People ask me all the time: Are you ever tempted to eat non-vegan food?
For the first month after I became a vegetarian, meat cravings definitely hit! In fact, I can remember one specific time where I had my nose right up to a hamburger, thinking “Maybe I should just give in and eat it. It smells so good.” But I knew that no matter how good that one burger would taste, I’d regret it later. (In other words, the enjoyment I’d have gotten from eating it wouldn’t have trumped the sadness I’d later feel from having given up my vegetarian values.) So I persevered. And, as the first month came to an end, something amazing happened. Suddenly, my mind perceived that once-appealing burger to be grotesque; the last thing I’d wish to consume. No longer was I enticed by the smell. In fact, the opposite was true: I didn’t like the smell at all! I’d survived the first month of being a vegetarian, and I knew it was going to be smooth sailing from there.
Same thing when I became a vegan. At first I craved ice cream like it was nobody’s business. And I had it harder than my vegan friends here in the US, because I became a vegan whilst living in China, where there was no such thing as So Delicious Coconut Milk Ice Cream! (Of course, they also eat very little cheese in China, so at least I didn’t miss that all too much; I’d not been eating much of it anyway. Actually, my accidental situation with not eating much cheese right before becoming vegan is a piece of advice I often give to newbie vegetarians or vegans: Do NOT replace the meat or cheese in your diet with veg substitutes right away. Your mind will want to compare what your eating to its non-vegan version. And if your mind wants a steak, it won’t be satisfied by Lightlife chick’n strips. That’s like eating a cocoa-dusted rice cake and expecting it to taste like chocolate mousse pie. It just isn’t going to happen! Instead, look to naturally-vegetarian foods that taste nothing like the steaks/fish/cheese you remember.
More on my personal story here: My Path To Veganism.
At first, look to naturally vegetarian foods, such as fruits, beans, and vegetables. Once you stop craving the animal products (or when you forget what they taste like), then you can try those fake meat and cheese products if you want. Chances are you won’t even want to, because you won’t crave these foods at all anymore. An exception to the above advice is vegan ice cream, baked goods, and non-dairy milks. They make such good vegan substitutes nowadays that you can easily find foods to satisfy your dairy cravings!
Or you can make your own vegan substitutes, as is the case with this PB Banana Ice Cream.
Nowadays there are so many amazing non-dairy ice creams on the market that it’s easy to satisfy one’s ice-cream craving and live cruelty-free at the same time. Soy not your thing? No problem—you can buy ice cream made from a base of ricemilk, almond milk, oatmilk, or even coconut milk! And if you’re not big on the first brand you try, don’t give up; the tastes (and flavors) of these non-dairy ice creams are as varied as the customers who buy them. I did miss squirt whipped cream for the first few years after going vegan. But now, thanks to Soyatoo, we vegans can have our whipped cream and eat it too!
Do I miss other non-vegetarian products? Honestly, the first month was hard. I had huge hamburger cravings! But you know the saying “28 days to break a habit”? It really seems to be true, because suddenly the thought of eating meat became revolting to me. Same thing with cheese after I’d been a vegan for about a month. Now I can’t even stand the smell of cheese.
There has been one week where I have craved a non-vegetarian food…and that was about a month ago when I had the strangest craving for tuna salad. Ironically, I have NEVER liked seafood and the very thought of it freaks me out. Things from the sea tend to be what my nightmares are made of. In fact, one time in middle school I had my best friend over for a sleepover and when I woke up she was holding my hand and looking very concerned. She said she had debated waking me up because I was moving around so much and I seemed really frightened. I was thoroughly embarrassed because when she asked me what my nightmare had been about, I didn’t want to tell her I’d had a dream that my older brother had dumped a bowl of shrimp on me and they were crawling around everywhere.
So it puzzles me that I had that tuna salad on the brain. :/
I ended up making myself a “tuna salad” with all the components of it aside from the tuna (I think I used mashed chickpeas) and mayo (I think yogurt tastes much better) and just put it on top of a lettuce mix.
Will you be mad at me if I tell you your nightmare story made me laugh out loud? Oh goodness, you are too funny! 🙂
Haha, won’t be mad at all. I am used to it by now–I’m just glad my stories can put a smile on someone’s face. :]
I have always liked seafood, but I very rarely eat it, so I don’t think I would miss it that much.
When I am at home and buy my own food, I eat like a vegan.
However, when I am away from home at school I eat meat because it is all that is offered to me. If I had more meal options I would continue to eat vegan. There are only so many ways a salad bar can be interesting.
i would miss bacon 🙂 i don’t eat any grains or dairy so it’s like i’m a gluten free, meat eating vegan lol. sometimes i crave ice cream but then yeah..i have so delicious or almond dream vanilla and i’m set! so it really isn’t too bad at all sans dairy
Hahaha it’s so funny how different people have such different tastes. I think bacon would be what my sister would miss most too. But for me, I’ve always hated bacon, even when I wasn’t a vegetarian.
