Vegan slips
Sara13CH
Posts: 85 Member
I am new to eating vegan, its been about 4.5 months now and I am starting to notice that I am wanting to eat animal based foods. Has this happened to anyone else? Having cravings for animal foods? If so, what has helped you?
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It depends on your reasons for being vegan. For me, it's pretty easy not to slip since I remind myself of how the food came to be. For someone eating a vegan diet for heath reasons, it might be more challenging.
The times I do have cravings, I'll try out a vegan substitute, like Daiya cheese or various soys made into breakfast patties or nuggets. They're not healthy to have all the time and might not taste good to a new vegan, but they do help me.0 -
Depending on what is being craved sometimes you can find an alternative that will give you that same satisfaction. Obviously, it may not be a healthy vegan choice BUT it is about satisfying the craving. For instance if I was craving fried chicken I would eat either the Gardein Chicken Strips and make them very crunchy (if I was craving the chicken taste) OR french fries with a batter of some sorts (if I was craving the high fat).
There are some things I have not found an alternative for such as Funyons. I've tried TJ's and some other's but I miss Funyons and so wish they didn't have a milk product in them. :-(
The one thing that always makes me feel better though is potatoes. I love potatoes. They are my comfort food. Mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, French fries, baked potatoes, all potatoes...I read an article once that was titled Prozac or Potatoes. I choose the latter. They naturally release the serotonin in the brain and that makes this girl happier. So when life seems hard or stressful I have myself a potato :-)
Now all that being said these are my quick fixes but not my everyday choices. Keep up the great work through time your memory will fade on the taste of things and you will become wiser on what works best for you. Oh and most importantly...always be kind to yourself.0 -
Try watching some videos on youtube or look at pictures on facebook.
The only times I think about slipping up is when I am being lazy. I don't want meat, but sometimes it would be easy to just walk into a take away and get some.
I've been vegan 10 months now & know I won't go back, but sometime it enters my head & I just push it out again.0 -
Yeeeeees I do have cravings about ... meat. It's so weird, I'm the first person who will try to convince anyone that eating meat is a murder, that we only do this because of a lack of informations about food and that's nonsense.
But sometimes, when I smell steaked meat, I wanna taste it too.
I think it's ok, that it just means that I've been used to eat animal based products and that my body haven't forget the taste of those.
To take me back to reality, I just need to think about a vegan product that I do love as much as the animal product I thought about and there it is, I do understand it's not a good idea to eat the bacon slice in front of me.
Good luck and have a great day!!
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I haven't been vegan long, but don't feel the cravings yet... which is odd because I am the only vegan in my house, and I still cook meat for my family (I do all the cooking at home). The trick for me is finding recipes that satisfy my carnivore family but also the herbivore in me, like I made buffalo wings for them...buffalo cauliflower for me, it takes a little searching but finding vegan recipes that satisfy your cravings is what will help you, I look at it as a treasure hunt and really get excited when I find a really good vegan recipe. I agree with those who say vegan meat substitues aren't healthy but once and awhile and "in moderation" these are great options. 0
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I don't have any cravings. Haven't since the first month. Almost 2 years now.
Matter of fact, even meat substitutes like Gardein I'm finding unappetizing.0 -
I agree with the previous posts that it matters as to why you chose to be vegan. My mom does it for health reasons only, so once in a while she'll admit to me that she ate something with meat in it. Probably once every couple of months. She enjoys the occasional meat substitute product.
I started for health, but quickly learned the ethical side and that's why I choose to continue. I craved fried chicken for about a month, but now the smell of any fried food turns my stomach. I don't like the meat substitutes or cheese substitutes. It's been a process, though. Now, I absolutely crave veggies - especially broccoli. I HATED BROCCOLI just a couple years ago
If you want a vivid reminder of why veganism is the compassionate choice, watch the documentary Vegucated.0 -
You could be craving the actual flavor rather than the food item. Maybe satisfy that flavor craving with a vegan option. And documentaries others suggested should do the trick. I would recommend Earthlings as well.0
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Definitely go for some substitutes. Not sure where you are based, but in the UK Redwood foods or Fires are very good.
I've been Vegan for over thirteen years and still eat them regularly.
Cheers,
HC0 -
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Or another alternative is to get good at cooking Tofu. Freezing it first, squeezing the water out and then baking it can make a really nice substitute.
Or this dry frying approach is really nice too:
http://melissaraydavis.hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Cook_Tofu_Like_the_Pros0 -
funions!!!! tings does me fine now, though not the same. 0
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I am a vegan for health reasons. My body does not tolerate animal products. I was sick as a child, All The Time! Just a couple weeks ago, I ate a black bean burger at a friends house. she said she was sure it was vegan, but didn't have the box. She did not tell me it was Morning Star Farms, or i would have known. I had a stuffed up nose for 3 days because of one burger with egg and milk in it!
The only time I have had cravings is when I smell something like Kentucky Fried. I just think of how sick I'll feel the next day. . .0 -
I started my vegan journey over a year and a half ago. In the beginning it was all bout loosing weight and I kept 'slipping up' or thinking it was ok to eat vegetarian when I was with friends and family. 2 months of doing this I got the advise to 'get other reasons' for eating this way. I started researching the topic and watched documentaries such as 'Forks over Knives' 'Vegucated' 'The Cove' 'Earthlings' etc ad LOADS of youtube channels to understand it ALL. Suddenly it clicked. Being vegan is so clearly the answer for me that it's not just about diet. 3 months of adjusting stage and I haven't had a problem since! I make sure I'm full, satisfied and PREPRED for any situation!
It can be hard getting off the dairy, especial cheese, because it has a morphine-like substance. But once you wean off it you no longer look at it the same or think about it. My dad use to get through a block in 3 days... then he ended up in hospital... changed to a vegan diet and he hasn't ha anymore problems... if he can give up cheese anyone can!
Also don't fill yourself on fruit and veg only. Complex carbs are essential for keeping you full, satisfied and keeps cravings away.
Hope this helps 0 -
Thanks everyone.
I tried watching the documentary "Earthlings". I couldn't even make it 1/4 of the way through. It bothered me way too much. Talk about empathy overload.0 -
Oh, I couldn't watch all of Earthlings either. I felt so sick making the milky coffees at work that week.
I don't "crave" meat and animal products. But if I have forgotten to eat a few meals in a row and have been highly active, when my hunger creeps up on me and I don't realise I am hungry until I am starving, and I have 6 hours to wait until my next meal and the people at work are cooking bacon and egg rolls. I can't help that my mouth waters and tummy grumbles when I smell it. But its not enough to bring.myself to actually eat it. I just feel a little miserable until actual food is available.0 -
If you have those cravings, you are probably not eating enough calories. This 99% of time why people on a vegan lifestyle fail or on diets that extremely calorie restrict fail.
So basically, simple answer is to eat more. Make sure you are focusing on high carbohydrate whole foods as your primary source of calories (Aim for at least 70% of your calories to come from carbs and eat until satisfied.)
Watching Earthlings and researching stuff will help intellectually resolve your feelings but you need to physically resolve them if you want to succeed and thrive on a vegan lifestyle like everyone can. Eat to your heart's content, make good food, and have fun continually educating stuff on your new path. Hope this helps you.0 -
I find that I crave what my body needs. Try upping your iron intake or taking a supplement.
I don't really like most of the veg meat substitutes. Maybe you can make veggies using a preparation you'd normally use for meat? I was craving grilled meat after becoming vegetarian, so I marinated a bunch of veggies & grilled them - totally satisfied me.0
