If you’re like me, you’ve had a hard time giving up cheese and have fallen off the wagon a few times. Well, there’s a reason for that. “Dairy crack” is what Dr. Neal Barnard calls cheese. According to The Cheese Trap author, cheese is addictive due to the dairy proteins which can act as mild opiates. The cheese proteins, called casomorphins, attach to the same brain receptors as narcotics. As a result, each bite produces dopamine, known as the feel-good neurotransmitter.

If you want to give up cheese, there are many dairy free cheese (also referred to as cheeze) brands and textures, from brick to grated. Of course, only real cheese tastes like and melts like cheese. However, there have been great improvements with cheeze. So much so, that many vegan cheeses now have the look, taste and texture of real cheese.