Hi all, I'm new here. I want to go vegetarian because I just hate that innocent animals have to die to feed me. But the one time I tried to go vegetarian, I had such strong meat cravings that I couldn't do it. I went insane imagining the rest of my life without meat. Pepperoni! Sausage! So I basically have 3 questions:

1. Any advice for a carnivore going vegetarian?

2. Any advice for dealing with meat cravings?

3. Is there any kind of cut off for what kinds of meat you can't eat? I've often wondered if eating shrimp was considered as bad as eating lamb or something. Shrimp seem closer to bugs to me, and I kill bugs all the time, LOL.

You can try weaning yourself off meats, I understand there are some OK meat replacment items out there I have onlytried one called a Boca burger and it was pretty good.
However I do not crave meats so I guess we are in a differant boat all together.
But try looking into meat replacers if your having a real bad craving, I personaly would not eat them often but they might be good in a pinch.

welcome!

meat cravings can be "quelled" by eating some meat analogues such as boca, morningstar, or yves products. yves makes a veggie pepperoni, ase well as veggie burgers and veggie lunch meats, morningstar farms makes veggie sausage and veggie dogs, boca makes some good veggie chick'n nuggets and veggie burgers, and gardenburger makes AMAZING ribs and veggie burgers..

if you eat any form of seafood, poultry, meat or pork, you are not considered to be a vegetarian..

i hope t his helps. i am vegan and abstain from all animal products.. i like the gardenburger meatless products that are vegan the best, as well as amy's burgers. however, i;ve been veg so long that my tastes have changed and i find that i don't really crave meat or milk or eggs anymore..

1. i highly doubt you were a carnivore. i think the word you are looking for is omnivore. but all you really have to do is ask yourself if your desire for meat is more important than the life of an animal.

2. i would advise you cut out beef and pork completely first. then cut out chicken and fish. it works a little easier that way.

3. some people consider killing bugs as bad as killing cows or pigs. the answer to this question is mostly just your personal opinion

GRRR! double post

Do you have specific cravings? A lot folks here miss not meat as a whole, but certain items/dishes. They may be able to offer some help.

Thanks for all the advice. It's much appreciated. :yes:

Hi all, I'm new here. I want to go vegetarian because I just hate that innocent animals have to die to feed me. But the one time I tried to go vegetarian, I had such strong meat cravings that I couldn't do it. I went insane imagining the rest of my life without meat. Pepperoni! Sausage! So I basically have 3 questions:

1. Any advice for a carnivore going vegetarian?

2. Any advice for dealing with meat cravings?

3. Is there any kind of cut off for what kinds of meat you can't eat? I've often wondered if eating shrimp was considered as bad as eating lamb or something. Shrimp seem closer to bugs to me, and I kill bugs all the time, LOL.

you said you hate the thought of innocent animals dying to feed you.. a shrimp was once living. but there is no defined cut off for the meats you can't eat, this is something you have to determine yourself =)

as for the meat cravings.. i don't recall experiencing any myself, but there is a replacement for everything. boca burgers have the same taste and texture as meat, and boca 'chicken' also tastes just like chicken. and if you ever want to try some tofu, its really good!!

Whenever I crave meat, it's actually the seasonings and sauces that I'm craving. Why do people marinade and salt their steaks? And chinese food, that's basically crispy batter and sauce! Or like chicken tenders/fingers/strips are basically breading and ketchup/ranch/honey mustard/whatever. Try making your meat meals with veggies. You can make black bean burgers that are way more flavorful than beef. Theres veggie sausage links, that taste like the real thing! not sure about pepperoni, though.

here you go
http://peta.org/

click on "chew on this" and you will feel better about avoiding meat!

From the moment I went vegetarian I never really had a craving for meat per se-something just switched in me in a way. But I do remember being in the dining hall and seeing a meat dish that had been one of my favorite school foods just a few weeks before and when I looked at it I just thought about where it came from and any lingering appeal it might have had vanished. Just keep the things you know about slaughterhouses and possibly your own visualizations of it in mind when you think about meat. Basically remind yourself why you stopped eating meat in the first place.

