So yeah.. today I could find NOTHING to eat.
And last night my family cooked ribs. Okay I've been a vegiarien for 1 week now. And that smell last night drove me wild! I was like: Just a bit... but... I didn't... And then this morning I found the leftovers in the refrigorator... so yeah... I didnt eat them. but i sat there... staring at the plate for God knows how long before i heard off in the distance, "Close the 'fridge!"

So yeah, all day I've been thinking.... God... I cant do this..
And I told my family a week ago that i was only doing this for a week, so they would feel better about it.... so now that the week ended yesterday.. they are all like: "I CANT BELIVE YOU ARE GUNNA DO THIS?" and yadda yadda........so yeah... it's bad here, and I'm like wanting to just give up and go eat some meat..... *though this morning i had a terriable time when i was looking at those ribs, it seemed so good... but I was like, ARGH! Thats disgusting!
so... help?

Is there really nothing to eat in your house aside from ribs?

You should make a list of foods you want, and either go grocery shopping, or go with your parents', or ask them to get things for you. It really helps to have good options on hand.

What is your family opposed to, specifically?

I found it helped a lot when I concentrating on adding foods to my diet, not just taking away. Once you start discovering tasty new vegetarian foods to eat, their won't even be room in your mind to think about meat any more. Do you have any cook books or lists of vegetarian foods you love to eat? If not, there is tons of stuff on the internet (even this site), the library, etc. Start find some delicious new cuisines.

Do you live anywhere near a large supermarket with a natural foods section or a health food store? There are vegetarian ribs! Gardenburger makes meatless Riblets. They're not *exactly* the same in taste/texture as real meat, but they *are* delicious and satisfying!!! They're full of protein and in a nice tangy sauce. Maybe you could try those out and see how you like them. They might take care of that craving. I know a lot of vegetarians (plus myself) and even a handful of non-vegetarians who LOVE them!!!

What I find really helps, especially at the beginning, is eating food with very strong tastes. I would reccomend things like balsamic vinegar, worcester sauce (make sure it's veggie though!), strong tomato sauce on pasta, curry sauces. I find that these stop your cravings for meat really well! I think what most people miss about meat is the fact that it has a really strong, satisfying taste that they've liked since their childhood. Veggies have to replace that craving with something else.

I forgot to say- good luck! you'll manage it. It's always hardest at the beginning because you can't say 'oh i've been doing it for months/years now, might as well carry on!'

I find that Yves veggie burgers do the trick when I find myself craving meat. If you're l-o, cheese is good too, and whole-wheat spaghetti with a ground round sauce or soup with a good strong veggie base work well. And you definitely shouldn't feel bad if you still have cravings; most of us do. :) Just keep reminding yourself what a great thing you're doing.

Howdy Scott,

It does make a huge difference when you plan for yourself ahead of time. If your watching your family eat ribs and you can only imagine carrot sticks coming out of the refridgerator then yeah, it does seem like "well isn't this awful".

Ribs take awhile to prepare, you generally don't microwave them for 30 seconds and then 'viola' a gormet meal. Treat your vegetarian meals to the same attention. Getting back on the veg path myself after a years absence, I find it easier to pull out all my cookbooks and reacquaint myself with what I can eat rather than focusing on what I can't.

Make a list of what you can have and recipes you'd like to try. Go shopping. I always prefer fresh, but have a stash of the same canned or frozen food that I can grab when the fresh supplies are low or I am running behind. I have three small children so I can't just go without. Trader Joes has brown rice in their freezer section that cooks up in the micro in 3 minutes. Great when I've had a brain lapse on dinner.

If you don't have cookbooks, look online for many wonderful resources. Get ideas and enjoy trying new things.

Good luck

Just make a substitution and enjoy the rest of the meatless options of the meal. Next time BBQ a veggie burger and top it with BBQ sauce (the same one as on the ribs if you like - as long as it's veggie). Have all the salads and meatless sides and you won't miss anything at all. It really can be very simple with a little planning.

Chin up! Keep going, one day at a time. :)

Even in the most omni of households, there's usually something better than staring at a bunch of ribs in the fridge...

But if you're going to be stuck in this position again, make sure and arm yourself, like others have said, with plenty of goodies that YOU like and can eat - show 'em that eatting as a veggie can be very appetizing and easy as well...

haha, I'm a vegan, and i still think about ribs (oddly, because i'd be disgusted if i ate it or saw someone eating), and prime rib and other stuff! that was one of my favorite dishes when I was on diet containing meat. however, as time goes by, i learn to forget my meat eating days bit by bit, and i feel more wholesome as a vegetarian, I agree with lilac_wine, gardenburger makes good vegan ribs, although the texture will never be on par to the real stuff, overall quality of the product is great. if your just a new vegetarian, 1 week old, follow your heart. if you can survive the task of becoming a vegetarian, all the better, but if you break and munch some of your mom's good homemade ribs, your only human, only through failure is there success.... if your heart is truly on a vegetarian diet, you'll gradually head in that direction.

