I've been veg. for about 6 or 7 months, with no temptation so far ( I never really had a taste for meat ) but lately when I smell meat cooking in the oven, I really want to eat it! :drool: especially leg of lamb, which was almost the only meat I liked before. How do you handle these moments when the meat is so tempting?

Make sure to buy & eat the veg*n food you love, rather than eating things you don't like & being tempted by meat.
I used to love meat sausages so much I ate them long after getting actual food poisoning from one.
Now, I love the Yves' sausages, which are convincing enough for me, & healthy to boot.

Remind yourself of what the meat that tempts you really *is*.
A charred, bleeding body of a murdered innocent isn't that appealing to me, personally.

Cook veg*n food in ways you like meat prepared: I like pan-fried tofu steaks with garlic & tamari- the way I used to like pan-fried steaks.

Hope this helps.

Look at some cute pictures of lambs, then imagine them being killed and eviscerated.

Imagine if YOU had to do it.

When I think about eating meat - it's because I'm thinking/needing protein. So I just eat some protein.

I also think about how that meat got to where it is now and then I don't want the meat.

Low iron will also spark a meat crave.

But assuming it's not protein or iron causing the cravings, then look for something else like a craving for the spices/flavourings used or a good memory/comfort food thing that you're longing for.

You could watch Peaceable Kingdom or Meat Your Meat to remind yourself of the horrors of killing animals for food. Yeah, and definately get yourself some treats like Yves veggie products. Good luck!! :)

the only way to transmute the cravings are to give in to them repeatedly... then you might get curioius enough to try NOT giving in once or twice or for a week or month, until the rewards are acknowledged and the behavior begins to be restructured or transcended even.
namaste
-biome

The only meat I ever find myself craving is tuna fish, probably because I haven't found a meat-replacement for it! I would try a meat substitute of some sort that might be comparable (I've never eaten lamb, so I'm sorry I can't suggest something.) When I do crave tuna, I do the same thing I do when I crave a cigarette (I quit smoking 2 years ago.) I remind myself why I made the choice and remember how important that choice is to me.

tunas swim much faster than we can and are much to slippery for our branch and fruit grabbing fingers and palms

joy
-b

I would try to add more different foods to my diet.

I never lost my craving for meat and fish, although it's never been strong enough to bother me. But since I've been moving away fro ovo-lacto-veg and toward veganism, meat cravings have been a little stronger. I sometimes tend to get into a rut where I eat a lot of comparatively few things, and find that a good variety of things to eat will satisfy you and take your mind off what you don't eat these days.

Are there any specific nutrients you think you might be short of?... protein, good fats, carbs, vitamin B-12, iron?...

tunas swim much faster than we can and are much to slippery for our branch and fruit grabbing fingers and palms

joy
-b

That's why some silly human(s) invented nets and other devices of animal cruelty to catch them.

But even just using our hands we can commit acts of violence. I watched a show on how chimps catch monkeys and it was pretty gross. They would just team up to catch them and eat them. :(

Your body is probably craving something it's not getting. I think most cravings are physical, not mental.

If all else fails, go look up some pictures or videos on the internet to remind yourself of why you're doing this.

I've been veg. for about 6 or 7 months, with no temptation so far ( I never really had a taste for meat ) but lately when I smell meat cooking in the oven, I really want to eat it! :drool: especially leg of lamb, which was almost the only meat I liked before. How do you handle these moments when the meat is so tempting?

Go and do a Google Image search. Print out the cutest picture of a little lamb you can find. Then print out a picture of lamb cutlets or a roast of lamb (they can be found also by doing a "lamb" search). Put both pictures up side by side in the kitchen or in your bedroom or wherever it is the most suitable in your home. I think that should do the trick.

Example:

cute little lamb: http://animals.timduru.org/dirlist/sheep/SheepClone-Lamb-Polly_with_poster_mother.jpg

cooked lamb: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/victorygarden/images/recipes/lamb/lamb1_lg.jpg

As an above poster mentioned, the video " Meet your Meat" should to the trick, if not look up other info about cruelty in slaughterhouses, believe me not all animals are "knocked" properly, so therefor they wake up during the slaughter process.........you would be sickened by what happens on the so called " Killfloor"......

Are you missing something in your diet? Iron? Protein?

I agree that "Meet Your Meet" by Peta should be really helpful for curving meat cravings. I think they'll send you a free copy!

Low iron will also spark a meat crave.


Or zinc, b12, b6, etc.
Are you taking a multivitamin and eating a variety of whole foods?

Go and do a Google Image search. Print out the cutest picture of a little lamb you can find. Then print out a picture of lamb cutlets or a roast of lamb (they can be found also by doing a "lamb" search). Put both pictures up side by side in the kitchen or in your bedroom or wherever it is the most suitable in your home. I think that should do the trick.

Example:

cute little lamb: http://animals.timduru.org/dirlist/sheep/SheepClone-Lamb-Polly_with_poster_mother.jpg

cooked lamb: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/victorygarden/images/recipes/lamb/lamb1_lg.jpg

I looked at your comparison. Very effective. Not that I was craving lamb myself...

Of course, it would have looked a bit cuter without the piercings. They are either very fashion-conscious lambs, or else... will soon be led to their slaughter. Actually, I realise now that the lamb I linked to is a CLONE!!!! Now that's scary... (I didn't pay attention, I was just looking for a picture to make my point and took the first one I found.)

Of course, it would have looked a bit cuter without the piercings. They are either very fashion-conscious lambs, or else... will soon be led to their slaughter.

All the more reason for one to quit eating them.

I definately agree with google images, and watching films of slaughter etc. For me, seeing the meat before its cooked, as a piece of flesh in a pool of blood on the plate is enough to make me want to throw up. Dont think of it as 'food' think of it as what it is-a piece of dead flesh.

my advice:

buy tofu
drain tofu
freeze tofu
thaw tofu
spice tofu
cook tofu
eat tofu









or try a meat sub.
whatever floats your boat. :pibo:

My husband came home from the ship recently. He was bar-b-qing (I don't think that is a word, buy you get my drift). Anyways, the smell made me want some until I realized I was just craving the sauce. I put some on some leftover eggplant and was happy as a clam. I was also relieved I didn't have to deal with the guilt that would have followed eating any of the meat. My advice is to figure out what taste you are really missing. Is it a sauce or spice? Then work that flavor into a veggie meal and enjoy.

This post is from december of 2005, I am sure the OP's problem is over.

This post is from december of 2005, I am sure the OP's problem is over.

Nonetheless, it's a common problem that a lot of people experience so discuss away! ;)

I find that the basic rule (for me) for fighting off meat cravings is don't let yourself get too hungry. If you're hungry, you will want to eat almost anything you think of or come across.

simple, get a job handling meat. I was 95% vegetarian until I got my job cashiering at walmart. OMG Ill never touch it again, its so freaking nasty ringing it up a zillion times a day, especially the stuff that istn totally frozen solid, so you can feel the meat through the shrink rap. EWWW Ive totally gotten to the point of being horrified by flesh