I’m pretty sure I would be fine being a vegan. I don’t eat dairy anyway, but I would definitely miss eggs! I love eggs in the morning. I love omelets, breakfast burritos, egg sandwiches, poached eggs, hard boiled.
But I don’t eat sugar, and after about a month, I don’t miss it either! It kind of disgust me, and I don’t really like the taste of “sweet” anymore!
i tend to have meat cravings too sometimes! i used to even have very vivid dreams about eating meat. i suspect that when i crave meat its my body telling me that i’m really missing iron in my diet. and the funny thing is, when i eat a food containg alot of iron (spinach,etc) and i’m eating lots of other good nutrient rich foods i dont crave as much meat.
Hahaha who knew you could satisfy a meat craving by eating spinach?!
I couldn’t cope without eggs and yoghurt, thinking vegan… as far as meat goes, I don’t think I’d be too bothered… except for my mum’s Christmas dinner! Would being a 364-day-a-year vegetarian work?! 🙂
Ps, one of the really interesting things about this blog, and the comments on it, is that, in my normal life, the fact I’ve got coeliac disease really sets me apart. Other than me, I only know one person whose diet doesn’t include absolutely everything and that’s my vegetarian sister!
I’m so used to being the “awkward one” who has to check menus and eat differently as people’s houses so it’s really nice to know I’m not alone… thank you!
Aww you’re so sweet. Don’t think of your diet as being “awkward.” Think of it as fun and unique ;). People who are exactly the same as everyone else are so boring! 🙂
Personally, I think that it’s worth a try. I mean, even if it might not be consistent on a moral base [but then again, who is?], it’s still better practically – concerning environmental matters and the genereal idea of avoiding suffering for other creatures.
Also, I was really convinced that I couldn’t go without my favourite non-vegan dishes [hot chocolate and nutella], but I haven’t even really missed them since… so although this doesn’t mean anything for other people, I guess you never really know until you’ve tried.
I used to love Nutella too! Then, after not having it in years and years, I just tried Justin’s chocolate-hazelnut butter. It tastes just like I remember Nutella!
Never seen it before… probably because they don’t sell it over here. But I don’t really miss nutella anymore [although the vegan hazelnut/chocolate spreads don’t taste anything like it], so it’s okay.
Yeah, I didn’t miss it either… there are just so many other foods out there that once you haven’t eaten something for a while, you kinda forget about it, ya know? There’s only so much time in a day; you can’t eat everything all the time! 🙂 So a lack of nutella just makes room for other things!
Hey, why not? Every little bit helps (the animals and the earth). My mom’s a “once a week” vegetarian :).
When I was vegetarian I didn’t crave anything except the occasional minced beef pie, a NZ favourite. I have been eating meat for over 15 years now and still can’t get over the saltiness of bacon. Bacon just doesn’t do anything for my tastebuds and I feel icky after eating it.
I have to confess I get a bit scared of trying non dairy ice cream…. maybe I should just give it a go???
Oh you must!! (Oops, don’t take that to sound like a command; I was just excited because some non-dairy ice creams are so good.) Try a good one, though, first. In other words, stay away from the So Delicious fruit sweetened ones! LOL 😉
Thanx for the advice… I am not sure if we have So Delicious in New Zealand. I shall investigate – my new mission.
Love this post.
The only time I find it hard to be a vegan is at work. I work in a gourmet bakery and deli. Not one bakery item is vegan but they all look sooo good. I guess its a good thing I’m vegan or else I’d probably gain 300 pounds working there!
Hahaha that’s why I always tell people I’d be lousy at opening my own bakery (or chocolate shop). I’d want to eat all the merchandise! That would surely cut into profits :-?..
I remember that shortly after I became vegetarian, I occasionally felt a craving for cheese when others had it [I’d only eat cheese with non-animal rennet, but trieds to avoid it altogether] – although I don’t even particularly like cheese in the first place.
Since I’m vegan I didn’t have any such cravings, although I sometimes get an appetite for scrambled eggs. But it’s not as intense as the aforementioned case with cheese.
I miss being able to order anything off of a restaurants menu. Now, I rarely go out to eat and when I do it is either to whole foods or my local vegan restaurant. Both places are great because of the variety and I feel “normal” by going out to eat. The thought of eating animal products grosses me out when I stop and think about all that goes into making the food. Watching Food Inc. has really helped me support my decision for going vegan.
LOL that’s actually one of the things I DON’T miss! I love how decision-making is so much easier as a vegan. There’s usually only one thing you can order. Not overwhelming at all hehe.