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  1. #1
    100% sure – I'm going vegan! yum's Avatar
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    Default need help with cravings

    Hi ,

    i'm struggling with being vegan the last couple of days. When i was vegan last time this happened when suddenly it became difficult to not want to eat milk choc and cheese. I've been vegan since May (so nearly a year!) and the last couple of days i've been craving a cadburys flake

    Does any one else go through these blips?

    As i say i've been vegan for a nearly a year so am aware of the animal cruelty and health issues, enviroment etc. But it's just been this week of feeling that it's really tough. I don't want to give up being vegan ...

    please help

  2. #2
    RubyDuby
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    I definitely have weak moments, but they pass. It helps to force yourself to look at pictures of factory farmed animals and stuff like that. Also just try to find a substitute for the craving. I dont know what a flake is, but could it be substituted?
    Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty.

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    hullabaloo's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    I do have moments when I crave chocolate. My usual response is to bake a vegan chocolate cake!

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    cobweb
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    i'll probably be bollocked for saying this (), but this has happened to me in the past (not any more but i can remember it happening). i got totally fixated on eating some milk chocolate - so in the end i did it, then felt horribly sick afterwards knowing what i had eaten. it tasted really weird and it was the last time i ate it, that's for sure! .

    if you ate something like this you'd probably feel hideous afterwards. just remind yourself that you have the choice - you are 'allowed' to eat what you like but you choose not to because of the way non-vegan foods are produced and their unappetising ingredients.

    maybe you're just having a little rebellion. i get them sometimes even now, after many years - i don't feel like eating non-vegan stuff anymore but sometimes i just go into my shell and don't feel like thionking about veganism and everything that it encompasses. then the feeling lifts and i feel happy and excited once again to be part of such a progressive and fantastic movement! .

    yum, make yourself something really gorgeous to eat, it'll feel better soon.x

  5. #5
    100% sure – I'm going vegan! yum's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Thanks for your responses.

    I think i'm also really missing the freedom you get when your veggie when you can walk ino a shop and don't have to read every label. I went out for a meal on sunday which is also restricting. I'm losing the willpower i usually have. I'm aware of the issues and still eat vegan. I don't want to not be vegan i suppose i'm just fed up with being a vegan in a non-vegan world

    Quote RubyDuby View Post
    I definitely have weak moments, but they pass. It helps to force yourself to look at pictures of factory farmed animals and stuff like that. Also just try to find a substitute for the craving. I dont know what a flake is, but could it be substituted?
    i don't like dark chocolate i find it too bitter.

    Quote cobweb View Post
    i'll probably be bollocked for saying this (), but this has happened to me in the past (not any more but i can remember it happening). i got totally fixated on eating some milk chocolate - so in the end i did it, then felt horribly sick afterwards knowing what i had eaten. it tasted really weird and it was the last time i ate it, that's for sure! .

    if you ate something like this you'd probably feel hideous afterwards. just remind yourself that you have the choice - you are 'allowed' to eat what you like but you choose not to because of the way non-vegan foods are produced and their unappetising ingredients.

    maybe you're just having a little rebellion. i get them sometimes even now, after many years - i don't feel like eating non-vegan stuff anymore but sometimes i just go into my shell and don't feel like thionking about veganism and everything that it encompasses. then the feeling lifts and i feel happy and excited once again to be part of such a progressive and fantastic movement! .

    yum, make yourself something really gorgeous to eat, it'll feel better soon.x

    Thanks cobweb for telling me your experiences. I don't want to eat dairy chocolate because i don't know if that will become a slippery slop downhill from here on!

    Maybe i'll go and bake some cakes

    x

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    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Hi Yum,
    if you have cravings for animal products, you should maybe make sure you get the kind of nutrients you often got from animal products before you became a vegan - this could be calcium, protein, B12... I believe that cravings often come from old habitual links between certain kind of food and certain nutrients - but they could also be just... cravings.

