What Is Vegetarian Cheese?

All cheeses are made from the milk of an animal, such as a cow, goat, or sheep. An acid is added to the milk, and in the case of most cheeses, a rennet is added so that the milk forms curds, or solids, that are then separated from the liquids, or the whey. Depending on the type of cheese being made, the curds will then undergo various other processes. The difference between cheeses labeled as vegetarian cheese versus a regular cheese is the type of rennin that is used to form the curds. Animal rennet is derived from animals, and cheese made using animal rennet is not vegetarian. Other cheeses made from rennet derived from plants or microbes can be categorized as vegetarian.

Animal Rennet

The earliest cheeses were produced using the rennet from an animal part, specifically the stomach of young goats, calves, and lambs. A chemical, chymosin, found in the stomachs of baby animals will cause milk to coagulate, or form curds. Only animals that are still nursing, and not eating any foods, contain this chemical in their stomachs; therefore, it can only be obtained from very young animals. The traditional method for extracting rennet involves slaughtering the animal, removing the stomach lining, and then using salt water, wine, whey, or vinegar to extract the chymosin. Although many cheese makers still follow traditional methods, more modern methods for producing animal rennet used in cheese making use enzyme extracting chemicals to get the rennet from the stomach lining.

Vegetable Rennet

For vegetarians that consume dairy products, cheese made from vegetable rennet is an option. There are several plants that have natural coagulation qualities and can be used in place of animal rennet to make cheese. Thistle is the most commonly used plant for making rennet. Another source of vegetable rennet is safflower. Dried caper leaves and the bark of a fig tree can also be used to make vegetable rennet. In addition, some soybeans that have been genetically modified are also capable of producing rennet that can be used in cheese making. The cheese making process using vegetable rennet is the same as the one used for making a cheese with animal rennet; however, the two are not necessarily interchangeable. Cheeses made using vegetable rennet will have different qualities than those made using animal rennet.

Microbial Rennet

Another source of rennet used in cheese making is microbial rennet. Because microbial rennet uses no animals as its source, it is also appropriate for vegetarian cheeses. Certain types of molds, fungus, and bacteria have coagulating properties that will form curds in milk. The enzymes of the microbes can be used in the cheese making process.

In addition, cow DNA can now be added to some specific yeasts, fungi, and bacteria to produce genetically engineered animal rennet. This rennet more closely resembles the rennet made from animals; therefore, the cheeses produces using this type of microbial rennet are more similar in taste and quality as animal rennet cheeses. Depending on how strict your vegetarian practices are, this may be a suitable substitution, since no animals are harmed to make the rennet.

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Know the Difference Between Organic Foods and Genetically Modified Foods

Genetically modified foods (GM foods) are those that have been produced from genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. These changes in the food come from specific changes in the foods DNA done through genetic engineering. These techniques are done to produce extra nutrients, faster growth and resistance to viruses or bacteria. Should we be wary of such foods? We probably should, simply because we don't know enough about GMOs. There has been little scientific testing on humans, and at least in some cases the results on animals has not been good.

We are not talking about hybridization here, as sometimes that is confused with GMOs. Hybridization crosses dissimilar individual organisms to produce the best of each organism. For instance, combining a type of plant that has disease resistant qualities with one with great production capacity, the end product is a plant that is disease resistant with greater yields. This crossbreeding of different species of plants has been done for centuries, and has done wonders to increase food production over this time.

GMOs, on the other hand, are organisms that are altered at the gene level, and it is an entirely different ballgame. Genes from a plant, animal, or virus can be inserted into another organism, usually a plant, thereby irreversibly altering its genetic code. The health risks of genetic altered food have not been clearly identified, and few studies have been done evaluating the impact on our health. If you are wondering why we humans are basically being used as human guinea pigs, there is big money involved, both with producers who are overnight dramatically increasing their yields along with the biotech industry.