I hope this is helpful :)

I haven't read ahead so this all might have been said already but it bears repeating if it has! :)
First of all, the only person who decides what you can and can not eat is you! As far as the definition of vegetarian, it includes eating NO living creatures, not even shrimp. You don't need to ask anyone for permission to eat what you want, though, you have to draw the line where you are most comfortable.
I had some cravings in the beginning, mostly because my husband was still cooking meat from himself and I was a little tempted. My best advice is to muscle through it. If you give in it just keeps going but if you ignore it, it will go away. I don't find anything remotely tempting in looking at meat and it rarely smells good to me now. Only in a few circumstances (chicken on the grill) and it doesn't really smell appealing, its more like I just remember what it tasted like. My cheese cravings were worse after going vegan and they went away a whole lot faster. I think it's more you just crave the comfort and taste of what you're used to, especially when making a huge dietary change (going from practically carnivore to full on herbivore is a leap).
Finally, fake meats. If you're looking for fake beef/pork, Boca burgers have the closest texture.If you fry them in a little bit of margarine they stay pretty close to a regular (processed not homemade) hamburger. Boca Chik'n patties are as close to exactly like chicken as I can imagine any fake meat would get. The same with morningstar farms chicken tenders or the chicken strips (the steak ones were way too peppery for my tastes). Chicken seems to be an easy copy. I was never fond of pork so i can't speak for the riblets put out by morningstar farms. The crumbles put out by either MS or Boca are a perfect substitute for ground beef in *any recipe. Fry them in a bit of margarine to keep them from drying out and use them in tacos, chili, soup, macaroni, anything. Try replacing your meat dishes at first simply by replacing the meat. It won't feel so foreign to you. Make an effort to try a new recipe (you can check veggie cookbooks out of the library, buy them yourself or find good recipes online either on this site or goveg.com as well as many others I'm sure) at least once a week and maybe try a new veggie once a week too. You'll be surprised by some! Don't feel bad about not liking something (I still hate squash, it's ok!) just move on to something else. Try a veggie in more than one recipe if it wasn't so hot in the first one. Sometimes it's the recipe that sucks. Give yourself time and don't give up if you backslide.Tomorrow is a new day!
Mary

Maybe you're actually having salt cravings? Or maybe umami (savory meatish) cravings? Try finding a chewy/firm tofu dish with a soy sauce sauce. :lol: Or maybe some pretzels or sunflower seeds.

If you're new to this don't get frustrated. Tastes don't change overnight.

I find that when I have meat cravings (veggie 4 months) it is because I am not eating well balanced meals. When I make sure I am eating well I don't have cravings.

^^^^^^ DITTO!!

I only crave meat when I'm missing something, like protein. And even tho some meat dishes still smell good to me, I can usually find a good veg*n replacement, which helps. Veg*nism is a choice/commitment so don't be discouraged if you're having cravings...just do your best not to submit to them. Enjoy the journey! :D

My be this will help with your meat cravings. The people that own and raise differant animals for the dinner table pump them with so many chemicals it stagers the mind. And the chemicals stay in the meat even in those neat little packages at the store......So good luck with that.

Hi all, I'm new here. I want to go vegetarian because I just hate that innocent animals have to die to feed me. But the one time I tried to go vegetarian, I had such strong meat cravings that I couldn't do it. I went insane imagining the rest of my life without meat. Pepperoni! Sausage! So I basically have 3 questions:

1. Any advice for a carnivore going vegetarian?

2. Any advice for dealing with meat cravings?

3. Is there any kind of cut off for what kinds of meat you can't eat? I've often wondered if eating shrimp was considered as bad as eating lamb or something. Shrimp seem closer to bugs to me, and I kill bugs all the time, LOL.

I am reading a book that says that alot of the "taste" and "smell" in meats is ADDED! So when I smell ribs or something that my brain thinks "yummy", I tell myself its fake smell. :yes:

Personally, I don't consider shellfish bad.

To satisfy cravings for a sort of "meaty" texture, try portobello mushrooms or eggplant. Both these have a rich flavor and texture that, for me at least, easily replaces meat.

Here's a very entertaining and simplistic flash movie you should watch when you're having meat cravings: http://www.themeatrix.com/

Also as someone mentioned, remember what the meat was fed such as grains instead of grass. Course now they're just feeding dead animals to the animals to save on money spent on grains. The meat sold in stores should not be consumed by anyone. It's just not food!

The meat sold in stores should not be consumed by anyone. It's just not food!

I agree, it's carrion.:spew:

What a lot of people crave when they first go veggie is their old favorite dishes, and you'd be surprised how many of those can be adapted to be vegetarian or vegan. Tell us some of your favorite meat dishes, and maybe we can make some suggestions.

What a lot of people crave when they first go veggie is their old favorite dishes, and you'd be surprised how many of those can be adapted to be vegetarian or vegan. Tell us some of your favorite meat dishes, and maybe we can make some suggestions.
I agree. Alls you really have to do is substitute something vegan for whatever the meat product was according to your original recipe.

I make spaghetti all the time using soy crumble, I now *gag* at the thought of having meat spaghetti.

Tofu can be substituted for just about anything if you prepare it right.