    I occasionally had cravings for milk chocolate some years ago, but that stopped when I found a dark chocolate I liked (I wasn't a big fan of dark chocolate before). I guess we just have to 'reprogram' ourselves...

  7. #7
    cobweb
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    btw yum have you tried the rice milk chocolate from veganstore, it's really nice?

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    100% sure – I'm going vegan! yum's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Quote Korn View Post
    Hi Yum,
    if you have cravings for animal products, you should maybe make sure you get the kind of nutrients you often got from animal products before you became a vegan - this could be calcium, protein, B12... I believe that cravings often come from old habitual links between certain kind of food and certain nutrients - but they could also be just... cravings.

    I occasionally had cravings for milk chocolate some years ago, but that stopped when I found a dark chocolate I liked (I wasn't a big fan of dark chocolate before). I guess we just have to 'reprogram' ourselves...
    Thanks Korn. What is the dark chocolate you like? So maybe i need some more calcium.... That is an interesting theory you have. Maybe i need to make more of an effort with my diet. I'm drinking alpro soya chocolate milk shake at the moment which is doing the trick.

    x

  9. #9
    100% sure – I'm going vegan! yum's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Quote cobweb View Post
    btw yum have you tried the rice milk chocolate from veganstore, it's really nice?
    no. Mmmmmmmmm sounds good though. I like creamy chocolate not bitter dark stuff YUCK


    x

  10. #10
    cobweb
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    well you must get some, it's the rice milk couveture, i think you can get it from viva! and/or animal aid, too, it's very sweet.

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    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Plamil also have a milk-type chocolate, called Expressions I think. It's not as sweet as the Organica one which could be a good or a bad thing depending on your tooth

    I know what you mean about a non-vegan world though - it sometimes makes me feel like some kind of alien that's just landed. Still, it's not our fault everyone else is benighted

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Hang in there yum. It gets easier. I have occasionally cravings, mainly for the old rich ice cream I used to eat nearly everyday. I did realize the other day that my tastes have changed and cravings have significantly diminished.
    Also, what RubyDuby said about looking at pictures...whatever it takes, do. I keep animal rights videos on my ipod 'just in case I need a reminder' of why I'm vegan. I haven't needed to watch them, but they're there.

    No "bollocking" here cobweb. I think vegans should support each other, not tear down. We're all human and there shouldn't be shame in admitting that.

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    One more thing about the chocolate, that I'm going to try. Perhaps melting some vegan white chocolate (available in some stores and online vegan stores) with vegan dark chocolate might make it less bitter and more like milk chocolate.

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Hey yum, places like Tesco often have a 'milk' style choccie bar in the 'free from' area.
    I would recommend trying Green and blacks Maya Gold (if you haven't before). It is dark choc, but orange flavoured and people I know have ended up liking dark choc after trying that one! It is seeeeeeeriously yummy

    I found a really easy choc brownie recently - if you can be bothered to bake PM me and I'll send it over.

    good luck and vegan love x

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Yum have you tried the dairy free chocolate buttons they have in the free from aisle in Tesco and Asda? They taste like milk chocolate and I love that I can just pick them up with my grocery shopping instead of having to order online. I can't stand dark chocolate either.
    The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well

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    AR Activist Roxy's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    (((HUGS))) to Yum. I agree with the suggestion to try the rice milk chocolate. We get rice milk chocolate here in Canada (although I think it might be a different brand to what you get in the UK). It's a great substitute to dairy milk.

    As far as losing willpower.....I recently watched the documentary "Earthlings". It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to watch in my life - however, it definately helped me reaffirm and strengthen my vegan beliefs.

  17. #17
    100% sure – I'm going vegan! yum's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Thanks so much for all of your replies cheered me up.

