[KirstenKat]

So I went vegetarian about 2-3 years ago. I've also been eating vegan meals when I can and telling myself I'd go all vegan when i moved into my own place. But off and on for the past year I have had a battle with seafood cravings. I would eat seafood then feel guilty and tell myself not again, and go back to being veg. But then I would just do it again! The past few months I really fell off the wagon. I strayed from VB and pretty much started eating seafood all the time. Well 2 weeks ago i was on vacation and had one of those family style meals at the amusement park i was in. it was fried chicken and fish. I ate the fish just fine but when i went to eat my second helping I really noticed the way the pieces curled up and was disgusted and realized, I needed to cut seafood out and go back to being vegetarian again, this wasn't part of my values, I needed to stop taking the easy way out. My family has been so happy i was eating seafood, my Dad thinks being Vegetarian is unhealthy and pointless.

What I'm asking is, do you have any advice to not stray again? I feel really bad for giving in so easily. i had always said being vegetarian was easy for me but clearly it got harder over time. I will be going back to college mid August where I'm free from my parents criticism and even eat Vegan most of the time, but just knowing that I gave up for so long, I feel guilty. I think mostly this was a way to get this off my chest but I'd also like advice, I don't want to eat ANY animal, I need to stop giving in to cravings.

 

[Clare]

Don't beat yourself up about it Kirsten

If vegetarian/vegan is the way you want to go, perhaps take your non-veg cravings and find a vegetarian equivalent recipe. If someone still has cravings for tuna, they can make a seafoody chickpea spread, if you crave chicken, perhaps some seitan or marinated and baked tofu... adding in sea vegetables and lime juice to my chickpea spreads always make it taste a little seafoody. Not always going to be the perfect fix, but it definitely seems to help. Good luck

 

[.Goth-Alice.]

Exactly...dont be afraid to use fake meat products...this is exactly what they are there for!

 

[Eonblue462]

Perhaps reminding yourself why you went veg in the first place by revisting whatever made you make the change, whether it was a documentary or a book or whatever triggered you to stop eating meat? Everyone in a while, as hard as it is to watch, I try to expose myself to some undercover footage. It just gives me the fuel I need to keep doing what I'm doing and the validation that what I am doing is the right thing to do. I wish you well with your struggles and hope you will pull through!

And as Clare said, don't beat yourself up. We all have our ups and downs. The most important part is to pick yourself back up and move forward!

 

[Eonblue462]

P.S. If you shop at Whole Foods, they have introduced this new line of faux seafood proucts that is really good. The brands is called Sophies and although, I can't eat it as one of the ingredients they use to provide a realistic seafood texture (and it is realistic for sure, if I didn't know it was faux, I'd swear I was really eating calamari and shrimp) really bothers my stomach, I highly suggest you try their stuff. You wont feel deprived, I promise!!

 

[Josh James xVx]

There is no wagon. There is you, your beliefs, your reasons for your beliefs and your willingness to follow your heart. Can you tell me a little bit about all of that? Not for my sake. Tell me what you believe and why you believe it, and you'll also be reminding yourself.

 

[Werewolf Girl]

Try reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. The parts about overfishing and bycatch are enough to put you off sushi for life.

Sometimes you just need a reminder of why something is so important to you and why you started a journey in the first place. Maybe try using Google to learn more about cruel fishing practices and the decline of our oceans.

Have you seen Earthlings? That's another good reminder. Painful but worth it, I'd rather have my eyes open than live in the dark.

 

[Freesia]

You could try making some new things. Make a corn chowder with pieces of cauliflower, or put it in miso. Cauliflower I have noticed mimics shellfish a bit, it is white and can absorb the flavour of what it is in. Also you could buy exotic mushrooms and put them in your stir fry. They have interesting textures.

 

[belledozer]

The most important thing when you fall off the wagon is to hop back on again. There's no point in beating yourself over it, as you can't change the past, only the present and future. If you are craving meat, then get some fake, soy based or other forms of meat free alternatives to help you get back on track. In time the cravings will stop, and it will get easier. Just take it day by day and you'll succeed.

 

[reneeannem]

I don't mean this in a condescending way at all, I promise. It may sound that way online, so hence my qualifier. It's a small thing, but is something I found helpful in the first, more difficult stages, of my transition to l-o vegetarianism.

It might help you if you trained your mind to think of this so-called 'seafood', as sea animals or sea creatures.

