Support for a New Vegetarian
Posted by vegintraining on Jul 05, 2006 · Member since Jul 2006 · 1 posts
Okay, here is the deal. I am not *really* new to vegetarianism. I was a semi-vegetarian for 2 years before succumbing to my pork and beef cravings again.
Now, I really want to go back to it, but I am having a hard time getting off of chicken and pork. I have a vegan support group that I go to once a month, but that's really not enoguh for me. I am still cheating a lot in between meetings, and its frustrating me.
I know I can do this, and I want to, so does anyone have any ideas how to deal with those very often annoying cravings for poultry and pork? (by the way, I gave up beef very easily!)
I've found that it helps to read a little bit about factory farming/animal cruelty whenever I lose sight of why I'm vegan. Even though it's stuff I already know, that reminder of what those animals go through is more than enough for me to say no way to animal products.
Here's a good site:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
I'm also reading Meat Market by Erik Marcus right now. The stories are heartbreaking and remind me that I'm doing the right thing.
Good luck! :)
I agree reading will help. In addition to the above try the Food Revolution. Awesome book.
http://www.foodrevolution.org/
Also, vegan John Benard a founder of Physicians Committee for responsible medicine talks about food addictions in this book "Breaking the Food Seduction". http://www.nealbarnard.org/
Watch the video "Meet Your Meat" from PETA. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-513747926833909134
when you were veggie, what sort of meat substitutes did you use? i dont know about pork, but for chicken, boca-burger has a substitute that tastes so close to perfect that as long as you arent comparing it to the real thing in one sitting, you would never know.
i know my first few days as a veggie, i wound up trying some really horrible soymeat, and wound up wondering if i could manage without the real thing. a bit of experimentation goes a long way, and if you find good products that are good enough for you, i find it really helps as far as cutting back on cravings.
i definitely agree with the other comments here--think about why you went veggie whenever you feel like cheating. nothing like being able to back yourself up with your own reasoning ^.~d
Hi. Along the same lines of reading, I say go to the peta website and watch a bunch of videos. When I went from "semi"-vegetarian to vegetarian, a couple of hours of watching videos about slaughterhouses, etc, is what pushed me up to the next level. I think in our society of processed meats and other foods, it can be easy to look at an inanimate piece of meat and forget what lies behind it. Just keep reminding yourself, and you'll get there!
Good luck!
I would substitute some the fake meat products out there. Morningstar has in the frozen food section chicken or steak -- totally vegan. They're pretty good texture. There are plenty of others in health food stores and regular grocery stores. Maybe it will help satisfy your cravings.
I went through the same thing when I became a vegetarian. But I found relief in many of the veggie substitutes. There is veggie bacon, sausage, beef, shrimp, and chicken. Many of them can be found in the asian markets, and some can be found in your nearest whole food stores. Make sure that you read the labels b/c some of the pork substitutes contain egg whites. You can also find veggie cold cuts and cheese in these markets. I must say that vegenaise (mayonaise substitute) tastes extremely better than helmans or miricle whip and it does not leave you with that nausea feeling.
The major problem that i had was finding something vegan to eat outside the household besides salad. I began bringing lunch or some healthy snacks with me until I came home.
perhaps you could try learning to cook weird new things youve never eaten, so that you arent so much as "replacing" meat with the fake stuff, but finding something you like better. learning to cook made being vegetarian much easier for me (i stopped eating meat at age 12, my mother is veg too but doesnt cook much---shes a salad + pbj kinda lady) and i rarely eat the fake stuff now.
by the way, ive never seen anything morningstar makes thats vegan, just warnin ya...
Most likely the cravings are related to protein and iron intake. I'm sure if you keep up your levels of these you'll find it a lot easier. As neh and others said, mock meats are a good way to keep up a good diet. I don't see them so much as replacing meat but rather giving a greater variety of texture (and adding protein) to your diet. Veg food is often somewhat squishy. I find that the mock meat I buy in the Asian markets is far superior to any supermarket brand.
I've been vegetarian for 5 years now, have experimented with veganism occasionally but it didn't work for me. What kept me going was trying lots of different kinds of world foods and then learning to cook my favourite dishes, then experimenting once I was familiar with the new style of cooking. Thai, Malaysian, Indian and Chinese food are deliciously adaptable to vegetarianism. Western food can become a bit bland and boring if you're restricted to meatless dishes. I know for sure that if I hadn't become veg I would never have become familiar with such a wide variety of foods. Funnily enough, going veg can really expand your diet and encourage you to try new things.
Havenolegs, Morningstar has 2 new products in the freezer section that are vegan. They are chicken and beef substitutes that take just a few minutes to cook. They're pretty good as far as substitutes go.
I have been a full-fledged vegetarian for three years (never was much of a meat eater prior to that), and people ask all the time whether or not I "cheat". I tell people that for me, being vegetarian isn't a diet - it is a choice and a way of life - so the word "cheat" doesn't necessarily apply. Every time I sit down to eat, I make a choice.
Changing the way you view the situation can often empower you and reaffirm at each meal why you have chosen to remove animal-derived products from your diet. Instead of a victim who can't keep to a diet, you become a person who consciously chooses to live differently and put into practice the choices you've made.
I wish you well, and I wish you a lifetime of good choices.
J