Craving meat... been veg for 19 years - Page 2

[Magpie30]

A very dear friend of mine, who had been a very strict vegan for many years, had the same thing with her pregnancy. She did end up eating a little meat, but she said she had to kind of...honor the animal she was eating. A moment of silence for the cow, so to speak.

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by Magpie30

A very dear friend of mine, who had been a very strict vegan for many years, had the same thing with her pregnancy. She did end up eating a little meat, but she said she had to kind of...honor the animal she was eating. A moment of silence for the cow, so to speak.

Ive heard of doing this.

[spatulagirl]

Originally Posted by Magpie30

A very dear friend of mine, who had been a very strict vegan for many years, had the same thing with her pregnancy. She did end up eating a little meat, but she said she had to kind of...honor the animal she was eating. A moment of silence for the cow, so to speak.

Thanks you for telling me that. I have already had to cave in to massive amounts of dairy this pregnancy. Last pregnancy was 98% vegan. This one, I need the dairy. Is there something in the meat I cannot get elsewhere? Because that vegan reuban, while normally a wonderful guilty pleasure, did not cut it.

And yeah, DH totally doesn't get it. But he also eats fish and I don't even do that AND I have been veggie twice as long as him so that should count for something don't you think?

[Smokering]

Is there something in the meat I cannot get elsewhere?

Well, I do Traditional Foods and we tend to be pretty pro-meat, so take this with a grain of... that... but it could be K2, B12, iron, protein or omega-3s (which would require grass-fed meat; I'm pretty sure the CAFO stuff is higher in omega-6). It's not that you can't get those things from vegetarian sources, but that they're much less bioavailable and/or nutrient-dense - so unless you're eating literally pounds of just the right kinds of produce, combining your foods to make complete proteins, and/or supplementing pretty heavily, you might be lacking those.

Definitely go for an ethical source of meat if you can - guilt aside, it gives you more bang for your buck nutritionally. And if you're not going to be eating tons of it, it shouldn't be too expensive.

[MamaChef]

I make gluten free seitan and wanted to share the recipe

http://www.wellsphere.com/healthy-co...-gluten/472515

I also like the pork style one on this site alot
http://www.meatandeggfree.com/gluten-free-seitan.html

You can make it into a bigger roll and serve it with apple sauce and sauerkraut.

I tweak these recipes quite heavily for our personal taste, but they are a great starting place

[MacroMama]

I'm macrobiotic and in my second pregnancy. I also craved different foods than my usual diet.

I've found that sometimes eating something salty will alleviate a craving for meat. Nori is an easy food to eat that is strengthening, has minerals and is vegan.


But if not, then get a good quality of whatever you're craving. I certainly have!

[Smokering]

Can I just hijack to ask how you eat nori? I have a bunch of it I bought ages ago (over a year... it doesn't go off, right?) to make sushi for a catering gig. Other than sushi, I don't know what to do with it, but I know it's very healthy. I'm not a huge fan of the texture or taste, but I can deal... any tips?

[mommy2chloerae]

I was transitioning to be vegetarian when I got pregnant. That went out the window completely I craved meat and couldn't stomach other foods. Now that I'm in my third trimester that craving is gone, but I'm still eating it but am becoming able to cut it back again, which will be nice because I do want to eat a mostly vegetarian diet if I don't cut it out completely.

SO it may be something that will pass eventually (with or without eating it) but it should be your choice to do so if you want to and seems to be completely normal

[spatulagirl]

Originally Posted by Smokering

Can I just hijack to ask how you eat nori? I have a bunch of it I bought ages ago (over a year... it doesn't go off, right?) to make sushi for a catering gig. Other than sushi, I don't know what to do with it, but I know it's very healthy. I'm not a huge fan of the texture or taste, but I can deal... any tips?

I used to just eat it with rice when I lived in Japan. I haven't done it in a while so I think I will buy some and start doing it again.

Thanks for the tip MacroMama!

I decided I will keep trying new things to stop or fend off the cravings, get more vitamins and minerals but if it keeps up I might cave. I just won't beat myself up over it. You lovely ladies made me feel much better!

[XanaduMama]

I was a vegetarian for 9 years before getting pregnant with #2 (dd), including the whole pregnancy with ds and the breastfeeding years. The day I got my BFP with dd, I'd been out to Whole Foods buying a STEAK! I just had.to.have.it, right from the start. I ate like 2 eggs every day in the first trimester, too...serious protein cravings, and animal products would only do.