    Cobweb i can't find the rice milk couveture on animal aid, veganstore or viva- please could you post me a link if you have one. Thanks x


    Quote harpy View Post
    I know what you mean about a non-vegan world though - it sometimes makes me feel like some kind of alien that's just landed. Still, it's not our fault everyone else is benighted
    it's been a weird few days, which feels lke a test of my vegan lifestyle. We went out for a meal, i got a milk choc easter egg which i gave to my other half, at work i get offered cheese, choc etc ( i wor at a children's nursery) and then there was a birthday cake and tomorrow i have a work meal out. Yikes! I have planed ahead for tomorrow though by checking the menu frst for vegan food.

    Quote sponge View Post
    Hang in there yum. It gets easier. I have occasionally cravings, mainly for the old rich ice cream I used to eat nearly everyday. I did realize the other day that my tastes have changed and cravings have significantly diminished.

    So there is hope Maybe after a longer period of time of being vegan this won't hap;pen. Last time i was vegan i was doing very well and then gave in to my cravings for chocolate and my wanting to live 'normally' ( this was in my first year at uni and i'm now in my thrid year).

    Quote VeganDaze View Post
    Hey yum, places like Tesco often have a 'milk' style choccie bar in the 'free from' area.
    I would recommend trying Green and blacks Maya Gold (if you haven't before). It is dark choc, but orange flavoured and people I know have ended up liking dark choc after trying that one! It is seeeeeeeriously yummy

    I found a really easy choc brownie recently - if you can be bothered to bake PM me and I'll send it over.

    good luck and vegan love x

    Thanks vegandaze. I have tried the mayagold- its nicer than some of the chocs i've had. I quite like the green and blacks cherry one

    Quote Maisiepaisie View Post
    Yum have you tried the dairy free chocolate
    Yes they are not to bad either. I like to melt them on baked bananas with lemon juice....YUM!

  18. #18
    JC
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    I have to agree with vegandaze, maya gold is seriously good, despite being classed as dark chocolate. i think it's because it's only 55% cocoa. the mint g&b is good too, and the hot chocolate, mmmm. and have you tried the plamil alternatives to milk chocolate you can buy from holland and barrett? i love them cause i can't stand the yucky dark stuff!
    as for cheese cravings, have you tried redwood nacho style cheese? it reminds me of the mexican cheeses we used to have at christmas. by far the most realistic i've ever tried (with the exception of tofutti, but don't get me started on that ). although i don't know if thats because my tastes have changed. the other day i used a pizza cutter that i didn't realise had been used to cut a cheese pizza too, and i knew as soon as i tasted my pizza that it had been contaminated with real cheese. the taste was vile, and i washed my mouth out with the nearest water i could find (which just happened to be soapy dish water ). and despite having previously craved cheese, the taste was repulsive. so maybe it is true that you're just craving what you 'can't have'. i'm sure if you did try what you crave, you wouldn't like it; it would probably make you feel sick and you'd without doubt feel incredibly guilty! find an alternative that suits you, it'll see you through the cravings

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    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    You can see the couverture thingie on this page, yum:

    http://www.animalaidshop.org.uk/chocbars.htm

    Third row, second from the left. As has been pointed out, Waitrose sometimes have them too.

  20. #20
    100% sure – I'm going vegan! yum's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Thanks for the hug Roxy (((HUGS))) Roxy back. Maybe i should watch some vids then. Hmmmmmmmm makes me feel upset when i watch them so i usually don't.

    Jc: I love the g&b mint..yummy . I tend to not eat vegan cheese as i've not really found one i've lliked much. Maybe nacho style cheese would be nice melted on nachos? Sorry to hear about the soapy dish water did kinda make me laugh I think you are right that if i did eat milk choclate it would taste weird, i'd feel guilty and be upset with myself. I won't eat dairy- i've tried too hard to live this lifestyle because of what i believe in.

