Craving Meat!

[Fresh_Verve]

Hey there beautiful Raw people.
I need a bit of help. its been 3 months or so on raw foods. feeling for most part amazing. however the last two days I am incredibly craving meat and fish. OMG! like you wouldn't believe it. I know that some of the cravings are mostly detox reaction but yesterday it took every single part of my being not to eat the can of trout that i had - phefff..... i didn't and today gave it to my friend. This was the LAST thing of the "old" world left in my kitchen.
WoW.... what to do? I live in Peru so not so many things are available but I am borderline here.... nuts and seeds are not cutting it for me. I have adequate omega 3, 6 and 9 in my diet (flax seed oil) and i have a multivitamin. also i have nori sheets available to me and I am not craving them - but a nice piece of ***edited out by Moderator*** :D would do it for me now...
any suggestions? WELCOME.

for women: have you found that during certain parts of your cycle you crave things more? But I'm not talking chocolate here.

gracias.....

ps: I will be starting another fast in 2 weeks (a 10 day fast)

[appifanie]

I'm a vegan - I don't eat animals. I'm not as raw as I'd like to be, but I'm always vegan.

This should help eliminate cravings for animals - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkLt88_u5lQ

[DawnD]

Hi welcome to RFT. I would think that you would want to just push through these cravings til they pass. I don't know of any food off the top of my head to sub or satisfy for meat craving. I never was one to disire a lot of meat so I dont miss it. I use raw milk cheese about and ounce or two a week. Hopefully someone will chime in that has conquered the cravings that you are facing. I wish you the best on your journey.

[GreenT]

Watch the movie documentary "Food Inc." That really changed my eating lifestyle :)

[bananarama]

DO NOT EAT RAW MEAT!!! It contains bacteria (i.e. salmonella) that could cause your kidneys to shut down, and then you could DIE. :eek: I'm being totally serious here. It's not funny at all.

You crave what's in your blood, and you're probably eliminating stored meat residues right now. If you have acess to any kind of colon-cleansing product (i.e. psyllium husks or a brand name product), or even to a colon hydrtherapist (if you have), then that could be the route to go.

[Aleesha Sattva]

We are a raw VEGAN board and therefore we don't discuss eating animal products.

in light,
Aleesha
Moderator

[MelanieBear]

If you find that you're craving dense things, I'd consider staying away from a fast. If the body is asking for dense foods, restricting it to very light (or no) foods could cause you to binge later, or to go back to the animal products. Better to take a middle path than wind up "cleaning" out just to go back to the very habits you're trying to transform.

I think spreads made of miso and tahini mixed together are very dense, filling, and salty. I'm not sure if you can get these where you are, but it's worth checking. Can you identify what about the meat you're craving? Texture? Saltiness? The heavy feeling of eating it? I can't say that I've craved meat in a long, long time, but when I do have a craving, I try to identify *why* I'm having it.

Maybe it's also worth checking to be sure that you're getting adequate protein in your diet and some good sources of density. There are so many ways to meet those needs in the plant world---you can do it!

Any time you feel your motivation is waning, it's great to look at websites that do vegan educaton. I like "The Humane Myth" a lot---maybe you can check that one out for inspiraton!

Very best,
Melanie

[Aleesha Sattva]

melanie, i've actually healed/overcome so many cravings by fasting. so many. so saying she shouldn't fast because she is having those cravings isn't necc. accurate in my opinion anyways...

in my experience, it's more of a reason to fast! cleanse those residual toxins and memories from your cells... do some nice deep cleansing and see what awaits you on the other side.

but then as you know... i'm a lover of the fast!

[Fresh_Verve]

hmmm... interesting feedbacks...

I feel somewhat restricted in my capacity to reply due to the forum policy, however I will try.

Thank you Melanie for your questions and your comments. I found it most useful and your questions allowed me to turn within and reflect on a few things more.

Bananarama - I have eaten raw meat in my childhood (customary thing where I grew up - a delicacy) and I am alive. you will not die from eating raw meat if its prepered right. and yes I agree with you that you crave what is in your blood.

Aleesha thank you for your reminder on the vegan aspect of the forum, also agree with you on the fasting way and removing the residual toxins.

My diet choice and change has to do with what I do for living and how I chose to live with the spirit, I am very aware of the implications of karma, energy, spirit and so on in ingesting animal flesh. I also chose to view the world with Buddhist perspective. I am a proponent of vegan lifestyle myself so sending me to a YouTube video to "cure" my cravings isn't helpful.

