77. CHEESE–NOT A HEALTH FOOD

 

Dear Grandma Donna: Many people think cheese is a healthy food with high calcium, and because they enjoy eating cheese, they don’t want to believe it is harmful to the body. Is cheese a food we would be better off without eating? Love, Savana

 

Dear Savana: In spite of the fact that cheese is everywhere—in salads, on vegetables, on sandwiches and on meat, I think the evidence is strong that cheese is not a healthy food. Cheese does have high calcium, but it has more artery-clogging saturated fat than any other food.

Aflatoxins are produced in food products by molds, which produce dangerous toxins for both animals and human beings. Aflatoxins can be readily spotted on moldy grain and nuts, but ripened cheese may have invisible mold toxins, which makes it risky to eat.

Dr. Agatha Thrash explains that in the fermentation process, waste products are formed which cause irritation to parts of the body, and amines are produced which influence mental processes and affect the blood vessels, often causing high blood pressure.

It is obvious cheese is not a health food, because it is made from milk and everything in the milk will be concentrated in the cheese. It takes ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese. That means the herbicides, pesticides, dioxins and antibiotics, which are abundant in milk, will be multiplied ten times in cheese. Milk also contains copious amounts of blood, pus, feces, bacteria and viruses, which will be multiplied ten times in cheese. The hormones from the Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF-1), widely used to make cows give more milk, will greatly increase the hormone content of milk. The medical world calls hormones a fuel cell for cancer.

Cheese may taste delicious to many people, but if they will remember that it is a high-fat and high-cholesterol food that influences our obesity, heart disease, cancer, allergies, diabetes, and much other illness, it will be easier to omit.

Really, no one has to give up cheese. Simply stop buying dairy cheese and make a tasty substitute with plant food. CHEESE IS NOT A HEALTH FOOD! Love, Grandma Donna

 

NONDAIRY PARMESAN CHEESE

1/2 c yellow flaked food yeast

1/2 c ground sesame seeds

2 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1 t chickenlike seasoning

1 T lemon juice

Combine all ingredients except lemon juice. Place in blender. Add lemon juice and blend until smooth. Store in refrigerator in airtight container.

 

 CASHEW PIMENTO CHEESE

1 c cashews

1 c water

1/2 c pimientos

1/4 c yeast flakes

1/4 c sesame seed

1/4 c lemon juice

1 t salt

1 t onion powder

1/4 t garlic powder

Blend all of the ingredients until smooth. To use as a spread bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. When using for lasagna, macaroni or pizza just add the blended ingredients to the dish and then bake.

PIMENTO CHEESE W/ GARBANZOS

1/3 c cashew nuts

2/3 c water more or less depending on desired consistency

2 oz chopped pimento

1 t onion salt

1 t garlic powder

1 t paprika

1/4 t savory

1/8 t cumin

1 t frozen orange juice concentrate

1 t lemon juice

1 1/2 c cooked garbanzos, millet or rice

Blend cashews, pimiento, seasonings, lemon and orange juice with 1/2 c garbanzos, rice or millet. Allow just enough water for blending. Add remaining garbanzos, rice or millet and enough more water to make of spreading consistency.

Cooked version:

Replace 1 1/2 c cooked garbanzos, millet or rice in original recipe with 1 c uncooked garbanzos that have been soaked for 24 hours. Combine all the other ingredients in a blender. Add soaked, uncooked garbanzos, a few at a time. Place in oiled loaf pan and bake at 400 degrees for one hour or until knife may be inserted and come out clean. This will slice nicely or crumble for cheese.

PIZZA OR LASAGNA CHEESE

1 c cold water

1/3 c barley flour or other flour

1 1/4 onion salt

1/4 c yeast flakes

1/2 c pimentos or 1/2 c cooked drained tomatoes and 1/4 t turmeric

2/3 c sunflower seeds or nuts

2 T lemon juice

1/4 t garlic powder

Blend all ingredients but the flour together until very creamy. Stir in flour. Use on a pizza or between the layers of lasagna. For grilled cheese sandwiches, spread a generous layer of the cheese on slices of bread and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, approximately. Omit the flour and it makes a nice cheese for baked macaroni.