Thinking of trying Veganism

Brian

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  1. Vegan
So I just recently saw Sergi G's 30 day vegan challenge and conclusion video and until now I had never considered going vegan but this dudes videos make it seem so easy (btw I STRONGLY recommend Sergi G's channel, his editing, production quality and personality are on another level).

Anyhow, as vegans, do you guys ever crave meat or eggs? I know many people say they dont but is that just to be politically correct or is it true your meat cravings completelt go away?

Cheers
 
Hello Casey, welcome to the forum and hopefully to the vegan way of life!

I can only talk for myself ... when I first went vegetarian some 20 years ago, I did have lots of craving during the first month, but after I had come over that, I really lost the appetite for meat. Actually, I found (and still find) it revolting.

Which is not to say that I do not like to eat veggie burgers or sausages. But there are some things that I can not eat, as they taste "too close" for me, even if I know that they are 100% vegan (e.g. some vegan "chicken" strips - simply can't eat those)
 
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Hi, Casey, and welcome to VV. I can honestly say I never craved meat once I gave it up 20-plus years ago. Even as a kid I had trouble eating meat because I knew where it came from. I did initially miss cheese when I went vegan some nine years ago, and eggs only when I wanted something like a quiche, but really, when I thought about what the animals had to go through just for me to satisfy my taste buds, any cravings went away. My mindset has shifted greatly with what I consider to be food sources, and animals and any byproducts from them are off the list.
 
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Welcome to VV, and I'm happy to hear you're considering veganism.

For some people veganism is easy, for some it can be more challenging. The thing which can be hard about it is not really cravings, but the social events and interactions that involve animal products or exploitation.

I've never really had any meat cravings to speak of, partly because meat now mostly just disgusts me. Eggs also trigger a sense of disgust (I mean, they do come out of a chicken's *** ...), but I do sometimes miss the taste of certain foods with eggs in them, like soft waffles and pancakes. Fortunately, it's possible to make pretty decent vegan versions of those foods.
 
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Welcome, Casey!

For me, I never craved meat once I gave it up. I missed eggs in the beginning but not anymore. They kind of turn me off now. Dairy is not an issue either. Cheese, on the other hand, is a different story. It's been 11 years and sometimes the cravings are very strong. Not that I want to discourage you or anything but I feel like it's important to be honest. Like Indian Summer said, it's easier for some than it is for others. Cravings can be overcome and the cheese alternatives are getting better and better all the time. But for me, it makes me very sad when the family is eating pizza dripping with melted mozzarella and I'm eating a Cheeseless veggie pizza, lol. It's totally worth the it, though. The key is don't get discouraged if something seems hard. Know that there are others who struggle as well. Not everyone is lucky enough to say "it's so easy". And just think how awesome an accomplishment it will be when you do succeed.

Reading this back, it seems like I am being more negative than I intended. You can totally do it and be very happy, content and satisfied. [emoji4]




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Cravings used to stop me from transitioning from vegetarian to vegan. I don't really get those intense cravings anymore. Vegan cheese has improved. Bad vegan cheese alternatives has stopped me for years. Although I don't live in an omni household, probably makes it a bit easier.
 
Welcome!
It's easier then you think now with the 'net as assistance. Are you doing this as a dietry change or because of animal considerations? It's easier to avoid meat and animal products when you remember where they come from.
 
I genuinely do not crave meat or cheese. I will be honest though and say that as an omni I was not huge on both. I ate meat because I knew no better, and cheese because it came with most food and I didn't dislike it enough to have it removed.

Similar to IS, it's more the food with that stuff IN that I miss (like haribo, pancakes, yorkshire puddings, cheesecake) although these days there's loads of alternatives. When I went vegan 10 years ago there wasn't as much about and I did fine so I bet you can do great now :)

I don't even see meat as food any more. Nothing about it appeals to me in any way.
 
It seems that some people get cravings and others don't. I am also "trying out" veganism this year and I had some meat cravings (not that strong) for about one week after I gave up meat. For another month or two I found I was missing butter and cheese but it was more for convenience and food preparation (e.g. sandwich) ease than cravings.

Now that I am on a vegan diet I sometimes get cravings for things that I can actually eat - nuts, mushrooms and dried fruits tend to feature, and none at all for meat!

When I look at meat now, I sometimes think it looks tasty, and sometimes think of it now as a dead animal. But it's quite abstract, I don't get much feelings at all.

I think cravings are psychological anyway. You can beat them. I once came up with this weight loss tactic that instead of telling myself I couldn't eat chocolate or sweets of whatever I would tell myself than in 20 minutes I could have it. After 20 minutes I would try for another 20 minutes. And so on until I eventually lost interest. It seems like the dumbest idea ever but it seemed to work. Even when it didn't, at least I ate less from starting later.

Another one I did once was I was trying to lose a certain amount of weight to reach a certain goal and I said I would buy myself a big box of Thorntons chocolates when I met the goal. For many weeks I kept thinking about how much I was going to enjoy it, and really really looking forward to it. I reached my target weight, but I never actually bothered buying the chocs in the end. (Not sure if this would work for denying yourself cheese/bacon on a month long vegan trial.)

I put it in inverted commas above because I don't really believe I am "trying it out". I think, at the very least the vegetarian and no eggs part as a minimum, will be a permanent way of life because the ethical and environmental arguments become more and more overwhelmingly strong the more I think about it.

Hope you can try it out and report back on your cravings.
 
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