Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

Veg*n Getting over the crave....

GuineaPigParty

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Posts
301
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Messages
301
A couple days ago I decided to become a vegetarian. It is now day 5 and I have started to crave meat... Has this happened to anyone else before?
And if so how did you get over it?
 

Kenna18155

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Posts
589
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Messages
589
I'm working on eating less meat and animal products, but am not a full vegetarian, but I can help a little. Anytime I look at meat, I don't think of it as food. I think of it as an animal that was brutally and cruelly murdered. Imagine your favorite pets like that. After I do that, I feel sick and can't even eat it. Just remember that it isn't food, but it was a beautiful living animal.
 

LoveMyHerd

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 6, 2014
Posts
945
Joined
Oct 6, 2014
Messages
945
I'll have been a vegetarian for two weeks on Monday. It's not as hard as I thought it might be. On Christmas, I was so tempted to eat the delicious ham my mother prepared. This is how I kept myself from eating it. There's a bit of a story behind it, but if you're willing to listen, I'll tell it.
It all started about three years ago, when my family went to a livestock auction just to see what it was like. Boy, was that a mistake. We fell in love with a big eyed, long lashed, knock-kneed baby bull that they had up for auction. We left with the little guy for $15. That's right, $15 for a helpless baby animal that would otherwise have been killed. We brought him home and named him Ferdinand. That little baby drank three gallons of milk a day. We loved him to death. He would prance around, bucking with joy when he saw us. Unfortunately, it was only a temporary arrangement. We didn't have enough land (although we had quite a bit, but that was used for our other animals, like the horses and sheep) to keep Ferdinand happy, so he needed a new home. We gave him to a friend of ours who had steers on his property just because he loved them. Not to eat or kill, but to just live and graze on his land.
Now, whenever I am tempted too eat meat, I just think of my dear Ferdinand capering about the corral with pure joy to see me. Then I think of the animal on the plate. I think, "This animal was once like Ferdinand, prancing about and playing. Would I want to be the cause of Ferdinand's death? Of course not, so I don't want to be the cause of this or any other's." It works for me!
 

Fay

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 6, 2006
Posts
1,553
Joined
Jul 6, 2006
Messages
1,553
Try various meat substitutes. I found that when I could still have most of the meals I enjoyed prior to becoming vegetarian that the cravings rapidly became less and I no longer felt like I was missing out. In fact after a while I started to wonder how I could ever have thought that meat was so desirable, it's quite the opposite now.

I was a big meat eater before I went vegetarian cold turkey and the first year will be tricky bit it does get a lot easier. You end up automatically untraining your brain into thinking meat as a food. At least that's what happened to me over time which is quite interesting.

Either way, I love meat substitutes, some are better than others but there is no need to feel like you are completely missing out. That said, there will be stuff you simply can't replace such as fish, bacon, steak, ham. There are substitutes for those things but I found those substitutes weren't the same as the real thing albeit some of them are still quite nice.

That said I haven't tried American substitutes yet so I have no idea how good they are. I've only ever had Quorn, Linda McCartney, and super market own brands here in the UK. So, brands over there might be better or worse depending on the product. You will have to try them to see which you enjoy most. It'll be a bit of a trial and error process but it will be worth it if it helps stave the cravings and to generally expand your repertoire of available dishes to choose from, variety helps.
 
Last edited:

ClemmyOddieIndy

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 23, 2013
Posts
952
Joined
Mar 23, 2013
Messages
952
I went through a phase in my early 20's where I was anemic and I craved meat. I ate two or three hamburgers over a couple years period, and I felt horrible about it each time. I had been a vegetarian since I was 9 (19 years now). I don't remember craving meat prior to that, but I never really ate much meat as a child. It always grossed me out.

I've heard peanut butter sandwiches help with meat cravings. Can't vouch for the accuracy of it, but peanut butter is high in protein so it makes some sense. In my opinion Morningstar farms makes the best meat substitutes, Boca is decent too. Amy's makes some nice vegetarian options, and a vegetarian burger patty. But, in my opinion Amy's veggie patty is best on the stove and I'm lazy and like to microwave things.
 

pineapplepigs

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Posts
152
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
152
I have been vegetarian for almost 7 months. For the first few weeks I craved meat too but after a while meat just doesn't seem desirable anymore. It seems really hard to avoid meat at first but now it seems like nothing at all. The thing that motivated me besides the animals was that everyone thought I couldn't do it. By everyone I really mean everyone. That made me really upset that not even my closest friends didn't think I could last a day. That made me want to do it even more. Congratulations on being vegetarian and remember that you are doing a great thing for the animals and the earth!
 

lostemma

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 17, 2014
Posts
8
Joined
Dec 17, 2014
Messages
8
I was vegetarian from ages 13-19. Just find fruits or veggies you really love and you'll soon forget what meat even tastes like. For me it was clementines. I could eat a whole bag in an hour.. of course I still can.
 

Blake81

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Posts
24
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Messages
24
I hate to be the person saying this but it doesn't always go away! I'll hit 8 years vegan this year and there are times I still crave the taste of a steak or pepperoni. I went vegan for ethical reasons and those items just aren't food for anymore. All it takes is taking a second to think about the reasons I chose to be vegan and there's no desire to eat an animal. At least in the US, there's basically a vegan substitute for any meat, dairy or egg craving you may have so there's no real reason to "cave" due to taste. :)
 

GuineaPigParty

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Posts
301
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Messages
301
Alright so I only had meat about 3 times in the past 3 weeks. For a big meat eater in the past I have to say I have done very well. I have started to look at some of the fake meats too.

Here is a tip that have helped me out along the way.

Protein bars,shakes and snacks. They tasted really good and are packed with protein!
I would check the label before you buy them just to be safe.

The peanut butter sandwich has also helped me not eat meat.
 

Guinepig

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 25, 2014
Posts
857
Joined
Jul 25, 2014
Messages
857
I was vegetarian from ages 13-19. Just find fruits or veggies you really love and you'll soon forget what meat even tastes like. For me it was clementines. I could eat a whole bag in an hour.. of course I still can.

I love clementines! And so do my piggies! ( of course the piggies only get a very tiny bit every other week) my dad doesn't want me to go vegetarian because it would be too expensive. That's why I am going to start a garden for me and my piggies in the spring. One of them will be a raised garden in the kiddie pool that never gets used lol
 
Last edited:
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

Top