Meat cravings.
Okay, I would like to become 100% vegan, but I find that I still eat meat about once a week because I get a craving for it. Not dairy, but meat. In fact, dairy now tastes totally nasty. I made the mistake of getting a Big Mac at McDonalds yesterday....ugh....not pretty, tore my stomach up pretty badly and paid for it today...and frankly I felt really bad for the poor animal that died! I am not doing that again!
So, if I am getting cravings then that means I am missing something maybe? Or do you think it is just a psychological thing? The temmperature here right now is REALLY COOOOOOLD (today's high is 18, tomorrow it is supposed to be a balmy 19 deg F). I found when I moved to Alaska that I craved meat like you wouldn't believe presumably due to the cold. Now veganism is a up down thing, the colder it is, the more I crave meat.
So, what is the matter here, what am I not getting? Am I not getting enough fat? I am pretty sure I am getting protein. I seem to be getting a ton of protein, tofu, tempeh, beans, etc. What is wrong? How can I beat these cravings?
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=24055.0
also, think about how shitty your stomach is gonna feel & how guilty youre going to feel BEFORE you eat mcdonalds.
or how about you watch earthlings and have that turn your stomach for good?
If you give it up completely you will not only lose your craving but it will also become totally unappetizing within a couple months.
Cheese was harder for me to give up. I loved cheese but now I cannot even smell it without getting little queasy.
Just abstain for a month and it will be easy after that. Honestly!
eat some soup or something if it's freezing... why stuff your face with a big mac :P i think it seems all mental... what are your reasons behind trying to go vegan?
eat some soup or something if it's freezing... why stuff your face with a big mac :P i think it seems all mental... what are your reasons behind trying to go vegan?
I second the soup idea. Nothing is more soul satisfying than a big steamy bowl of soup, for me. It's cold where I live too...all I can suggest is not to give into "cravings." When you want something meaty make something like...a bean burger. Or if you don't want to make your own, pan fry a store bought one. Or make something like a shepherds pie. There's a ton out there to eat that warms you up that aren't meat products. If you're that bent on becoming vegan - just try. It takes discipline for some at first, and sure it can be harder for some than others. Try not to give into cravings. Replace them with something veggie and delicious. :) Mmkay?
I agree that I think you'll have cravings as long as you're still eating meat. I think it's true for a lot (some) people to still crave meat, dairy, or eggs when they first go vegan. But we find out how to overcome these urges by eating something that is vegan. If you want a burger, check out all the burger recipes on here, some are better than a real burger! And if you're cold, like the other said, nothing is better than a warm, comforting, soup. Make a thick, delicious, hot soup, there's nothing more satisfying. It's also healthy and you're body will thank you for it rather than rejecting it.
Thank you all for your replies!!!! I like the soup idea.
I have a new motivation now to give up meat, I got the results of my physical back I took three months ago (while I was omni and wasn't excercising then) and it was bad!!!
I have high glucose and high cholesterol!!! OMG! :o I totally freaked. I have been diagnosed with high cholesterol but never have I had high glucose before!
Vegan diet should take care of the cholesterol, but I need to loose weight to get rid of the pre-diabeties. Excercise and eat less sugar....I hate getting old!
"Old"?? Honey at 33 you're just getting started.
I ate meat like crazy for 25.5 years (I've been vegetarian for 1.5 years). I just woke up one day and gave up meat with no backsliding. (Granted I've been thinking about this meat-free life for quite some time) I've never craved meat this whole time. Even when it's 15 degrees like it is now.
I sometimes crave the sauces that was put on meat so I sometimes ask for the sauce on the side. I'll soon have to give up the sauces too because they usually have egg or dairy in them. Oh well..sometimes it isn't about me. :)
eta: I've found that if I say I'll do something, I do it..in my style. I think once you find that for yourself, you'll kick that nasty-ass meat to the curb.
If you miss the chewy texture of meat I find grilled oyster mushrooms a satisfactory substitute like for sandwiches. They taste good too.
How about not going to McDonald's? Here are the vegan options at McDonald's: Vegan eating out--McDonald's - slim pickings! I doubt you'll find yourself slipping up and ordering a Big Mac if you resolve not to go there. Of course, sometimes there isn't a choice - if you're traveling, or if you're out with family or friends.
If you need fast food and have a choice, I'd recommend Taco Bell - tons of vegan options! I like the 7-layer burrito with no cheese and no sour cream.
Cravings are usually just cravings, not a sign of nutritional deficiency. Don't be afraid of prepackaged faux meats while you're having cravings, even if you don't want to eat them regularly in the long run--they really helped when I first went veg and really missed chicken! If you like cooking, all the better to try making your own veggie burger. But I suspect if you're going to McDonald's, convenience is a factor too?
Don't expect that going vegan will automatically fix your health problems - many people have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol and diabetes. Of course, eating Big Macs won't help, and a vegan diet may help if it is done in a healthy and balanced way, but don't be disappointed if your numbers don't improve, or don't improve completely.
I agree...I just plain wouldn't go to McDonalds. It's bad stuff in general.
I have a question for you...are you telling yourself that you simply cannot eat meat? Perhaps you are of the mindset that if you tell yourself not to do something that is the thing you want do do. Maybe if you don't feel like you're "restricting" yourself in any way you won't get "cravings." Just a thought.
