Non-vegan cravings

[Tigerlily]

Your body probably wants some yummy fried foods. Have some fried tofu or fry up a "chick'n" burger.

[sandra]

That must be awful for you Spooki, I might be lucky but I can honestly say I never crave meat of any kind. Just remind yourself of what's involved when you get these cravings and they'll go away pretty quickly!

[Mr Flibble]

I agree with Tigerlily. I've said in in threads before where people have tried being satified substituting junk food for fruit and weirdy hippy things. Being vegan isn't about being a health freak, substitute fried food for fried food! If you desperately want to be more healthy at the same time then that's a seperate challenge.

[twinkle]

Isn't chicken supposed to have some sort of healing properties? I read some article about how they had proven chicken soup helps you get over a cold... not entirely sure I believe it, however, if it is true you could try a load of immune system boosting things like echinacea, garlic, ginger, etc..?

Personally, I don't believe in cravings indicating lack of a particular nutrient, and would just scoff on the fried things as others have suggested, however, I already get enough fried things

[sandra]

I don't believe chicken soup has any healing powers, it certainly wasn't 'healing' for the poor chicken!

[hollybee]

They used to say the same thing about vitamin C. I believe it's more of a psychological thing. If you think a certain food will make you feel better, it's more likely to make you feel better.

[Fifty9]

Isn't chicken supposed to have some sort of healing properties? I read some article about how they had proven chicken soup helps you get over a cold...

There were some articles on this subject, but I believe it was actually the water in the soup that helped replace lost fluids. Nothing special about the chicken, since any clear broth soup would do the same thing.

[eve]

My sister used to talk about the healing properties of chicken soup, but my response was that the soup would taste good without the dead body in it, but try making a chicken soup without the carrots, onions and other vegies - yuk. No, spOOki, that was not a craving you had for chicken, but possibly you needed something (who knows what?) and your mind has reverted to the old days!

[Smoothie]

the cravings dissapear, eventually. i promise you. i havent had meat for almost six years, about three years of being vegan. and in the start, it was hard. but believe me, it passes. i actually didn't have ANY vegetarian specialities as a veggie, i only recently started buying them, such as soy cheese, soy yoghurt, tofu, seitan and so in. i lived on foods like veggies, lentils, beans, ricew, pasta and potatoes. it's not bad at all, as long as you keep holding on, it will be better.

[boomshanka]

I've recently (since the start of the week) had these odd cravings for chicken, in particular McDonald's Chicken McNuggets (i know, weird)

I would'nt say it was weird spOOki, me old mate. A couple of years after turning veggie(In the dim and distant past), I had a real physical craving for chicken and rice from a 'takeaway'. I used to pace up and down the street outside the shop trying to justify why it would be ok, on this occasion, to eat it. I gave in on one occasion and felt awful bad after.

Perhaps a good all round fitness, health and exersise regime would banish those pesky cravings. I found giving up smoking greatly boosted my will power in that respect.

We crave, I feel, because it tastes good and our minds remember that.

I got past that 'phase' and never looked back. Hope you do too.

[sp00ki]

out of curiosity, why was my post merged with one about being sick?
this forum seems awfully over-moderated...

ps-- the cravings stopped. not sure what caused it, but i'm glad it's over!

[Roxy]

Maybe because one thread about non-vegan cravings is enough? Maybe you could ask a mod if a more general non-vegan craving title could be used.

Glad your nugget cravings have passed!

[Korn]

I just merged this thread with a few other threads about non-vegan cravings, (and changed the title) for the reason Roxy explained. I don't know who merged the other two threads, but the only reason we are merging similar threads is that useful information about the topic in question will be a lot easier to find.

When merging similar threads, we try to create an automatic redirect threads from the original threads - plus, sometimes we send a PM to the poster(s), to avoid confusion. I'm a member of another board where they seem to have 20-30 threads about most topics, which makes find the info I look for rather time-consuming...

(And sp00ki, just send me or one of the other moderators a PM if there's something you think we should improve or change, but in most cases we'll continue to merge similar threads - and most people seem to appreciate that we do it this way!)

