Cheese cravings

[soyabean]

I'm really struggling to eat healthily and even stay vegan at the moment.
I came really close to going out to get a pizza (vegetarian - I've been veggie since I was 6 and would never even think about eating meat etc.) earlier.
I'm feeling the need for comfort food.
I managed to stop myself, and forced myself to have a bowl of fresh fruit and some nuts, and I feel a lot better now than I would if I'd just eaten a cheese-covered pizza.
I wish my subconcious would understand that junk food and non-vegan food won't make me feel better - but everytime I'm feeling low and in need of comfort I'm finding it hard not to go out and buy junk food right now.

[veganblue]

Sorry to hear that you are not feeling great Soyabean. Maybe some healthy comfort food like vegan choc chip muffins could help, but I somehow don't think that eating a cheesy pizza would give you peace of mind after the meal. Your conscience possibly would make the situation worse.

Is your body craving something? Chocolate gives you a good feeling and if you maybe drink hot soy chocolate instead of eating chocolate bars you can have a fair bit and not have to worry too much about the energy content.

Maybe when you are feeling low, pack up some snacks like nuts and dried fruit, grab a friend and go for a walk in a nice place like a park or somewhere near water. It's often nice to go by yourself too.

Exercise can help lift your mood and I have heard that jasmine tea has euphoric qualities - certainly won't hurt to sip some green tea. If you can, find the source of the low feelings - not an easy thing to do I know, but if you can it will help bring it all into context.

I hope that you are feeling better soon.

[Mystic]

Soyabean I often feel the same way. I don't have much advice, as I don't know how to deal with it myself, but you are not alone.

Sometimes I feel like my ethics rule my life. I think that is the problem, so I want to 'rebel'. It is wierd mind games that I play with myself.

What I do, is buy vegan junk food - we are lucky to have a milk-like chocolate and great ice creams readily available in Australia, and I am lucky to live within close proximity of vegan cakes/cookies. I know they are not "healthier" than their counterparts, but they are at least cruelty (and guilt) free. It also reinforces the fact that being vegan doesn't mean deprivation - it just takes a little effort.

[Pob]

I try to make sure that there is plenty of comfort food in the house.

It's awful if you have a craving for something less healthy and you have absolutely nothing in to satisfy you. Pre-vegan it was far too easy to phone a takeaway.

Make sure you have some vegan ice cream (raspberry Swedish Glace is my favourite) and several different flavours of chocolate in at all times.

Frozen berries are great - you can easily whip up a gorgeous smoothie by adding them to whatever fresh fruit you have available. Takes the edge of hunger and cravings.

[Mr Flibble]

Pre-vegan it was far too easy to phone a takeaway.

I find it hard to beleive that leicester doesn't have an abundance of vegan curry places :)

[Pob]

Yeah, I guess. Not sure vegan curry would satisfy a cheesy pizza craving, though.

In some ways it's easier to migrate from an unhealthy meat eater to vegan, than unhealthy veggie to vegan, because vegan meat substitutes are far better than vegan cheese substitutes.

[NorVegan]

I don’t know why you are craving, but is there a possibility that you need fat? And if so, avocado, peanut butter, vegan ice cream, and so on could maybe stop the cravings?

I have sometimes cravings fore cheese, but most of the time I am able to stop it whit peanut butter or vegan chocolate. I guess it just is my body that say it want more fat.

Hope you feel better soon :)

[speedylemons]

I don’t know why you are craving, but is there a possibility that you need fat? And if so, avocado, peanut butter, vegan ice cream, and so on could maybe stop the cravings?

I have sometimes cravings fore cheese, but most of the time I am able to stop it whit peanut butter or vegan chocolate. I guess it just is my body that say it want more fat.

Hope you feel better soon :)


Hmm. i swear right now i could eat nine billion avocados and about twelve jars of peanut butter!!!!!!!!!!! Comfort food is a must soyabean, even IF it may be a bit on the unhealthy side.. here's what helped me a lot when i was still in the transition period from veggie to vegan.. if you are craving something from an animal, look up disgusting facts about it online. Research about health ailments involved with consumption of that product, animal rights issues and the suffering of animals related to that product, and then look up alternatives or home-made recipes. You will stop craving whatever you are craving in no time with this technique. This is what i did every time i craved something.. and it works! Well it did for me.. hopefully if you try it it works for you as well. Also, why not make yourself a nice yummy greasy VEGAN pizza? It would be sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better than one loaded with animal products!! :eek:

Hope i have helped in some way.. :o

Don't worry, things get better!

