Going without cheese is a challenge for many vegans. Luckily, there are non-animal cheese alternatives too. But what’s actually in it? We’ll tell you how healthy vegan cheese really is.
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How healthy is vegan cheese?
In addition to the ecological and animal-ethical aspects, many people also want to eat vegan for health reasons. A plant-rich diet with lots of vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains and fruit prevents diseases and helps you lose weight . For many people, however, giving up cheese presents a not-so-small challenge. The use of vegan cheese substitutes is only too understandable. We will show you which ingredients are in vegan cheese and whether it is also healthy.
It’s in vegan cheese
Vegan cheese is often more than twice as expensive as animal cheese. A sign of quality ingredients? Unfortunately not. Most of the ingredients in vegan cheese substitutes are not of high health value. Fortunately, the main ingredient is a healthy one, namely water. Vegan hard cheese usually has a water content of around 58 percent . However, the healthy ingredients stop there. Namely, the cheese alternatives consist of 20 percent coconut oil, which unfortunately contains a lot of saturated fatty acids that should only be consumed in moderation. However, vegan cheese also contains healthy fats – albeit in a tiny proportion. So-called nut preparations are found in the substitute products and they consist of 98 percent water and 2 percent walnuts, almonds or cashews. Modified starch is also found in vegan cheese as a binding agent, which is reflected in a carbohydrate content of around 20 percent . “Where’s the protein?” you’re probably wondering, since animal-based cheese is actually a potent source of protein. Unfortunately, the plant-based alternative offers no added value in this respect, since vegan cheese usually consists of less than 1 percent protein . The remaining 1 percent is accounted forSalt and additives such as emulsifiers, cheese flavoring and coloring.
This results in the following list of ingredients:
- water
- coconut oil
- strength
- nuts
- salt
- Hand aroma
- Dyes such as beta-carotene or paprika extract
- emulsifiers
- antioxidant
Bottom Line: Is Vegan Cheese Healthy?
As with many vegan substitutes, the choice of vegan cheese versus traditional cheese is more of an ethical one, with the aim of preventing animal suffering and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. From a health point of view, most cheese alternatives are not recommended because they often consist largely of fat and flavor enhancers and at the same time have a significantly lower protein content than animal cheese. Vegan cheese should be viewed more as a luxury food and you should prefer healthier alternatives, e.g. bread toppings made from seitan or spreads made from vegetables.
A healthy and cheap alternative: With this recipe you can easily make vegan cheese yourself >>