I say listen to your body.

[greenmulberry]

Yeah, you would not be the first, second, or third vegetarian mamma I knew who just had to go back to eating meat during pregnancy.

I feel bad typing this, because I don't want to come across like I am encouraging someone to abandon a dietary choice such as that, if I didn't feel like I needed meat, I wouldn't eat it, because I would prefer not to have had something die for my food.

I was a vegetarian for over ten years, I just found I do better with meat in my diet so I try and make better choices, but I still support vegetarianism. I just want you to know that if you do eat some meat, it isn't a failure on your part (I would probably have felt that way when I was still veggie). Sometimes your body just tells you want you need, and I know this feeling is different than wanting something because it is tasty (like maple glazed doughnuts). I get this feeling sometimes during my pregnancy, like I just NEED meat, the same way I need water when I am thirsty, that I just cannot ignore.

I was telling DH (we were both veggies when we met) that I don't know how anyone stays vegetarian when pregnant, because my meat craving is so serious.

[MrsBone]

I'm not a veg, but my cravings for meat have been utterly insatiable lately. I went to sonic(I'm normally very conscience of my meat choices, grass fed, organic, etc) and got a double cheeseburger without the bun(can't have gluten) and it tasted like heaven. I think for me it must be the iron, because I've been craving mainly beef. Chicken is actually repulsive sounding to me, as it was the last pregnancy. I have to stay away from grains and gluten, so meat, veggies, fruits, nuts and beans make up the bulk of my diet. it's hard while pregnant, but I'm grateful to be able to eat and tolerate meat. I just hope next time I'll have the common sense to eat healthy meat

[Banana731]

Originally Posted by spatulagirl

I loaded up on protein and fat last night, had quinoa for breakfast this morning and after DD1 was finished with speech therapy, we went to the co-op and I got a vegan reuban. Of course, while I was ordering that reuban, I was eyeing the roast beef panini and salivating. Then I craved it the entire drive home LOL

Oh man, now I totally want a tofu reuben!!!

[Banana731]

Originally Posted by Smokering

Can I just hijack to ask how you eat nori? I have a bunch of it I bought ages ago (over a year... it doesn't go off, right?) to make sushi for a catering gig. Other than sushi, I don't know what to do with it, but I know it's very healthy. I'm not a huge fan of the texture or taste, but I can deal... any tips?

Onigiri! It's rice with some sort of filling inside, then wrapped in nori. It's like Japan's answer to a sanwich. Umeboshi was a fave of mine. It's sour plum, kind of pickled. You could get it at a Japanese market. You could certainly do any filling that sounds good to you though, really sauteed veggies-anything that is a little wet and not too crunchy, so it sticks together.

We used to just make little hand rolls too. Rice and whatever (usually raw fish) tomato, cucumber, corn and dress it with soy sauce or ponzu. Like taco night, kind of.

[MacroMama]

Originally Posted by Smokering

Can I just hijack to ask how you eat nori? I have a bunch of it I bought ages ago (over a year... it doesn't go off, right?) to make sushi for a catering gig. Other than sushi, I don't know what to do with it, but I know it's very healthy. I'm not a huge fan of the texture or taste, but I can deal... any tips?

As PP has said, you can eat it with rice. Check to see if yours is toasted or not. Hopefully it is, because that's easier, but if not, you look up how to toast it.

We like to eat it as is because that's quick and easy (my 3 yo DS looooves it), but we also make rice balls with umeboshi plum (Whole Foods sells it too) or maki rolls with blanched scallions, carrots, cooked tempeh, umeboshi and rice. Yum!

We also cut strips of it and add a few to our squash soup.

There is also ao nori which is a condiment you can put on rice or other foods.

Enjoy!

[Aleka333]

I'm vegan & this is my first pregnancy so I didn't know what to expect at all. I had a few cravings for burgers - but that went away if I got enough protein/salt. What was strongest for me was wanting cheese & eggs. Every day I wanted scrambled eggs, macaroni & cheese, or Egg McMuffins! It was so annoying! All this stuff I loved as a kid - I was thinking maybe it was a kind of comfort food thing.
I kept all that at bay by making some tofu scrambles with fake cheese (and I hardly ever buy fake cheese!), and DH came up with a baked tofu mcmuffin that turned out unbelievably good.

now I want a tofu reuben though!