Vegetarian but my main foods are turning me off

[Anonymous]

OP,
I'd listen to your body. I was a veg for 16 years and had similar strong cravings for meat and chicken. Aversions to dairy, eggs and soy and nuts. DD was born with several food allergies, including the foods I had aversions to. She was also born low in an amino acid found in red meat and dairy, we had to supplement it for a while. I did give in to hamburger and steak cravings in the last 2 weeks or so. Wish I had listened to my body and the baby's body sooner. If you are craving chicken, your body needs the protein. Go to a rotisserie place for lunch tomorrow or get some bbq. I wouldn't cook meat for a long time. With DD's food allergies (plus fish/shellfish) I had to go back to eating chicken and red meat, beans made her scream and there wasn't much else. She has luckily outgrown the allergies now at 5 so we are moving back into a more plant based diet. Listen to your body, we are all animals with instincts.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried seian? That's a super protein source.

can some one please give me more information about this, I was google it, and couldn't find nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you tried seian? That's a super protein source.

can some one please give me more information about this, I was google it, and couldn't find nothing.

Not the pp you quoted, but it's spelled seitan, which is probably why nothing came up for you.

Seitan is also known as wheat gluten. The texture is more "meat like" in that it is chewy and can be stringy. You can make your own using vital wheat gluten which is found in many grocery stores (I've seen it at Safeway).

That being said, I was veg for 13 years when I got pregnant and one of my first symptoms was, you guessed it, cravings for meat. Barbeque pork (the shredded kind on a bun with coleslaw) was one of my biggest cravings in addition to anything else barbeque flavored. I will totally admit that I gave it and ate meat while I was pregnant. Chicken, beef, pork, turkey, you name it, I wanted it. The cravings lasted a few months post-partum and they eventually went away. I went back to being a full vegetarian.

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP - it is seitan, not a favorite of mine, although some chinese foods made with seitan are okay. I generally prefer tempeh to seitan, tofu, tvp, but of course, not now. Interesting all the meat cravings other veg people have gotten. Mine are very specific - chicken tenders breaded just so or a grilled chicken sandwich on a kaiser roll (no exceptions) or a turkey sandwich (but deli meat is a no, no). I find most of my meat cravings are in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. Later in the day I don't want it anymore, so the opportunity to even take advantage of the craving isn't there really. I'm just hoping this all goes away soon. My aversions keep coming and I'm down to very few foods I can still stand to eat. I was actually really excited to allow myself to eat unlimited seafood (I usually limit myself to a few times/yr) and so far, seafood has been the biggest turn off. I've never had any desire to eat something with four legs since going veg in middle school, so I don't see myself eating a steak any time soon.

[Anonymous]

I'm a vegetarian, and pregnant with twins. I'm almost at 12 weeks, and haven't been able to stomach vegetables for the past month or so. I'm been getting by mostly on carbs, but thankfully I can also stomach peanut butter and eggs. The fake meat products that I usually love are definitely a turn-off right now, as is seitan. I haven't had any meat cravings though...as someone else said, it's even less appealing than usual.
Your body is telling you something though, so try to find some source of protein. Good luck with your pregnancy!

[Anonymous]

I really believe that cravings are telling us what our body needs. I was a vegetarian for just two years before getting pregnant but the cravings were so strong I dreamt of cheeseburgers! I'm a carnivore now and okay with it. I buy local meat from farmers markets when I can and from whole foods in the winter.

Your body is telling you something. What is the worst thing that can happen if you eat meat while pregnant? You can go vegetarian again when your cravings subside.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP, have you tried Quorn? Really tasty fake chicken supplement made from mushroom protein. They make a fake chicken cordon bleu that is amazing. Fake buffalo chicken patties from Morning Star are also awesome.

FWIW, I am a former vegetarian/vegan who now eats meat occassionally. Except when I am pregnant, I eat it several times a week and really have strong cravings. I don't sweat it and I go back to my typical eating patterns after birth.

[Anonymous]

Tofurkey smoked cold cuts are really good too! They actually smoke them as opposed to adding artificial flavor.