It was not my intention to cause controversy by starting this thread.
I am guessing that none of you were born vegan so you must have gone through some sort of transition to arrive where you are at, I was looking more at the tips and things you did then to help you with that transition.
Now I know that this topic isn't discussed here - which is another thing for me to reflect about. I remember reading that 80/10/10 isnt discussed here either.

Lucky for me today I got a hold of an amazing book that is addressing my question and more completely in tune with what I am doing - By Dr. Gabriel Cousens called Spiritual Nutrition - Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundalini.

I guess where I'm at the bigger question that I'm asking is - what is the relationship between the nutrient assimilated and spiritual unfolding? At the same time being daily reminded that I am human and ALWAYS working on myself.

Thank you all.

[RawKnitster]

Try a marinated Portabella mushroom. Very satisfying when I want something "meaty". Quick and easy, too. I've been making this recipe for years. Have not found a way to improve on it. I think it came from "The Raw Food Primer".

Use a spoon to scrape the black feathers from underneath a big, fresh portabella mushroom. Slice the mushroom in strips about 1/4" thick. (Thicker is okay, just marinate longer.)

Marinade:

3 T. olive oil
1 T. Nama Shoyu (or equiv.)
1 T. water
1/2 t. minced fresh garlic
1/2 t. cumin powder
1/2 t. dried thyme

Whisk together the marinade ingredients. Pour over the mushroom slices. Stir to coat evenly. Marinade at least 10 minutes, stirring occassionally. (If you taste it, you will have a hard time waiting 10 minutes. ;))

Eat as is, or wrap in romaine leaves with slices of avocado and tomato.

[RawKnitster]

To answer another part of your original post, I used to crave seafood a day or two before starting a new cycle. I say used to as I'm well into menopause now. Once in a while I get a craving for seafood. Salty, raw green olives or soaked dulse tossed in a salad takes care of the fish cravng. :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

thanks for the recipe raw... i'm saving it for later this week. mmmmm i looooooove ports!

fresh, we don't care what you choose to eat. it's your choice and we honour that. we simply don't discuss it here is all. ;)

[Fresh_Verve]

Thank you so much for this post and the previous one. :)
This drastic diet change has been something interesting. My body can't seem to tolerate fresh garlic, onions or leeks. I am trying powdered garlic now - however I have to be careful in how much i use (I wonder too if that is considered raw - probably not - high process of heat etc...)
I love mushrooms and they definitively give me the "meat" feeling - they aren't easy to get here though but when I see them, I jump on them :)

I am going to make your Nori Rolls tomorrow. That sounds divine.

As for the cycle, I think my body is adjusting (yet again) to many changes - i'm in the middle of mine now and I have insatiable appetite (+ the cravings). I'm keeping a journal so i will be able to evaluate more when I go through this process... funny how things make sense in retrospect no?

Thank you again for your posts.

[EscapeArtist]

I craved meat like crazy when I went raw for a month
Two things that helped a LOT
-b 12 supplements, reduced my cravings a ton
-more greens

[RawKnitster]

You can leave out the garlic. :)

I forgot about the nori rolls. That is another salty dish that satisfies.

Thinking about fish reminds me of the time I had lunch at a friend's house. There wasn't much raw so I loaded up on lettuce and green olives. I ate so many olives it felt like I had gone swimming in the ocean. I only eat 5-6 at a time now. I buy quart jars of big, raw green olives from "Raw Earth Organics" or "Essential Living Foods" (these are packed in Peru!). Both have a buttery, meaty, saltiness that satisfies all cravings. :)

[babeak]

It has been years since I became vegan and if you think about this being a journey and that there is no one to punish you if you go back or take a detour then perhaps it won't seem so difficult.

I had a hard time giving up soda for many years. I would go back to it repeatedly and it was never really what I wanted it to be. It did not make me this or that beautiful person having a lovely life as the commercials like to portray. It ruined my teeth and perhaps bones. It was an ebb and flow til finally I had had enough. THis was not until after I was a vegan for many years. I don't know how I ever thought that that was okay to consume even if it was not an animal.