[Mystic]

Good advice :D - I always craved yoghurt, but now I know that milk (hence yoghurt) has pus in it, and somehow it is less appealing. I guess it would be the same for cheese. So maybe thinking of a cheese pizza as a pus pizza would make you prefer a homemade (or bought) pusless pizza :p

[speedylemons]

Good advice :D - I always craved yoghurt, but now I know that milk (hence yoghurt) has pus in it, and somehow it is less appealing. I guess it would be the same for cheese. So maybe thinking of a cheese pizza as a pus pizza would make you prefer a homemade (or bought) pusless pizza :p


omg totally. If i think about a pizza loaded in greasy melty cow cheese all i can think about is disgusting pus dripping everywhere. GAG! We really need a "holding back the vomit" emoticon on here like they do for msn messenger. It really expresses points well. hahaha :D I was never uber crazy about yogurt but i did use to mix it with oats or granola or whatevs but i haven't tried soy yogurt.. to me it just seems like empty cals. I think i'm slowly figuring out that i don't really like any animal product alternatives.. except a little nacho vegan cheese once in a while. :rolleyes: oh wait, soy ice cream. I could eat it day and night.. good thing i steer clear of that section of the store freezers!!!

[treehugga]

Pizza is still great if you put loads of topping on it. I make my own from scratch and now my family won't eat any other. My workmates always pester me to bring a couple to work dos. I usually sprinkle pine nuts on top, kinda gives a creamy taste. Try a tandoori pizza or mexican or thai red curry instead of standard tomato based. Experiement.
I find if I crave certain food I make a fruit smoothie with soy and the craving goes. I love a tropical smoothie with banana, pineapple, mango and coconut milk ummmm so indulgent :D
I also make protein balls which stop both hunger and cravings:
variety of nuts and seeds about 2 cups
soy protein powder 2 Tbspns
peanut butter 2 Tbsns
malt syrup 2 Tbsns
sweeterner 2 Tbsns(sugar or golden syrup)

Mix with wet hands and add more syrups if not combining enough

This will stop those cravings which particularly occur if you have gone straight into an extemely healthy diet from a not so healthy one. Make sure your getting enough essential fats. :)

[speedylemons]

Make sure your getting enough essential fats. :)


Ditto. I had a hell of a time when i first went vegan because i was simply trying to live off raw fruits and veggies.. not even whole grain bread! :eek: oh how silly i was. It makes it difficult. Essential fats are a good thing. Avocado or peanut butter on toast or in a sandwich can really cure a craving. Like treehugga said experiment. Experimenting can lead to discoveries of awesome concoctions that kick those cravings to the curb! ;)

[soyabean]

Thanks for the helpful comments.

I think I've been trying to go too far too quickly - move from a veggie diet with junk food in it not so long ago, to eating just raw fruit and veg and nuts and stuff - and then wondering why I find it hard.
I'm gonna make more effort to make some nice vegan foods now and again, or treat myself to nice vegan stuff - I'd love to be able to live off a healthy balanced rawfood vegan diet one day - but I think I need to aim to get there gradually otherwise I'll just get stressed out.

[speedylemons]

Thanks for the helpful comments.

I think I've been trying to go too far too quickly - move from a veggie diet with junk food in it not so long ago, to eating just raw fruit and veg and nuts and stuff - and then wondering why I find it hard.
I'm gonna make more effort to make some nice vegan foods now and again, or treat myself to nice vegan stuff - I'd love to be able to live off a healthy balanced rawfood vegan diet one day - but I think I need to aim to get there gradually otherwise I'll just get stressed out.


That's the spirit! I was very happy to read that you were going to keep living a vegan lifestyle. Treat yourself to some good vegan treats once in a while, that way you will know there is better sweet stuff out there that doesn't require the pain of other animals to make it!

Good for you. Hope all is going well for you. Good luck!

[Troutina]

I'm feeling like that too- I started losing weight when I became vegan, and was really happy- but now I keep bingeing on bourbon biscuits, hobnobs and crisps!
And meal times keep being quite samey...

