Hello all,
On a recent excursion to Whole Foods, I came across cheese that is made out of almonds and I wanted to know how it fits within the Zone way of eating. Here are the nutrition facts:
Serving Size: 1 ounce
Calories: 50
Total fat: 1g
Carb: 3g
Protein 7g
With regard to the protein, it wouldn't be counted toward the P block because it is plant protein-correct?

I tried it tonight with my chili and it was quite good. It can be shredded and melted just like regular cheese so I am excited to have a little taste of "cheese". I would recommend it!

Good Q?
Because dairy P is counted.
I am guessing no fiber?
It might be counted as 1 P?

I found this, which might help determine actual ingredients of "an almond cheese":
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The Vegan Chef's Almond Cheese recipe
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Here's a yummy recipe for vegan cheese. People were looking for one on one of the other posts. It tastes so much better than the kind you can buy at the store, and you can flavor it any way you want. It's still tasty without the spicy peppers. Sometimes I use onions and caraway seeds, or just basil and parsely. Cilantro is good too. This recipe makes a delicious ravioli filling when mixed with sourdough breadcrumbs. It's from Beverly Lynn Bennett's vegan chef website. I hope she doesn't mind that I posted it here.

Italian Style Hot-Pepper Almond Cheese
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1/3 cup raw almonds
1 1/2 cups water, divided
3 T. cornstarch
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. safflower oil
4 t. nutritional yeast flakes
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
3/4 t. sea salt
1/4 cup Cubanelle pepper, destemmed, deseeded, and finely diced
1 T. freshly chopped basil
1 T. freshly chopped parsley
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
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Begin by blanching the almonds: In a small saucepan, place 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Add the almonds and cook for 1 minute to blanch them. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside for 3 minutes to cool. Remove the almonds from the water, squeeze each almond between your thumb and forefinger to remove the skin, and set them aside for 5-10 minutes to dry and cool. Place the almonds in a blender or food processor and process for 1-2 minutes to finely grind them. Scrape down the sides of the container. Add 3/4 cup water and process for 1 minute to combine. Add the remaining water, cornstarch, lemon juice, safflower oil, nutritional yeast flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, and continue to process the mixture an additional 1-2 minutes or until very smooth and creamy.

Transfer the mixture back to the small saucepan and place it over medium heat. Cook the mixture, while whisking constantly, for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture becomes very thick. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the remaining ingredients, stir well to combine, and set the mixture aside to cool for 10 minutes. Pour the cheese mixture into a 2-cup (16 oz.) plastic container, cover, and chill the cheese for several hours or until firm. Unmold the cheese and use slices on sandwiches or in place of commercially made cheese in your favorite recipes, or as a spread with crackers, breads, or fruit. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Note that this is a semi-soft style cheese, not a brick style cheese, so it can not be shredded.
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Yield: One 2-cup loaf of non-dairy cheese

Hi John,
The "cheese" has 1g of fiber in it. The ingredients on the package are: almond base (Cascade Mountain filtered water, crushed organic almonds), casein (milk protein), expeller-pressed canola oil, natural & cultured flavorings, organic brown rice flour, sodium and calcium phosphates, sea salt, citric acid, carrageenan, beta carotene (color).
I wasn't sure if it would be counted as a P block or not because it is primarily made of almonds; however, it does contain casein. On the package it states that it "adds an insignificant amount of Lactose". I'm a tad confused...
Thanks for looking up the recipe, it looks pretty good!

Emily, I buy that all the time. You're talking about Lisanatti, right? The protein is from casein (milk protein). It counts as protein. It keeps me in the Zone very well.

Thanks Sue! I'm glad to hear that it helps to keep you in the Zone. Yes, the brand is Lisanatti. I had never heard of it before...but it is definitely something that I will be adding to my salads/meals from now on. Every time I go to WF, I discover a new and exciting product!

You're welcome!

Me too (new products). :-) This morning I picked up a salad from their cold bar and turned into an easy ZoneFast meal. I just posted it here:

http://www.zonediet.com/Community/F...fault.aspx

I discovered that vegan nacho flavored cheese there today too (in my nacho recipe). You can see photos of Lisanatti almond cheese in the album in my signature below. Just click on the picture in the signature to get to the photo album.

Sue, I looked through your album of recipes and they look SO tasty! I am going to try a few of them. The apple chardonnay sausage sounds very appealing. I am a frequent Trader Joe's Shopper and will pick it up next time I go.

I did want to ask you a question about determining the activity level when calculating how many Zone blocks to consume in one day. I workout on a regular basis about 4x's a week (running, spin classes, a little weight training). I had put myself down as Moderate but perhaps feel that I would be considered Active. What are your thoughts on this?? I want to make sure I am eating enough for the workouts I am doing.

Emily,

Thanks! Trader Joe's also has a nice alternative cheese, "Trader Joe's Soy Cheese, Mozzarella Alternative". For use in the Zone it compares to low fat cheese, but the fat it contains is more Zone friendly than the fat in dairy cheese.

The activity level you use will probably depend on the amount of strength training you're doing each week. You could try increasing to the active level if you think your exercise supports it, and see how it goes for you. It's most likely only a difference of 1 block , and depending on which method of the Zone you use, you're probably already eating around the amount daily.

Thanks Sue for clarifying the activity levels for me. I just want to make sure I am in the appropriate range. I will stick with the moderate for now and see how it goes!

You're welcome Emily. :-)

I've used that Almond Cheese and really enjoy it. In fact I haven't bought it for a while; thanks for reminding me! My local Whole Foods Market carries a variety of flavors.