"Some have argued that the high fat content in cheese (up to 70 percent of its volume, and most of it saturated) and its creamy texture and characteristic aroma make it an especially desirable “comfort food.” Holistic health and nutrition counselor Cynthia Stadd points out, “High fat foods tend to calm us down.”
Amy Lanou, PCRM’s nutrition director, argues that it’s more likely something called casein that makes cheese addictive. “Cheese is a concentrate of protein and fat, and casein is a type of protein found naturally in milk. Caseins convert to casomorphines, which are chemically similar to morphine, when they break down during digestion. It’s these casomorphines that are addictive,” says Lanou. “All mammalian mothers’ milk contains casomorphines so that the young will return to the breast for milk.” Since we are the only mammal that regularly drinks the milk of other animals, Lanou posits that it’s this process that’s behind humanity’s affection for cheese.
Research by Dr. Neal Barnard of PCRM, the author of Breaking the Food Seduction: Behind Food Cravings and Seven Steps to End Them Naturally, has shown that naloxene, an opiate-blocker used to treat morphine and heroin overdoses, reduces the desire for chocolate, sugar, cheese and meat. This suggests, writes Barnard, that “their attraction does indeed come from drug-like effects.”
(This from March/April 2004 E! magazine).
So now this is what I eat instead....
It tastes pretty good, and not so gas-making. Cheese? Addictive?
I think I really impressed both my dad and I when I randomly came up with this today(Mabu tofu is traditionally made with pork, but tvp makes a great replacement), and it turned out to be a success. Yumyumyum. My mom's gone so I've had the duty of cooking for dad who not so conveniently, only eats Chinese food.
Piece of cake, huh?
