Best vegan cheese brands: 7 that pass, and the cheddar that is only lactose-free
Our pick: Violife's mozzarella shreds, Vegan Society certified and nut-free. For a board, Treeline's aged cashew. Skip Cabot's lactose-free cheddar: it's milk.
Gregory Knox
Gregory has been vegan since 2012 and came to it as a sceptic. He believed a balanced diet needed meat and dairy, so he read the studies and the books until he was sure it didn't. He still reads them, and turns what he finds into plain answers on food, ingredients, supplements and health questions. He also runs the technical side of Vegan Pots. Not a doctor, just very thorough.
Are man-made vegetables vegan? Yes, and 6 you can buy, from Broccolini to Bt sweet corn
Yes. Bred or engineered, these 6 are plants, with no animal gene in any file we read. Broccolini is our pick; Bt sweet corn is the one vegans argue about.
Can you be vegan and low-carb? Yes, and the trial behind it never got near keto
Yes. A vegan low-carb diet beat a high-carb one on weight and LDL in a 6-month trial, yet its group still ate about 40% carbs. Plus 6 low-carb vegan foods.
Do vegans get hungry more often? Not in the trials we found
Over 2 years, people assigned a vegan diet reported no bigger change in hunger, and at NIH people ate 689 fewer calories a day on plants than on keto.
Can you eat oil on a plant-based diet? Yes, by the measured spoon, and the oil-free case is thinner than it sounds
Yes. A Mediterranean diet with olive oil beat a reduced-fat diet in the biggest trial we read. The oil-free study had no control group. Skip the coconut oil.
How to use vegan protein powder: a quarter of the flour at most, and 7 powders checked
Shake it with cold liquid, make a paste before it goes into a hot drink, and swap 1/8 to 1/4 of the flour for it, as Vega advises. 7 powders checked.
Tofu that tastes like chicken: freeze it for days, not a night, and 8 products checked
Freeze firm tofu for days, thaw it cold, tear it and simmer it in vegan chicken-style broth. 8 products checked; Knorr's chicken bouillon has chicken fat.
Chestnuts vs acorns: roast one, leach the other, and 8 products checked
Chestnuts and acorns differ: chestnuts roast and eat, acorns need their tannins leached out first. 8 products checked, one with tuna in the sauce.
Can you eat cucumber leaves? Yes, from a plant that isn’t bitter, and 6 seed varieties checked
Yes, young cucumber leaves can be cooked, if they don't taste bitter; heat won't remove cucurbitacins. 6 seed varieties checked; our pick is Marketmore 80.
Is sugar vegan? Bone char, the lot code on the bag, and 8 sugars checked
Sugar is vegan unless the cane went through bone char. Beet, USDA organic and Certified Vegan sugar skip it; on Domino or C&H, only lot 1, 4 or 6 is clear.
