Meat cravings-is it vitamin B12 issue?

[greeninlosangeles]

I was all raw for 6 months, then had some issues with weakness and detox. So I ate a little cooked and now crave meat awfully. Can it be vitamin B12 defficiency?

[juliebove]

I tend to have a vitamin B12 deciciency unless I supplement and I have never ever craved meat. My husband and also one of my friends have no deficiencies that I know of and both of them crave meat all the time. Both of them dislike vegetables and most fruit and only like meat. They're the total opposite of me.

[rawpriestess]

B12 deficiencies, usually take about 3 years, at 100% raw before they surface,

and that is IF they surface, and B12 deficiencies are very rare, even in Vegans.

usually people who crave meat, really are craving the fats, so I would say eat more fats, avocados, nuts, raw oils, etc.

[vgloveforlife]

Fats definitly get those cravings-at least cheese/cooked cravings for I've never craved meat because I've never tasted it.

I recommend taking a b12 supplement. My daughter and I take one in a multi supplement at least once a week.

[Sunshine9]

A craving is usually a sign of something being detoxed from your system, not an actual need for it. However, taking a B-12 supplement and incorporating more high protein raw foods would probably help get rid of the craving.

[dreamrawalwz]

I was going to say the same thing Sunshine9 did. It's most likely detox, getting to the cellular level.

[greeninlosangeles]

Oh my, so I stopped it by eating some cooked? So I will need to go through it again?

[Lay-Lay]

When I crave meat I eat a avocado and it takes the meat craving away right away. If I'm really hungry I will eat two.

As far as B-12 its up to you whether to supplement or not. I personally Eat a few serving Laver seaweed a week that is jammed packed with B-12 and I have no worries!

[rawnora]

So I will need to go through it again?

Cleansing happens automatically when we start improving our diets. The extent of the improvements is what determines how fast the cleansing takes place. Some foods are very easy to digest and therefore don't take the energy that the body needs to keep cleansing. Others, like fats and cooked foods, do require a lot of energy to break down, so they effectively stop cleansing. If a person goes directly from SAD to low fat, high fruit and some greens (the ideal), the symptoms of cleansing will be more severe than if a person makes slow changes, keeping some designated, 'healthy' cooked foods in OR complex/fatty raw foods, like the gourmet recipes. This is why the complex recipes are popular among new raw fooders. As residues of your past food choices are liberated into your bloodstream on their way out of your body, you will experience uncomfortable feelings that you previously turned off by eating bad foods (we call these feelings "cravings"). Ultimately we need to learn how to just sit with the feelings rather than shutting them down, but in the meantime it's acceptable to use healthier replacement foods, like raw fats, to slow them down. In this way, it's possible for new raw fooders to 'manage' their symptoms of cleansing.

You might be interested in reading the essay on my website about my own transition: http://www.rawschool.com/rawevolution.htm. Also my essay on 'emotional eating' might be helpful: http://www.rawschool.com/emotionaleaters.htm

All the best,
Nora
www.RawSchool.com