I think bobmarley is on to something there. Go to the nearest supermarket and get some Hanover Three-Bean Salad. Sweet-sour -- lots of vinegar and sugar, and beans and crisp-cooked vegetables and not at all expensive. Also, a jar of marinated artichoke hearts. Some artisan french bread and avocado to spread on it. A little jar of Progresso eggplant caponata. I don't eat this stuff any more, except for occasionally the bread -- but I found them helpful during transition. Maybe make yourself some pizza out of the french bread -- with just tomato sauce or barbecue sauce and a bit of sesame tahini instead of cheese. Find something you can marinate in barbecue sauce instead of animal flesh -- like eggplant or seitan.

Conjuring graphic images of what goes on in factory farming helped me get over dairy. *shrug*

Well, I'm not sure exactly what to tell you. I've been a vegetarian for 9 years and the smell of ribs (or the bbq sauce) still makes my stomach growl. But then I think, "It's ribs." You know? My suggestion... Go to the store and buy yourself some Gardenburger riblets, good rolls, and bbq sauce. If you haven't had them yet, they're delicious. :lick:

There are vegetarian ribs! Gardenburger makes meatless Riblets. They're not *exactly* the same in taste/texture as real meat, but they *are* delicious and satisfying!!! They might take care of that craving. I know a lot of vegetarians (plus myself) and even a handful of non-vegetarians who LOVE them!!!

When I first started trying to go meatless, BBQ pork ribs were my worst craving! I found the Gardenburger riblets, and it's true the texture is not like a real rib, but the sauce satisfied me. I realized that I was only craving the barbecue sauce! It may be different for you, however. Someone mentioned using stronger flavors in your food; try it out. And always keep something you enjoy in the fridge for when the family cooks a tempting dish.

I found it helped a lot when I concentrating on adding foods to my diet, not just taking away. Once you start discovering tasty new vegetarian foods to eat, their won't even be room in your mind to think about meat any more. Do you have any cook books or lists of vegetarian foods you love to eat? If not, there is tons of stuff on the internet (even this site), the library, etc. Start find some delicious new cuisines.

this is a great point...since I love to cook, I was really excited about trying a lot of new things and ways to cook. I discovered that I like veggies, when I was a HUGE meateater growing up. Focus on the good, and try not to think about it like you're being deprived, and it'll make it a bit easier.

Good luck...it can be tough, but it's definitely doable, and it's worth it!

if you really CRAVE meat, hav some nuts--cashews are especially satisfying (though i eat whole boxes of 'em in one sitting but...)

try some chinese sour and spicy soup, especially when hot, the thickness of it resembles gravy, yet it's the corn starch in it that's doing the trick. It should be vegetarian, if you ask for it at the restorant. it's filled with tofu sticks, carrots, bamboo shoots and other goodies:up:

Conjuring graphic images of what goes on in factory farming helped me get over dairy. *shrug* Yeah, when you think about whether that the corpse in the refrigerator or on the grill came from, it loses it's appeal pretty danged fast. I loved steak ... until I accompanied my cattle farming father to a livestock auction at the age of five and found out that *my* pet cow was going to be somebody else's dinner.

I find I don't get meat cravings if I'm getting enough concentrated protein from other sources, like nuts, pulses, eggs, (dairy if you eat it), if you've just been eating their meal minus the meat you may well be craving protein. If it's possible get out and stock up on tins of beans etc and then like the others said, find some recipes - there are loads on line - and start experimenting.

Scott,

...I would focus on keeping Garlicky things around the house.

Humous & Pita Bread Garlicky Humous with Toasted Pita is great. Garlicky Humous as a dip for toasted pita bread, carrot sticks, celery, tomatoes, and/or raw broccoli will satisfy you, and you'll come to crave it.

Chips and Salsa Great Veggie food. Salty Chips with Salsa is pretty good, and easy to prepare.

Guacamole Use it fast, or it browns. Have it with beans, or dip chips into it. Avocados have more saturated fat than steak, so it's pretty satisfying.

Canned Black Beans Simple dish. Fry up an onion in some Olive oil, throw in a can of Black Beans, and sprinkle on a generous amount of Adobo Seasoning (http://www.goya.com/english/products/product.html?prodSubCatID=7&prodCatID=4) (In the Mexican/Bean Section of the Store). You'll have a pretty decent protein rich meal that is a staple diet in many countries. (Put on some sour cream, shredded Lettuce, Tomato, Guacamole, Salsa, or Tabasco/Hot Sauce, and it will give it some depth of flavor.)

