Is it normal to crave meat??

Question

I've been a vegetarian now for about 4 months...I've never felt any cravings for meat until the last 2 weeks..I don't know what's wrong with me b/c I've never felt like this...but it's really, really intense..part of the problem is that my university has a really poor selection of vegetarian choices, so i find myself eating salad, fruit, or rice everyday for dinner..i leave feeling starving and unsatisfied...
I don't know what to do because I don't want to start eating meat again, but my cravings have gotten so bad i've actually had 2 dreams about eating meat!! Does anybody have any advice, because I don't want to give up!

Answer 1

Cravings are often a signal of nutritional deficiencies. I would say you've probably got an iron deficiency, and possibly also a zinc deficiency. In this case, I'd say eat a little meat, then go back to your vegetarian diet, guilt-free.

You also need to talk to the cafeteria manager at your university. Tell them they are not adequately meeting your nutritional needs as a vegetarian. Be sure before doing this, however, you are not being overly picky and refusing dried beans, peas, and lentils when offered. There's more to being a vegetarian than just avoiding meat.

Also consider a multivitamin/mineral supplement daily. It can help fill in the gaps when you can't or don't eat right, but is not a substitute for good food.

Answer 2

Being vegetarian is not only about not eating meat. There is more to that and the first thing is that you must understand what your body needs and where you can get it 'vegetarian'. Salad/fruit/rice won't be enough to stay healthy so be careful.
If your university doesn't provide a full vegetarian meal maybe you should consider bringing your lunch box, or at least a complement to your lunch. Buy a good book on eating vegetarian and make sure your diet stays balanced.

Answer 3

This isnt really advice, but I just wanted to show my support for you. I've been vegan for a year and vegetarian for about 5 years, and I sometimes have the odd dream about meat. The last one was about three months ago and I was eating bacon. I can remember thinking 'no, I dont want to eat this, I dont even like bacon' but I was sort of forcing myself to eat it.
I dont crave meat at all. I heard someone say once that 'all vegetarians crave bacon' but I really dont. I hate the smell of it, the sight of it and I cant imagine ever eating it again.
Try not to take your dreams subconsiously. We live in a society of omnivores and so meat will always be there in the scene, and easy to slip into our subconscious.
My advice would be to try to eat in other places whenever possible. If you can cook at home do so, as much fresh veggies as possible.
Perhaps you should buy yourself a new veggie cookbook to inspire you to make more meals at home? Keep strong!

http://www.viva.org.uk/goingveggie/index.html

Answer 4

I don't think I have ever had cravings. Been vegetarian for 10 years. Maybe you need to think about why you are vegetarian and that might help you figure out why. Also, my uni food is crap too- so it takes planning. I often make twice as much dinner the night before and take the rest to lunch the next day- we have microwaves we can use. Otherwise talk to the people at the cafes available- I am friendly with one of my uni cafes and they always try to accomodate me if they run out of something.
Maybe if you are desparate on time/ ideas/ money you could carry little samples of vegemite or something and then just get plain bread from uni shops.

Answer 5

Well, I hated the cafeteria food at my school. These foods like salad, rice and fruit don't have a lot of substance to them. Try to pick really satisfying foods. A huge favorite of mine is Mock Duck. They're starting to carry it at some cub foods, and any Asian Grocery will have it. It's completely awsome, you'll think your eating meat again, but this time no one has to die. There's also Mock Pork, and Mock Chicken (which is for the most part like Mock Duck. Mexican is a good choice, burritos, tacos, chimichangas, If you can get firm, or better yet, extra firm tofu and freeze it, it will get a nice "meaty" texture. Cook/fry it with anything. Make sure to flavor it, it will soak up whatever with a nice texture. Other good foods are potatos, cabbage (good for soup, especially with Tabasco sauce), carrots. Use flour or cornstarch to thicken-up the soups or sauces. Your really not missing out on anything without meat. No one in the US is protein deficiant. That only happend in starving countries. Just stick with it and and try new foods. (I also highly reccomend Indian and Thai. you MUST try Pad Thai w/ Mock duck.)

Answer 6

Yes, its normal. I had to give up meat by force, not choice, due to food allergies. The cravings were outrageous, but when I would cheat, I would end up hospitalized. I had no choice. I obsessed about it day and night, and like you, had dreams about it. In an effort to find a way to eat meat again, I started doing research. What I discovered was more than enough to rid me of any cravings. Here is a link that should explain why I no longer crave meat.
http://www.factoryfarming.com/index.htm

Read through each of the catagories, and watch the videos.
Despite the cruel treatment of animals, meat is just plain nasty. Think about the reason you have to cook it to a certain temperature...to kill parasites and bacteria. It also contains blood, pus, feces, urine, etc. Educate yourself about it, and it will totally lose its appeal. I cant even walk past the meat aisle in a grocery store without gagging. Best of luck to you, I hope this helps-it worked wonders for me

Answer 7

I am no nutritionist, but it sounds to me like you are either lacking iron or protein and by the look of your diet it might be both. Iron is easy enough to get in supliment form. A good, all around vitamin and mineral supliment is something that all vegiterians and even non-vegiterians should be takeing. It is so difficult for anyone to get all that they need from their food these days.

There are actualy some proteins in that rice that you are eating, but they are usualy not complete. As a result you will need other sources of protien.

There are many good sources of protein for a vegiterian diet. Peanut and soybean products (like peanut butter and tofu) as well as dry beans (like navy and pinto) are usualy good sources for protein. Also, depending on how strict your vegiterian diet is, eggs can be a great source and can usualy be found on a salad bar.

Answer 8

If you are craving meat so badly, my guess is that your body is lacking protein. You could try to incorporate beans or tofu into your diet. Even if the cafeteria doesn't have a lot of selection, what about getting some black beans and adding them to your rice? You can always add beans onto your salad as well. Good luck!

Answer 9

of direction. Meat is nutrition and it tastes good. pretend meat manufacturers are making a economic killing because of fact human beings won't be able to seem to stand as much as the style of meat. actually, the clarification maximum vegetarian web pages are full of pretend meat sponsors is that merchandising a vegetarian life variety improves those companies' earnings margins.

Answer 10

The same thing happened to me. You just have to be strong, and start to eat a variety. Cook if you can or if not go out to eat. I think most vegetarians and vegans go through this stage and I know it's hard, but keep to it and try eating new and more exciting things.