    Once again- thanks so much for everyone's support

    xxx

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    AR Activist Roxy's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Oooo From that webpage and I have been lucky enough to try everything on the 1st row, plus the Spirit of Marakesh chocolate. All of those things were AWESOME. The choc coconut bar kind of reminded me of those Bounty bars I used to love as a teenager. Not quite as sickly sweet though.

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    VeganDaze's Avatar
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    Quote yum View Post
    it's been a weird few days, which feels lke a test of my vegan lifestyle. We went out for a meal, i got a milk choc easter egg which i gave to my other half, at work i get offered cheese, choc etc ( i wor at a children's nursery) and then there was a birthday cake and tomorrow i have a work meal out. Yikes! I have planed ahead for tomorrow though by checking the menu frst for vegan food.
    I think that if you can find ways to get through these more difficult times, it will eventually get easier and easier.

    The first easter I was vegan I got some totally random stuff - either non-vegan, or a bag of fruit (my grandma being helpful ) but now I am 5-year vegan and I got 2 suitable eggs, plus other choccies, and my mum let me cook the family meal, so everyone ate vegan!! I still get non-vegan pressies occasionally but once your close friends and relos understand and are used to it you will have a (nearly) problem-free life.

    i hope this is helpful and not just boastful I really think you can make a good go of it xx

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    100% sure – I'm going vegan! yum's Avatar
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    Quote harpy View Post
    Waitrose sometimes have them too.
    Thanks Harpy. I'll also have a look in waitrose as that would be extremely convineant as i live 5 mins walk away

    Thanks VeganDaze. It's brill that you've been vegan for 5 years and that you got dairy-free eggs . As you say..i just have to keep going and that i need to stop having such negative thoughts like eating dairy and giving up, which i have thought about for a brief moment. Despite the wierdness ofthe last couple of days i've not given in.

    x

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    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Quote yum View Post
    Thanks Harpy. I'll also have a look in waitrose as that would be extremely convineant as i live 5 mins walk away
    Actually on reflection I haven't seen it in there for quite a while so don't get your hopes up too much although I suppose 5 mins is not too far to go on the offchance...Animal Aid etc may be a better bet though.

    I agree with the people who say it gets better as your friends and relations acclimatise and stop buying you unsuitable stuff and taking you to unsuitable places. In fact you may find they will make it "easy" for you by saying things like "You can't have that, it's got milk in it"

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    Quote Roxy View Post
    .....I recently watched the documentary "Earthlings". It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to watch in my life - however, it definately helped me reaffirm and strengthen my vegan beliefs.
    I have that movie bookmarked but am too afraid to watch it. Heard it's pretty graphic and difficult to see. However, it I ever need "reaffirming"...

  26. #26
    RubyDuby
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    i have it and have given out at least 10 copies... i however couldnt make it through the first 20 minutes.

    yum- its one thing to be aware (like we all are) but sometimes u need to see it even though u already know, if u know what i mean.

    eta: i definitely understand what u mean about it being difficult to be a vegan... ordering at restaurants and such. I've even decided to stay in the closet for awhile, so to speak, at my new job because of the reactions i've had in the past and ultimate feelings toward me in other jobs.
    Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty.

  27. #27

    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Quote yum View Post
    I don't want to not be vegan
    That is good or we will not be able to talk to you anymore!

    Quote yum View Post
    I think i'm also really missing the freedom you get when your veggie when you can walk ino a shop and don't have to read every label. I went out for a meal on sunday which is also restricting.
    Even having been vegan for over 10 years I still find both of those things to be frustrating. It really is something that you sadly have to get used to and accept, and hope things will change.

    When I became vegan it was a much easier time to do so than it was for those who came before me. You could get things like soya milk in supermarkets. But even so things have still improved so much since then.

    Using the soya milk example you can now get multiple brands, and budget and fresh versions, from all manner of stores. Products are starting to include vegan as well as vegetarian in packaging. It is (mostly) getting easier all the time to find suitable things without having to go to specialist shops.