[Korn]

As we all know, some people get offended by vegans having cravings, and it is not always wise to be open about it here on TVF coz we get 'attacked'.

Frankly (and luckily), I don't remember anyone being attacked for having cravings - maybe I just missed those posts. Food cravings is a relatively normal thing - not only for new vegans, but for all people who switch from one diet to another - eg. Norwegians who move to a country where the special Norwegian goat cheese isn't available, are known to experience goat cheese cravings after very short time - probably not because they need a nutrient in goat cheese, but out of sheer habit. I'd say that cravings shouldn't surprise anyone - it's better to look at cravings as 'expected behavior' for new vegans (although not all new vegans crave the food they ate before going vegan).

Cravings can also have physical reasons of course, like if people move from a non-vegan diet high in protein to a vegan diet - but avoid protein rich vegan food. They may crave protein, and if their mind is used to associate protein with animal products, they may believe that they miss meat, while they just need to eat some more vegan, protein rich food. Some countries, like India, Mexico and Lebanon have long traditions in eating protein rich, meat free stuff, and I'm pretty convinced that people who are used to eat a lot of lentils/dhal, beans or eg. hummus won't have the protein cravings that new vegans who focus a lot on pasta, white rice, and low-protein vegetables sometimes have.

[herbwormwood]

There were some articles on this subject, but I believe it was actually the water in the soup that helped replace lost fluids. Nothing special about the chicken, since any clear broth soup would do the same thing.

Rehydration salts are also excellent for any illness where body fluids have been lost. They are inexpensive to buy at a pharmacy or easily made up DIY.

[herbwormwood]

Hi
I've recently (since the start of the week) had these odd cravings for chicken, in particular McDonald's Chicken McNuggets (i know, weird).
I haven't eaten meat since 2005, and have not had ANY chicken cravings since then (the closest i got was sushi, and even that only lasted a couple of months after becoming lacto-ovo).
I'm a follower of the fact that cravings come from deficiencies in some form, so i'm wondering if perhaps there's something my body "wants" since becoming vegan (01/01/07). Any ideas?
If it was just a day or so, i'd chuck it up to simply smelling something apetizing, but this is day three.

FYI, i get aproximately 80-100 grams of protein daily and a vegan supplement + a tablespoon of flaxseed oil, as well as a pretty well rounded diet.

There is vegan sushi, if you are a sushi fan I am sure we can find you some recipes. I made one a while back which had tofu terrine, brown rice, toasted pumpkin seeds, japanese sushi mix and nori sheets.
We never have cravings for things we've never eaten, so maybe the the only reason you craved chicken nuggets is because you ate them once and you are remembering it?
I doubt there is much nutrition in a chicken nugget anyway. Plenty of saturated fat, cholesterol, salt, and a few e-numbers perhaps.
Can you obtain "Taifun Tofu Fillets" where you live, they are chickeny in texture as far as I remember chicken. They are also tasty and a good source of vegan protien.

[veggiemaya]

I don't know if anyone else has ever had this but, I have been trying to deal with this for some time now. I will wake up in the middle of the night with an overwhelming urge for something sweet. preferrably something chocolate, or cookies, cake, ice cream....i dont understand why this happens but it can be a real problem at times. i am so good with making smart food and snack choices all through the day, but in the middle of the night...its a different story. as if i have no food inhibitions. i choose not to have anything in my house that is too unhealthy, mostly because i am afraid i will eat it when i wake up like this. can anyone shed any light?

[eve]

Just a couple of points, veggiemaya:
(1) you could get checked for diabetes just in case your waking up with that urge for something sweet could indicate that you're having a hyper.
(2) provided it's not a hyper, once a person gives in to an urge like that, it would ensure that the following night you will have a similar urge, as the body is pretty habit-forming.
All the best.

[veggiemaya]

Just a couple of points, veggiemaya:
(1) you could get checked for diabetes just in case your waking up with that urge for something sweet could indicate that you're having a hyper.
(2) provided it's not a hyper, once a person gives in to an urge like that, it would ensure that the following night you will have a similar urge, as the body is pretty habit-forming.
All the best.

yes, i have heard about the diabetes thing before. i might try to check it just to be sure. but the other point..you are right about. it also seems that if i do get up and eat something at around 1:00am, its more likely that i will then be up at 3 wanting something else. makes for a less than restful night of sleep too. thanks for your input!