Vegetarian Baked Beans (Not the kind with Bacon for flavoring.) They're easy to nuke up in the Microwave, and will give you that protein you're probably craving.

Soy Burgers Try the onion kind. (Be aware some have cheese in them if you're trying to go Vegan.) Throw on some extra fried onions, Lettuce, Tomato, Ketchup, and you'll be pretty satisfied. (They keep in the freezer forever, so Mom can stockpile them.) ...Try horse radish on them for extra kick.

For an interersting drink, try Canned Tomato Juice, with a generous amount of Tabasco/hotsauce, the Juice of 1 Lemon, a large scoop of Horse Radish (the plain kind), and stir it up with a celery stalk. It's pretty refreshing, and actually good for you.

Good Luck killing those cravings! :gun:

Damn... Just saw the initial post date. How did this ancient thread get bumped?

3 months is not that ancient (I've seen bumps from older threads, myself) but IMO, it's good that this thread got bumped because a lot of people struggle with this and don't know how to deal with it. :yes:

The strong flavours suggestion and the whole foods suggestions are both very good, IMO. So is making sure the diet is varied enough with good sources of iron included (nutritiondata.com is a really wonderful place for searching out plant-based sources of iron) and making sure there's enough good fats in the diet.

What helped me through the first weeks of being a vegan was eating beans,nuts they have so much protein and they are filling like meat. After awhile the craving wil go away. One thing that has helped me also was Peta's documentaries on where your meat comes from. Alec Baldwin described meat as dead corpse Since hearing that I can not look at meat the same way. Good luck and hope I was some help. Eat lots of hummus too!

When I first became vegetarian I found myself eating terribly and without much to choose from. The best thing that would help me when I first started out was to list foods I ate that are non-meat which I ate even when I was not vegetarian. Think of all the different foods you used to eat which didn't include meat; you would be surprised how much of your diet probably didn't consist of meat. Pizza is still an option (olives, mushrooms, etc for toppings), spaghetti with marinara, bean burritos, cheese quesadillas, cheese enchiladas, vegetable-only soups (there are a lot of vegetable-only canned soups available) any potato dish (baked, mashed, french fries), (brown, white, fried, spanish) rice, waffles, pancakes, french toast, cinnamon toast, bagels with cream cheese, avacadoes provide an excellent substitution for meat, and I'm sure you could list plenty of other non-meat food items you may love. Slowly as you go through the process I am sure you will evolve towards being a smarter/healthier eater and cutting back on 'bad' non-meat foods. Try to get creative with things and you might find yourself really enjoying it.

By the way, as long as you are consuming enough calories you are almost assured that you are consuming enough protein; do not let people trick you into the protein trap.

EDIT: When eating these foods you may want to be weary of your sodium levels, but if you were previously eating non-healthy foods than just by eliminating meat I am sure you are already eating a little bit healtheir. Try to increase your vegetable intake if possible, though.

I know this thread was started a long time ago, but hey lot's of people view threads who never even post on them. So maybe many who view this thread are people who have just started to go Vegetarian or want to start or whatever. So my post is for all those people.

Maybe in your mind try what I like to call the 3 step rule.

1. think about the foods that you allready eat that are Vegetarian and Vegan more or less ( I mean maybe it's a bit too early to worry about hidden animal products in some foods and stuff like that ) Potatoes such as Baked Potatoes,Mash Potatoes,French Fries ect. Maybe Salad's,Pasta's and Bread,Rice,Corn and such like.

2. Think about the animal foods you like that have a Vegan/Vegetarian Alternative. Okay rather than Cow's Milk try Soy Milk or Rice Milk or Nut Milk ect. If you love hamburger maybe try Veggie Burger. Love hot dogs ? Well health food stores and in the produce section of grocery stores you can find Veggie Dogs. Do you love scramble eggs ? Well with Tofu you can make something that kinda taste like scramble eggs. and the list goes on .............

3. Try to add more fruit and vegetables to your diet. Grapes,Apples,Carrots,Cherries,Tomatoes,Lemons ect. are all good. Try to add that stuff to your diet

This can help you get off to a good start. After you get going then maybe you can start to watch out for hidden animal products. Also you could start using plant milk in your mash potatoes rather than cow's milk. One reason I don't always stress the hidden animal products in foods is so I don't make Veganism seem so hard. I want it to seem more easy so people will go for it. I feel as people start to eat a more animal friendly diet that they will come around to things such as jello and some candy that has gelatin in it ( gelatin is from an animal )