    And of course you can now get the dairy-free milk chocolate bars from places like Sainbury's.

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    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
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    Quote yum View Post

    I think i'm also really missing the freedom you get when your veggie when you can walk ino a shop and don't have to read every label.
    You have the same freedom as a vegan, because you aren't a vegan because someone forced you to it - you have chosen to be a vegan becase you have the freedom to become a vegan. If we describe using animal products as a 'freedom', it gets a little confusing, because one persons 'freedom' to eat eg. meat means another living being's lack of freedom to live. The same goes for other animal products, and the smaller amounts we are talkning about, the less difference it makes if we ar using them or not. (I wrote about this in a thread called Are you a Self Exhausting Microgram-Oriented Vegan?). I think we should skip words like 'cheating' and 'confessions' and 'perfect' and do our best. If the best someone can do is better than what their friend can do, don't use that against their friends. Vegan is not about perfect, because perfect is impossible. It's not about exhausting ourselves either, because then our vegan lifestyle won't last long.

    I've seen several examples people who think in 'blocks'. If they find it hard to read labels, they may use this as an 'excuse' to skip their veganism entirely... a la "if I can't be a perfect vegan I won't be a vegan at all" - which doesn't make sense to me.

    I'm not a Zen monk, and not against touching lovely women, but here's an old anecdote about what may happen if we try to hard to be perfect:

    THE RIVER
    Two Zen monks, Tanzan and Ekido, traveling on pilgrimage, came to a muddy river crossing. There they saw a lovely young woman dressed in her kimono and finery, obviously not knowing how to cross the river without ruining her clothes. Without further ado, Tanzan graciously picked her up, held her close to him, and carried her across the muddy river, placing her onto the dry ground. Then he and Ekido continued on their way. Hours later they found themselves at a lodging temple. And here Ekido could no longer restrain himself and gushed forth his complaints: “Surely, it is against the rules what you did back there…. Touching a woman is simply not allowed…. How could you have done that? … And to have such close contact with her! … This is a violation of all monastic protocol…” Thus he went on with his verbiage. Tanzan listened patiently to the accusations. Finally, during a pause, he said, “Look, I set that girl down back at the crossing. Are you still carrying her?”
    (Based on an autobiographical story by Japanese master Tanzan, 1819-1892)

  29. #29
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Yum have you tried making Hot Chocolate (Green and Black's - labelled vegan)? It's lovely a chocolatey and not at all bitter. Good for a choccie craving.

    Alpro chocolate soya milk is good for this too, and you can drink a whole carton safe in the knowledge that it's vegan, low fat and fortified

    Both available in Sainsbury's.

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Green&Blacks hot chocolate is so nice! As is all of their dark chocolate .. got a nice G/B easter egg which was good too

    For those interested - the Earthlings movie is online here .. Pretty hard to watch really but just stick with it I'd say ..
    http://veg-tv.info/Earthlings
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  31. #31
    JC
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Don't you think it's easier being vegan than vegetarian when it comes to labelling? The definition of vegetarian is so wide, personal choices aren't always taken into consideration. for example, a lacto-vegetarian is placed in the same brackets as an ovo-lacto-vegetarian. so a lacto-vegetarian could order something labelled as vegetarian from a restaurant, only to discover it has egg in it. being vegan is simple; nothing that comes from an animal! (although sometimes people still find this hard to grasp 'so...do you eat fish?' lol)

  32. #32

    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    I buy the Swiss Chocolate Rice Milk Couverture Bar in Waitrose. If you stock up on it and always have one in your handbag, you may find that because you've always got some chocolate with you that you can have at any point, you don't actually want it all the time!! Does that make sense?!
    Plus, none vegan freinds are amazed when you hand it round (if you can bear to) and they find that it's vegan.
    Eventually you may get to the point that I did, where the though of anything containing milk makes me feel a bit Eeeugh! One of Viva's campaign leaflets showing the contents of a pint of milk left a serious impression on me! Have a look at their website.
    Good luck though, and remember, even if you have a slight relapse at any point, it's not the end of the world. You're doing loads for the sake of the animals, the environment and your own health. Tomorrow is always a new day when you start refreshed, energised, and ready to conquer the world!