[ALexiconofLove]

Does anyone have cravings and then lie about them? There are certain things I miss a little, but I never tell omnis, because I don't want them to think vegans are deprived. But then I wonder if that's dumb, because it projects to omnis the idea that only bizarre people who don't like meat and cheese become vegan, and they themselves could never do it. Does that make sense?

I wouldn't exactly call it a craving, but there are certain kinds of cheese for which there is no decent vegan substitute and I used to love them... buffalo mozzarella, gouda, brie, goat cheese, gorgonzola. I just try not to think about them anymore. If I were going to be completely honest with an omni about it, I would say they are foods that taste good, but I will not eat them because they cause suffering. But I don't want to say that to omnis because some care more about taste than suffering.

[harpy]

If I were going to be completely honest with an omni about it, I would say they are foods that taste good, but I will not eat them because they cause suffering. But I don't want to say that to omnis because some care more about taste than suffering.

I'm not sure it would matter really. Omnivores tend to think omnivorous food tastes good, and won't be easily convinced that it doesn't. You're more likely to be able to convince them that it causes suffering, so you might as well tell them your honest opinion

Not sure there's any particular reason you would need to tell them about your cravings though?

For what it's worth I used to be quite fond of cheese as well. I don't remember if I used to have cravings for it at first but now I find it as unappealing as meat, so it may just be a question of waiting for the cravings to go away.

[helloearth]

Sometimes if I see people eating milk chocolate, or if I see chocolate I used to love that isn't vegan, I occasionally get the urge to have some. But then I think of the cruetly towards the animal and that usually stops it.

[DiaShel]

It's strange, for the first month of a half of being vegan I didn't want any non-vegans food. All of a sudden I do and not what I expected to miss. I thought I'd miss dairy most because it was my favorite but I miss meat more. Not a big deal, it's not like I'm going to go back to either, just thought it was interesting.

[ALexiconofLove]

Not sure there's any particular reason you would need to tell them about your cravings though?

It's more like, they ask me if I miss things, and I say no, when in fact that's not entirely true. I think omnivorous food tastes lovely. But how tasty it is is irrelevant to whether or not it is moral.

[cobweb]

i usually say more or less those words, actually, lexicon, that shuts 'em up!

mind you i do find with each passing year that omni food looks more and more unappetising anyway

[harpy]

how tasty it is is irrelevant to whether or not it is moral.

Yes, that would be a great way to answer I think.

[emmapresley]

i have found that if i make a comment on how something smells..in that it doesnt smell unpleasant..their eyes light up in glee and that seems like a signal to be offering you all manner of omni food, in a way that they think you are weak and actually you really really want it. and of course in their eyes, it would be fine for you to have it.

i agree with you cobweb..some days when i walk past the morgue aisle in supermarkets, especially pile em high stock em cheap chickens, it makes me gag with disgust and feel very sad

[Huddy]

..some days when i walk past the morgue aisle in supermarkets,

Ive never heard it called that before-I must remember that one
I always feel ill whenever I go past it-makes me teary

[treehugga]

I think the majority of vegans have some sort of cravings - given the amount of fake meat and cheese products consumed.

The main one I have is for white chocolate and milk shakes - strawberry in particular. Soy are a good substitute but not the same taste wise.

[sandra]

My non-vegan craving is Jared Padalecki

[horselesspaul]

The main one I have is for white chocolate and milk shakes - strawberry in particular. Soy are a good substitute but not the same taste wise.

If you had a milkshake, the taste of rancid animal fat would stay with you long after the strawberry has gone..

[cobweb]

i don't think of them as non-vegan cravings, i mean stuff like cheezly, soy milkshakes, etc because i love them for what they are, not because they are like omni food. I did without those things for the first few years of being vegan and i didn't crave them, now i just use soya products because i like them.

one of my favourite foods is vegan pizza but the look and smell of a cow cheese one makes me nauseous!