[Mystic]

I think that it is important to remember that just because you are vegan doesn't mean that you are on a diet. It is GREAT to eat fruits, vegetables and nuts, but there is no need to only eat these things. There is now an abundance of vegan foods available, and if you invest in a couple of cookbooks, you will find a variety of great meals. Vegan cuisine can be as simple as spaghetti with tomato sauce to more complicated gourmet-style. Lots of ethnic staples are vegan, for example:
Mexican - corn chips, kidney beans, salsa
Indian - dhal, rice, chutney
Middle Eastern - falafel, pita, tabbouli, hummus
Carribbean - blackbeans, corn, rice
African - lentils, millet
There are also loads of recipes available on the internet

[Cherry]

Good advice Banana :)

I eat pretty healthily most of the time, and eat a lot of 'ethnic staples'!

I do sometimes find it hard work to keep up the eating when I'm too tired to cook/shop etc... and sometimes I just have to satisfy my junk food cravings and eat potato waffles and crisps and stuff.

I'm glad you decided against the cheesy pizza :)

[Savannah]

Today I totally have the munchies. I ate a whole pack of cereal bars, 8 rice cakes with 1/2 tub toffuti cream cheese. Now I'm having a giant avocado sandwich and houmous straight out the tub. Luckily I don't have anything in the flat that is too unhealthy, but all i want right now is a big mac. I'm just going to have to go to bed and try to forget about it.

[Mystic]

Make a double patty veggie burger, with tofutti cheese, mustard, ketchup & pickles, lettuce & tomato. And make oven fries to go with it.

[Mystic]

See this thread (http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=102060#post102060)

[Got2Pups]

whenever i crave some fat i much on an Amy's kitchen cheesless pizza. it is very good. and for the sweets? well i just go to vegweb.com and look up some cake or cookies. very yummy stuff there.

glad to hear you regained some enthusiasum. it is not easy all of the time.

find something to keep you motivated. i have a bracelet with a postetic cat's eye in it. i wear it when i am craving baked ziti or something. it reminds me of the animals i don't want to hurt. perhaps you can put your favorite vegan slogan on your fridge or near your phone. anything to keep you motivated.

[yasha]

I just feel so blah lately and don't feel quite so driven to be vegan as I was. I am still vegetarian, but I have been eating cheese lately. Why is this happening? It's just so hard to be vegan around here because there are no really vegan friendly restaraunts in this general area... just fast food and other chain places that may have a vegetarian option but nothing vegan. :(

Over the course of being vegan for about 2 months, I managed to drop about 20 pounds but that has leveled off (I think due to the cheese.)
And, I am afraid of it coming back. I would like to lose about 30 more pounds.

[eve]

If you are not a vegan, shouldn't you be posting to the threads in the appropriate spot for non-vegans, or aspiring vegans?

You say: "It's just so hard to be vegan around here because there are no really vegan friendly restaraunts in this general area... just fast food and other chain places that may have a vegetarian option but nothing vegan. "

That description applies to many towns, and it certainly applies to the rural town where I live, but there's no way that I'd give up a vegan lifestyle and start eating cheese! If you want to lose 30+ pounds, you are obviously overweight, so on just that score you'd do well to avoid dairy products.

There are a few books written by Neal Barnard MD:
Breaking the Food Seduction
Food For Life
Foods That Cause You to Lose Weight
Power of the Plate
You may find one or more of them very helpful. :)

[Pob]

I would say that going vegan does require something of a lifestyle change if you previously tended to eat a lot of takeout or fast food. Most "proper" restaurants can manage to knock something vegan up if you ask.

Cooking for yourself is important. Restaurant meals generally put taste ahead of nutrition and will be too salty and too fatty to be healthy. If you cook most of your own meals you have control over what you are eating.

It's not difficult to be vegan, but it does require some effort at the start until you get in the swing of cooking every day, and shopping often for fresh fruit and veg.

[RedWellies]

Oh, Yasha, don't give up! I have read some posts on here where some people have "slipped" so don't give up trying. As Pob says, for some people being vegan means a massive lifestyle change and if the places you like to eat out in are fast food chains, then you are not likely to be able to obtain vegan food. That might be a good thing though... if you want to lose weight and be healthy then don't eat that kind of food.

Maybe you are feeling "blah" because you haven't been eating well. Do you like cooking? Maybe more of a raw food diet might suit you best if you're not interested in cooking.

Do you want to be vegan solely for your health? There are other issues you may like to consider, such as the fate of the animals used in food production, and also the environment. These things might spur you on.