  33. #33
    Rentaghost Marrers's Avatar
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    Another recommendation for the Organcia Swiss Chocolate Rice Milk Couverture Bar - I've also given it to non-vegans without them noticing it is not milk chocolate. I think it is far better than any of the others I've tried over the years, which I hated.
    Organica do the vegan white chocolate too which might be worth a try when it is back in production.
    If you can't find it at Waitrose you should be able to get it in most health food shops. Now you know from harpy's link what packaging to look out for! If they don't have it they might order it if you ask and explain that it will be very popular!

    As for nice plain chocolate for those of us who find some dark chocolate bitter Waitrose own brand plain chocolate (big bar, red wrapper) was much nicer than any others as it is quite sweet. You'll have to check it is still vegan though - I haven't bought it for quite a while as I've gone right off slabs of chocolate. If it is still okay they do a fruit and nuts version too.
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  34. #34
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    I totally understand being the Vegan in an unvegan world. It's really hard sometimes especially when you're out and about and want something to eat only to find there's nothing at all

    As for the motivation side have you read any books on the food side of things? Books like The Food Revolution detail what is involved in food production with such graphic detail that aside from how cruel omni food is, you'll always remember just how disgusting it is too. I find it really helps as I know deep down inside I'm doing the right thing by everyone.


  35. #35
    100% sure – I'm going vegan! yum's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Korn: Hi- i meant about the choice. So that when i go shopping there is not so much choice of what to eat. Not because i want to eat dairy but because i wish there was more of a choice of vegan foods. Thanks for your kind words.


    Quote absentmindedfan View Post
    Yum have you tried making Hot Chocolate (Green and Black's - labelled vegan)?
    Alpro chocolate soya milk is good for this too, and you can drink a whole carton safe in the knowledge that it's vegan, low fat and fortified

    Both available in Sainsbury's.
    No i haven't tried that. I love alpro soya choc milk though!


    Quote Crafterga View Post
    .
    Good luck though, and remember, even if you have a slight relapse at any point, it's not the end of the world. You're doing loads for the sake of the animals, the environment and your own health. Tomorrow is always a new day when you start refreshed, energised, and ready to conquer the world!
    Thanks

    Quote aubergine View Post
    I totally understand being the Vegan in an unvegan world. It's really hard sometimes especially when you're out and about and want something to eat only to find there's nothing at all
    Yesterday wasn't so bad when i went out for the meal with work as i had planned what i was going to eat before hand by checking out the menu on the net. I'm actua;;y feeling not so rbbish today. As i say, it has only been the last couple of days that i've been feeling down.

  36. #36
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Is it that time of the month for you, Yum? Sometimes hormones can make you have strong cravings. I agree with what Korn said about your body possibly needing certain nutrients.

    I didn't used to like dark chocolate much as I found it too bitter but the Green and Blacks are good, as are the Organica bars. Try Mora Mora too, if you can find it. Alpro chocolate desserts are a good option too.

    I accidently ate a piece of milk chocolate about a year ago and thought I might be sick, it was so creamy and phlemy (sp?)! Tastes certainly do change.