Becoming vegan did not happen over night. I first was vegetarian for several years, but that did not happen overnight either. I was raised in TX as an unwilling participant in the processing of animals and was entrenched in that culture of you have to have this or you won't live. So, while I never liked it, time is needed for the adjustment and to see how you feel. However, giving up dairy was one of the hardest things, because I would go back and forth until I got some info about what is really in dairy and how it is largely an industry brainwashing....and it is the same with the m*** industry and the almighty *protein* diet recommendations.

I think that going a step backwards is not the end of the world, but if you do so....did you get from it what you really wanted? I daresay that if you diet is well balanced and varied that this might be a mind over matter issue....even with monthly cycles based upon what info might have been pounded into your head as a kid and adult as to what we need to be healthy and/ or strong. I think that it is also hard going against mainstream and the ideas and connections that I need this or that because of what I am feeling. I hope that that makes sense. I have always felt a change in how I feel during that time of the month. However, I don't think that eating non-vegan is going to make me feel better. I usually am very tired the first day or day before. Well, my body is going through some pretty amazing hormonal and dramatic changes. I allow for that to just be...and well accommodate with a nap if I can. :D

Hope that helps you to be easy on yourself and if you go back to prior diet choices, then so be it. THinking of it is a journey that some people are born in the right place, other travel to the desired destination by many different routes. Some follow a short cut, while others may wander all over the world trying to find there way to the same place.

Best wishes.

[Stella Green]

1. Make sure you are getting enough iron. This is especially important during that time of the month. Leafy greens are an excellent source, but remember that you need vitamin c to go along with the greens so that your body can absorb the iron. That's just ONE of the reasons why green smoothies are so big around here :D.

2. Make sure you are getting enough calories.

3. Make sure you are getting enough fat. Think: avocados and coconut.

4. Don't poo poo the whole cacao idea. It's got a lot of magnesium that your body craves. Also, treat yourself well and make yourself a beautiful raw dessert. Love your body, love the planet, and all that other lovey dovey stuff is so much easier to dig after you've just had a big ol' slice of date nut torte.

[Fresh_Verve]

RawKnitster – I went to our market and bought ½ lbs of raw green olives and ate ½ of that in one sitting. I didn’t feel that I was swimming in an ocean but I did get my craving to subside a lot – I got to hear my bodys voice going “yeah yeah – I am detoxing, this is helping YOU, not necessarily me" the next day my feet were swollen from all the salt but by that evening everything went back to normal.

Babeak – thank you for your encouraging story

Stella – Oh trust me I use the raw cacao all the time! Love it. I know also from my research that Cacao isn’t exactly raw and some raw food people frown at it – but I wouldn’t turn my back on cacao :p

Also yesterday I added 1 tbs of grated fresh ginger to my salad and that has whipped the remainder of my cravings. I went to look in my ayurvedic books and sure enough its one thing that does help to decrease cravings.

It has been for sure some intense 5 days with all of it but I feel energetically on the other side of the experience so that feels super wonderful and encouraging. I’m really proud of myself :)
Thank you again.

[Stella Green]

I heart ginger :D

[January Noir]

Thanks for the Portabella mushroom recipe RawKnitster! :backhug

I've been using the recipe for the past month and I haven't found a marinade that's better! :eat

[mcster]

I could be completely wrong here but IMO it sounds like this is neither a mental or emotional issue but rather a physiological one. I'm with Stella in that I'm wondering if you're getting enough fats. Try eating lots of avos and coconut (oil) for a week and see what happens. In regards to the iron angle, blackstrap molasses is a great source not only of iron but of the vitamins and minerals that help your body assimilate it. Give that a try as well.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Maybe you are low in Iron and B12. Look for gojji berries (very rich in iron). Spirulina rich in B12 too.

Keep the faith on raw vegan food, it truly heals your body.

Best luck!

[OnMyJourney]

I had a similar experience my first time on the Master Cleanse. I was craving tuna. As soon as my cleanse was over, I prepared some and popped it into my mouth and it didn't get past the tip of my tongue before I gagged. My body was telling me that I needed something IN the tuna (nutrient wise), but not the tuna itself.

As others have mentioned, take a look at the nutrients in the foods that you are craving and find raw foods that provide those same things. That's likely the ticket.

I wish you all the best! :heart

[mcster]

B12 has been mentioned in this thread several times. Am I the only one who buys into the idea of the B12 myth? For those who don't know, it's just as big as the protein one. My understanding and recollection is that we need a marginal amount of B12 and we get the required amount even through "decent" SAD. No one with a relatively healthy vegan diet and especially a raw diet should have a B12 deficiency.