 

[Ira]

I agree with reneeannem. I know exactly what it is like to have cravings, sea food was my favorite food. and if i ever crave meat i just go for a veggie burger, this helps. but while i heard about fake sea food i never saw it around. so when it comes to fish, i watched a video of mass fishing. So now when I feel like "oh maybe i will order this one time salmon sushi..." i think of this video

 

[belledozer]

Here's something to think about. Many years ago when I was a single scuba diver and had just finished a dive trip on Vancouver Island a HUGE fishing boat pulled into the dock, so heavy with fish that water was swishing over the main deck of the boat. It was loaded with 128,000 lbs of Hake (a ground fish). I was told that it was directly headed to Mcdonalds for their Filet O fish sandwiches. So can you imagine what the fisheries are not only doing to our ecosystem, but to our oceans?? It makes you wonder.

 

[Werewolf Girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by reneeannem

I don't mean this in a condescending way at all, I promise. It may sound that way online, so hence my qualifier. It's a small thing, but is something I found helpful in the first, more difficult stages, of my transition to l-o vegetarianism.

It might help you if you trained your mind to think of this so-called 'seafood', as sea animals or sea creatures.

I think that's helpful as well. The more I looked at live animals and observed their behaviour the less comfortable I was eating them. I was never a fan of fish but I did like eating chicken as a kid. After seeing how they were raised and slaughtered I was turned off for life

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ira

I agree with reneeannem. I know exactly what it is like to have cravings, sea food was my favorite food. and if i ever crave meat i just go for a veggie burger, this helps. but while i heard about fake sea food i never saw it around. so when it comes to fish, i watched a video of mass fishing. So now when I feel like "oh maybe i will order this one time salmon sushi..." i think of this video

I know exactly what you mean.

Quote:

Originally Posted by belledozer

Here's something to think about. Many years ago when I was a single scuba diver and had just finished a dive trip on Vancouver Island a HUGE fishing boat pulled into the dock, so heavy with fish that water was swishing over the main deck of the boat. It was loaded with 128,000 lbs of Hake (a ground fish). I was told that it was directly headed to Mcdonalds for their Filet O fish sandwiches. So can you imagine what the fisheries are not only doing to our ecosystem, but to our oceans?? It makes you wonder.

Yikes!

 

[AeryFairy]

Watch finding nemo

Fish are friends, not food.

 

[xamorphia]

Give yourself a break. It's admirable that you've made a commitment to vegetarianism, and at the very least, even when you were eating sea animals, you were still cutting overall consumption of meat. You need to reaffirm your commitment to ease the suffering of other beings, and just start again!

 

[GK420]

I know how you feel. A week or so after finally going 100% vegan I fell into temptation and ate pizza with some friends (I wasn't really sober at the time and there was nothing else to eat). Never again though, never again.

 

[Pixie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by belledozer

The most important thing when you fall off the wagon is to hop back on again. There's no point in beating yourself over it, as you can't change the past, only the present and future. If you are craving meat, then get some fake, soy based or other forms of meat free alternatives to help you get back on track. In time the cravings will stop, and it will get easier. Just take it day by day and you'll succeed.

+1.

 

[smiling]

I think the most important thing is, to remind yourself that just b/c you fell off once, doesn't mean you have to give up completely. I see that over and over and hear so many stories about people just giving up. I fell off the wagon with a hot dog of all things. It happens to some of us. Just hop back on and remind yourself every day to not do it again.

 

[smiling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clare

Don't beat yourself up about it Kirsten

If vegetarian/vegan is the way you want to go, perhaps take your non-veg cravings and find a vegetarian equivalent recipe. If someone still has cravings for tuna, they can make a seafoody chickpea spread, if you crave chicken, perhaps some seitan or marinated and baked tofu... adding in sea vegetables and lime juice to my chickpea spreads always make it taste a little seafoody. Not always going to be the perfect fix, but it definitely seems to help. Good luck

^This. I find if I can find a seasoning that is in the dish, it helps. Like with the seaweed. Seafood tastes "fishy" b/c of the food it eats. Just like something like salami tastes good b/c of the spices that are in it. If you can imitate that, it may help. Vegan sushi is a nice substitute for fish.

 

[Clare]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smiling

^This. I find if I can find a seasoning that is in the dish, it helps. Like with the seaweed. Seafood tastes "fishy" b/c of the food it eats. Just like something like salami tastes good b/c of the spices that are in it. If you can imitate that, it may help. Vegan sushi is a nice substitute for fish.

Totally!