    If all else fails, clean your teeth. That'll stop you wanting to eat. Stick at it! When I was first veggie, it was hard to eat out, buy chocolate, etc. but now that's easy so veganism will get easier too, I'm sure!
    "Do what you can with what you have where you are."
    - Theodore Roosevelt

  37. #37
    100% sure – I'm going vegan! yum's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Cheers

  38. #38
    littlewinker
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    when i went vegan once (i done it for about 3 months without finding vegan recipes - i was just cutting stuff out) i was craving my favourite cheesy buttery warm pitta bread realllly badly. I decided on the spot to go back to being veggie and asked my mum to make me the pitta. I thought my mum would be really pleased and praise me, but she didn't, she seemed cold (now i know that although she's not a vegan yet she agrees that veggie isn't good enough). I thought that I would feel relief as I tucked in but the pitta didn't taste as lovely as I'd imagined, it just wasn't the same, and it took me soo long to eat. I felt hollow. I gradually back back to being vegan within months and was back to a full vegan within 8 months and I've now been one for nearly a year and I know it's for good this time

    just remember that you're imagining the choc to taste better than it really is because you haven't eaten it for so long you're remembering it through rose tinted glasses ... i didn't explain that well but you get me?

    also it just won't be the same when you eat it, even if it physically tastes perfect, because you're going against your morals. Honestly, you won't enjoy it. Just remember you're actually contributing to slaughter if you eat it cos the dairy industry couldn't exist without the beef one, there would be too many males. Or remember whatever reason you went vegan for in the first place

    Remember to feel proud of yourself if you resist, you'll feel so much stronger for it and you probably won't get a craving again. Also, if you don't resist, it doesn't mean you've failed and might as well give up, it's just a blip, you can carry on with veganism and still call yourself one

    i hope i helped

  39. #39
    JC
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    i think your cravings must come from thinking that you're not allowed something. you imagine whatever it is must taste amazing, but it never lives up to your expectations. sometimes i do fasts, and after a few days, i can't help but think about all the food i'm ''missing'', when usually i wouldn't give it a second thought. the fact that you can't have something makes you want it all the more. in a way, it's annoying that there's so much good vegan food out there, it's too hard to resist!

  40. #40
    littlewinker
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    ^yeah exactly!

    Like I always thought that my diet is less varied now I'm vegan than whemn I was veggie, so to check I wrote down all what I eat now and then and the meals I eat and for both there is more variety now I'm vegan! It's just cos I'm thinking about it more.

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Hello,
    Sainsburys do a milky style chocolate in their free from range. Maybe you could try grating it for the Flake effect!! I don't think anyones mentioned "the cake scoffer" have they? thats got a recipe in it for a Mars style bar. Also if you google "cinder toffee" you can find recipes for the inside of Crunchies that you can then cover with chocolate. By the time you've eaten all the suggestions on this thread you'll never want to look at chocolate again anyway LOL.
    Janet

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    yum - i know the feeling. i'm a vegan of one year, and a veggie for three, but recently i've been having a craving, of all things, for fish and chips. there's been an advert on tv recently for it, and rather than grossing me out, it's reminded me how much i used to like it.

    for me, the thing that has helped is reminding myself that just because i might like it doesn't mean i should eat it. for me, meat doesn't really 'gross me out', so the not eating it thing doesn't come from that repulsion that people have - it's a philosophical thing. so i have to remind myself why i chose to become vegan - sometimes it does seem easier to just go 'sod it, why am i making life so hard for myself', particularly as my other half is omni. but then i think about it and remember why i've made this decision, and i realise that while i might being thinking it would taste nice, i know if i actually had it in front of me, i wouldn't be able to eat it. it's like, my life would be a lot easier if i had a slave, but i know if one actually was in my house, i'd be telling them to watch tv while i polished the furniture because morally i'd feel too uncomfortable.

    does that make any sense at all?

    amanda

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Quote flying plum View Post
    yum - i know the feeling. i'm a vegan of one year, and a veggie for three, but recently i've been having a craving, of all things, for fish and chips. there's been an advert on tv recently for it, and rather than grossing me out, it's reminded me how much i used to like it.
    I get the same thing sometimes for fish or cheese. It's not a craving for me, it's the fact that I live with omnivores and when they have fish or pizza, I feel left out. What worked for me was smelling their food. You might not realise it but after a year of being vegan, your tastes are likely to have changed and I bet you'd be disgusted by the taste of fish or cheese if you did "relapse".