[treehugga]

If you had a milkshake, the taste of rancid animal fat would stay with you long after the strawberry has gone..

I'm not about to have one!

[horselesspaul]

I'm not about to have one!

No, of course. It's not food. Eew.x

[sandra]

My non-vegan craving is Jared Padalecki

TheAlterEgo made this little post under my name.............she is naughty sometimes!

As far as non-vegan cravings are concerned..........I can honestly say that I don't crave anything non-vegan. Maybe I'm just lucky but I don't regard anything with animal stuff in it as food. I don't miss one single thing and the thought of eating 'real' cheese now for example would make me feel quite ill.
I know not everyone is the same but I'm glad I don't have cravings for non-vegan food.

p.s. TheAlterEgo was right though.............I do crave Jared Padalecki........but of course I would have him vegan very quickly!

[DiaShel]

I'm pretty pleased. Last night we did a game night and my roommate made banana pancakes and bananas foster with ice cream which 2 months ago I would have died for. I didn't feel like I was missing out too much. Maybe a little bit but I guess with time I'll come to the point were I won't want what everyone else is eating at all.

[harpy]

Presumably bananas foster is not what it sounds like (bananas in lager) otherwise it would be easy to resist ?

I think the trick is to have something that is vegan and delicious on hand for these occasions so you don't feel deprived, e.g. vegan icecream, bananas and, er, vegan lager .

[Poison Ivy]

Bananas Foster and pancakes are easy enough to veganise though (possible might have to leave out the banana liquer - but maybe you can get a vegan liquer, I don't know?)....the book 'My Sweet Vegan' even has a recipe for a Bananas Foster cake (which looks yummy) so there's no need to miss out if that's your particular craving!

[DiaShel]

Mmm... bananas in lager, YUM
The non-vegan part was the butter they cooked it in (and the ice cream of course) which would have been easy to substitute. I didn't make my own separately because I don't like to draw attention to myself so it's easier for me to just say "no thanks" then have everyone ask me why I'm making mine different and then have to get into the whole thing.
I want to try some vegan pancakes now though! Can you do that with a mix or you have to make from scratch?

[Poison Ivy]

I'd make 'em from scrach....this is a nice recipe.

[DiaShel]

Thanks Ivy! Looks great!

[harpy]

I didn't make my own separately because I don't like to draw attention to myself so it's easier for me to just say "no thanks" then have everyone ask me why I'm making mine different and then have to get into the whole thing.

Yes, I know what you mean - sometimes you don't want to have that conversation. One way out can be to produce something else (say a different kind of dessert) that everyone can share and that just happens to be vegan.

Anyway you should pat yourself on the back for resisting temptation!

[DiaShel]

Thanks. If I didn't resist the guilt would have driven me insane. I'd feel like such a failure. All that is not worth a moment of enjoyment.

[Roxy]

When I first went vegan 4 and a bit years ago, I did crave a bit of cheese but mostly eggs. I would walk past a Denny's restaurant and really want to go in for a plate of scrambled eggs.

That sounds sick to me now.

[Dylan Mulenburg]

All I miss is cinnamon rolls...

[DiaShel]

I'm sure you can find something like that to make vegan. Have you tried cinnamon roll Larabars? It's not the same by any means but it's still good.

[Dylan Mulenburg]

Larabars? I haven't heard of them, I will look it up. I have made cinnamon rolls, but it was a really quick recipe, and they weren't anything like cinnamon rolls. Even if I found a non vegan recipe I could use egg replacer/soy milk, I just need to find a good recipe. I found a few that I haven't tried, that look really good, but I don't think I have them anymore. Thank you for replying!

[JC]

a larabar is a raw fruit/nut bar. i don't think it's worth the money imo. much better to buy a nakd bar

i was craving roast chicken today. chicken!!! but then i gave myself a good slap

[Jasmine_tea]

After a year of absolutely no cravings for any animal product my mom brought home dim sum for my siblings and the smells nearly drove me mad! I've decided to dedicate my future vegan culinary experiments to 'inventing' a vegan shrimp dumpling---wish me luck!

[RubyDuby]

All I miss is cinnamon rolls...

check out post #273 here. mmm