to be reduced. Cows milk will naturally contain oestrogen and I figured that being ER+, then I didn't want to be adding to it.  I know this is against the 'normal' NHS advice of a balanced diet, but it hasn't bothered me not drinking milk any more.  I like Alpro unsweetened or sweetened oat milk.

I thought that the Tescos Jalapeno & chilli dairy free cheese was really nice   Most vegan cheese I'd tried previously was rubbery, but I didn't find this with this particular cheese.  I had mine as cheese and biscuits rather than cooking it.