    The other day everyone was eating pizza here and I was feeling left out. I gave the pizza a good sniff and wretched a little. I used to love the smell and it didn't smell that bad until I got a really close, big sniff but when I did it just smelled like rancid grease and smell is a very good indicator of how something is going to taste.

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    flying plum's Avatar
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    Quote Nyphur View Post
    You might not realise it but after a year of being vegan, your tastes are likely to have changed and I bet you'd be disgusted by the taste of fish or cheese if you did "relapse".
    yeah - that's what i meant when i said that even if i had it in front of me, i doubt i'd actually be able to eat it.

    i'm trying to not let myself feel guilty...haveing non-vegan thoughts makes me feel bad, but i know that in not acting on it, and reminding myself why i don't eat them is really making me a stronger vegan than i was, rather than a worse one. i wish i could be repulsed by the idea of eating meat, but i'm not sure i really am...i just philosophically disagree with it. it would be so much easier if the smell revolted me!

    amanda

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Quote flying plum View Post
    i wish i could be repulsed by the idea of eating meat, but i'm not sure i really am...i just philosophically disagree with it. it would be so much easier if the smell revolted me!

    amanda
    I don't know about you but the smell of cooked chicken makes me gag especially badly. Fish smells awful but chicken is the worst and I can smell it all over the house when my dad's cooking it. It wasn't always like that, it did take a year or two before I really started being physically disgusted by it. I used to love the smell back before I went vegetarian and for a long while after that.

    If you aren't disgusted by the idea of eating meat, I'm sure some of the other people on the forum here have some very good suggestions. I just remind myself that it used to be alive and I don't eat dead bodies.

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    i wouldn't say i'm not disgusted by it - like i said, put in front of me, i'm pretty sure i couldn't get fork to mouth. ifor me, my morals come from a philosophical revulsion of human arrogance with regards to exploitation and commodification of animals. so for me, it's more reminding myself that the thing on the plate is a product of a culture that sickens me.

    having said that though, i won't walk down the meat aisle at the supermarket with my boyfriend, and i can't stand to be in a butchers. and now you mention it...fish has made me feel sick recently. my flatmate's boyfriend cooked fish for her, baked in the oven or something. when i came home hours later, the whole flat smelt of fish, but to me, it smelt like something rotting in teh bin. so maybe my thoughts have changed and i've not really realised it. this fish thing hasnt' come from watching other people eat it, but from a stupid advert on tv which shows a fried cod thing being cut in slo-mo by a fork. i guess because i can't smell it etc etc....just evoked memories, i s'pose? not sure what of though - i'm not finding it 'hard' to be vegan at the moment or anything.

    amanda

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    I can't bear dairy - anything described as "creamy", sauce or whatever, just makes me heave. The thought of all those thick cholesterol sauces - barf!
    Silent but deadly :p

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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    sorry to butt in - just thought I'd mention on the topic of chocolate that kinnertons do a really nice dark chocolate bar, sorry if its been mentioned, I could hardly tell it was dark chocolate - its available from sainsburys.
    "On the dance-floor I am a world class freak... Its the beat"

  49. #49
    100% sure – I'm going vegan! yum's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    Janet: Thanks for those ideas- i never thought about making my own chocolate bars. Making a mars bar sounds like fun



    Quote Orange-powered View Post
    sorry to butt in - just thought I'd mention on the topic of chocolate that kinnertons do a really nice dark chocolate bar, sorry if its been mentioned, I could hardly tell it was dark chocolate - its available from sainsburys.

    Yes i got one of these easter eggs yesterday which i was excited about and it was very nice

  50. #50
    100% sure – I'm going vegan! yum's Avatar
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    Default Re: having vegan troubles

    i thought i'd just let you guys know that i am feeling much better after the other week. I didn't relapse and am continuing my vegan journey...choo choo!

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