Perhaps you are of the mindset that if you tell yourself not to do something that is the thing you want do do. Maybe if you don't feel like you're "restricting" yourself in any way you won't get "cravings." Just a thought.
amen
I just plain wouldn't go to McDonalds. It's bad stuff in general.
Agreed.
If the problem is a simple burger craving, there's always TVP. I had a nasty burger craving recently, and made up my first batch of TVP burgers. I was a little skeptical at first, but even El Hubbito (who is an omni bordering on carnivore) liked them! They had a very good texture, and with the addition of a dash of liquid smoke they tasted grilled.
One warning...there will be power fartz. :P I don't think I will be eating them very often because they're super heavy, but they sure killed the burger craving!
Little known fact: it's usually fat, not protein, that makes a dish feel 'hearty'. A lot of new veg*ns find themselves suddenly/ drastically cutting fat intake, because many healthy veg foods are naturally low-fat (a good thing, overall! but still)... if your veg food is on the 'light' side, especially when you're cold, it can leave you unsatisfied & craving fat. Try adding healthy oils (flax, hemp,olive, walnut, sesame, almond, etc) to salad dressings; add coconut oil or any of these oils except flax or hemp (temperature sensitive) to stir-fries/ soups/ gravies/ etc. Also, if you're not consuming enough calories (sounds like you may be trying to lose weight?), sometimes that also makes folks crave fat-dense or nutrient-dense foods... When you find yourself craving something you don't want to eat, try substituting walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts, almonds, pepitas, etc-- they fit this category (good fats/ nutrient-dense), and plenty of avocados (again with the healthy fats). If you don't already, you might consider supplementing vegan EPA (from flax) & DHA (from algae), and see if that helps-- these are relatively scarce in all-plant diets unless you're watching out for them, and maybe that could cause cravings...?
If you try that approach, with no effect, then I'd agree with previous posters that it's probably not physiological in origin-- could well be just emotional/ habitual cravings, subject to conscious change...
Also: from a psychological perspective, consider trying a 'trial,' rather than telling yourself 'none ever again.' If you say, 'Ok, no matter what, I'm eating NO MEAT for 30 days, and *then* I'll see whether I want to consider having some again or not,' then it's less intimidating to your emotional self; you reset your habit-o-meter; and your tastes change-- just like they did with milk. At the end of those 30 days, I just betcha you'll be craving other stuff... habit plays a HUGE role in taste preferences!
Hope that helps-- let us know what works... I'm sure you're not the first or last 'new veggie' to struggle with it; don't give up, and you'll get there!
;)b
In my case the craving is always mouth feel and texture. IF for some reason you do eat it, stop and think what is most enjoyable for you. That's what you are craving. You might be able to do it without. Why do I like it? Taste? Feel? Texture? Chewy?
My answer was simply Seitan. Love the stuff. I don't get the same satisfaction with anything else. So I simply make a batch, flavor it with my favorite broths and eat up.
NOW do understand that we had been eating extremely low fat on a Heart Reversal diet so the fat is not something I was craving. To adjust to that remember also that fat carries flavor. If you have cut the fat, up the flavor. Add more. Use the freshest ingredients and best quality you can find and afford. Do not make things that are old staples. No matter how I do it, Granny's Chicken and Waffles are NOT going compare the same with Seitan and Waffles. The Seitan with a rich broth has its own good flavor but comparison loses out. Look for flavors you aren't use to. Now is the time to try that type of cooking you were attracted to but never did much of. Ours was lots of Tex Mex and Oriental with some African and others thrown in.
If you can figure out why you crave it, you'll solve the problem. And always remember, negotiation works. It's an old method from AA. I'm not going to never eat meat again. I can have just one but for right now, I'm not going to do this. I'll have one tomorrow. And when tomorrow comes if you want one, simply renegotiate that. Sometimes saying never again can set the whole thing off. There is never a never. ;D I can but today for this moment, I choose not to. Works btw. 21 years sober tells me that. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.
Oh and if you want to cure that McDonald's craving? Just get a copy of the Health Inspectors reports. I wouldn't darken the door of my local one even if I did eat meat. Something about the fungus growing in the dishwasher and on the trays was as far as I got.
I have to agree with Philocrates. About renegotiation, about taking it one day/meal at a time, about choices. "I'll have it later, but right now I'm going to have this healthy thing I've prepared." With me it's not meat, it's other junk food like cake and sweets and stuff. If it's in the house it'll end up in my mouth; so I never buy the stuff I shouldn't have. I don't even see the junkfood aisles in the supermarket anymore; don't even walk down them. I go around them.
I also used to have a friend who ran a bar that offered tapas and set meals. Hanging out in the kitchen taught me a lot. Sawdust on the floor "for drips" (how 19th century!) and if a spoon or whatever fell on the floor from the prep table, it got a wipeoff on the cook's apron and was used again immediately. Excessive heat in the kitchen, poor ventilation...I could go on but I won't. And that was in a little mom-and-pop shop. I'd hate to think of the corners Mickey D's cuts when it comes to hygiene, with all those adolescents working there. If their attitude waiting on the customers is anything to go by, they don't give a shit in the kitchen, either.
For me, it wasn't the meat I missed, but the chewy texture, so I would solve it by eating mushrooms, aubergine, something that gave me something to chew on.