How To Start Eating Cheese As An Ex-Vegan, According To Reddit

Those who live a vegan lifestyle are restricted from eating animal-based food products. With meat, eggs, and dairy all noted by the NHS as being excluded from vegan diets, this means that even the highly coveted and versatile food, cheese, is prohibited. For some, it's a small price to pay for the vegan diet benefits of tackling animal exploitation and reducing the carbon footprint, details The Vegan Society.

However, these food restrictions can simply be too difficult for people to maintain. Research by Faunalytics has suggested that as many as 84% of vegans give up the diet (although many express desires to return), but this figure is disputed by Plant-Based Research which makes the argument that people can follow a vegan diet without being strictly devoted to it.

HuffPost reports that a staggering 53% of plant-based dieters return to eating meat soon as one year from when they started. Ditching the vegan diet can stem from many reasons, including social pressures and food cravings. Given its desirable qualities, cheese could be one of these cravings. Fortunately, Reddit users are showing support for former vegans who are having difficulties beginning their cheese-eating.

One Reddit user poses a problem, "I was raised vegan but I want to try cheese." Redditors came to the rescue with many recommendations to try basic cheeses with weaker flavors first, like parmesan, cheddar, and Havarti. Further Reddit cheese suggestions are fans of mozzarella, brie, and goat cheese.

One Redditor advises finding a tasting session at a neighborhood cheese shop. Other suggestions include testing cheesecake and not giving up on previously disliked flavors — people are noting how they now enjoy some cheeses they once hated. Users also encourage eating cheese at room temperature and teaming it with different companions, such as savory foods (especially crackers) or wine.

The user updated the original post last month with the cheeses they had tried and their opinion on them. Pepper Jack and Monterey Jack are favorites, while Gruyère is deemed "disgusting." While noting "I'm very much enjoying this journey and I look forward to many more," the user did reveal that they were getting backlash from the vegan community.

It seems when incorporating cheese into your diet for the first time, or after a long time, starting simple and slow may be the way to go.