Laws in the United States do not force foods that have genetically modified ingredients to be labeled, and it is estimated that as much as two-thirds of the food in grocery stores contain some genetically engineered ingredients. That is where organic foods come in. Unless you purchase only organic food, more than likely you will something that is genetically modified, particularly if they have ingredients containing corn or soybeans.

So why is organic food your safest options? If you don't want to tempt fate by having genetically modified foods in your diet, genetically engineered materials or seeds are not allowed in food production or organic farming. This is really the only way you can be sure to avoid GM food. And don't be drawn in to the label that says its "natural", as it has no meaning. "Natural" does not mean organic and genetically altered foods can still carry the "natural" label.

Finally, support any legislation that supports labeling of GM foods. Until now the biotech industry has lobbied to keep any labels off those foods, but consumers should at least know how there food has been produced.

GMOs are now an important aspect of deciding what should be part of our healtheybalanceddiet. We still don't know if they are truly healthy, but we do know that organic food is. Read more on our website. Rich Carroll is a writer and avid health advocate now living in Chicago.

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Franken Foods Have No Place In The Diet Solutions

"The genetic engineering of foods takes mankind into realms that belong to God and God alone." - Charles, Prince of Wales

Food technology is expanding almost at the rate of the "big bang!" GE foods are everywhere. Today, up to 70 percent of the foods on American grocery shelves are genetically engineered (a number expected to grow to 90% by 2012). Most of the soy, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, dairy foods and yellow squash at your market are genetically engineered. Over one-third of U.S. farmland is planted with genetically-engineered seeds. All food is expected to be genetically engineered in the next ten years. At the end of the twentieth century, there were enough GE crops to cover Great Britain, Taiwan and New York's Central Park! You may be shocked but should you be worried? Genetically engineered foods may contain DNA from widely different species. Plant, animal, insect, even bacterial or viral DNA make up new "improved" foods.

Pros and Cons of the new millennium food supply

There are benefits from genetic engineering:

• GE advocates say that genetic engineering can boost resistance to pests, decreasing the need for harsh pesticide sprays and incidence of plant disease.
• Genetic engineering improves shelf life by altering genes which lead to spoilage.
• GE companies hope to create "super crops" that will feed the Earth's exponentially growing population for generations to come.
• GE foods offer an easy delivery route for drugs and vaccinations.

There's also a price to be paid for GE foods:

• Allergens are transferred at the molecular level. As we add genes into foods from substances that aren't' normally in our food chain, new allergies could run rampant.


• Using genes in GE foods from already known allergens can trigger severe reactions in allergic people.


• Cross-pollination means pollen from GE crops will likely transfer into organic crops located nearby, so even organic foods may be exposed to genetically altered organisms.


• Crops that are genetically engineered to build resistance to pesticides may transfer into neighboring weeds creating "super weeds" which can't be killed by herbicides.


• Research shows bioengineering may destroy healing properties and reduce nutrient content of foods.


• Genetic engineering means animal by-products make their way into vegetarian foods.


• GE foods developed to create their own insecticides or herbicides are especially precarious.


• Genetic engineering may prompt the development of "super" insects, that can resist normal methods of eradication and disturb the ecosystem.

Maybe Darwin was right

Natural selection may be the ultimate key. Nature never does anything without good reason. Plants and animals change naturally with time to adapt to a changing environment. For example, we know many plant species have lengthened their growing season to better use the effects of global warming. Over time, we know plants may become more resistant to certain diseases or the effects of pollution. Recorded studies have shown that some tomatoes grown in polluted areas have actually become stronger, boosting their antioxidant nutrients to protect themselves from harsh conditions

So what can we do to protect ourselves from GE foods?

• Stick with certified organic foods.


• Buy seasonal produce from organic local farmers.


• Avoid non-organic foods that are well known to be genetically modified - soy, canola oil and corn foods.


• Consider consuming organic dairy. Most commercially produced dairy is injected with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which is a GE hormone.

Deciding on a particular diet can be daunting considering the shear number of strategies out there. That's why it's important to have a resource that will leave you confident and without questions. The Diet Solutions is the perfect step by step guide.

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