How do I maintain a vegan diet when I have those carnivorous urges?



I’ve began a vegan diet for health reasons, and though I have found my health is improving considerably, I’m constantly thinking about bacon cheeseburgers (my favorite food)!

For those of you who have maintained a vegan diet (75+% of your food/calories came from veggies, fruit, and legumes) for more than a year, what advice can you give to the newly vegan eaters for getting through the beginning stages where your mind is succumbing to your urges? Did you eat more of a certain type of food? Or did you read something that inspired you? What resource did you use to motivate yourself to stay away from meat and animal products?

Pretty please, don’t give me advice on adding seasoning or vegetable oil to my dishes. My problem is not with the food. It’s more so my lack of self-control – how embarrassing! ;)



Related posts

9 comments a "How do I maintain a vegan diet when I have those carnivorous urges?"

Read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Understanding the truth about where meat comes from may help you resist!

Whenever you crave meat, eat beans or soy-based meat alternatives.

Try Tofu Burgers….

Tofu can mimik just about any meat dish… well maybe not a good steak but definitely a meatloaf or a burger.

I am not vegan, but the doctor I work for does, and when I am stuffing my face with a double bacon cheeseburger, he makes comments to me like you shouldn’t be eating something that craps and pukes…that kind of makes me lose my appetite towards meat for a couple days.

There are a lot of analogues out there–veggie burgers, veggie deli slices, veggie crumbles to make tacos or chili, etc. You can learn to make your own seitan (wheat meat) and use that to cook “meaty” recipes. Arrowhead Mills makes Vital Wheat Gluten and the instructions are on the box. Just don’t simmer your seitan in plain water; use vegetable broth or use tamari, nutritional yeast, and spices to flavor the broth. Message me, and I’ll give you more details.

Also check out “The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook” by Robin Robertson. It has a few recipes with dairy, but you can sub with soy milk.

There’s also a company called Veggie Brothers that makes all sorts of analogues, and they deliver them frozen. It’s a little expensive, but the food is pretty good, especially the Seitan Ribs and the Seitan Flank Steak.

But I also stopped eating meat because when I started having problems when I ate it. Reading “Fast Food Nation” also really grossed me out.

Good luck!

The best vegan “burger” I’ve ever had was from a company called Sunshine.

Sunshine Burgers come in four flavors – Original, South West, Barbeque and Garden Herb. They are organic and made from whole ingredients. Sunshine Burgers can be a little hard to find, but they are available at Whole Foods Market, Wild Oats and many locally-owned health or natural food stores.

Top that with a homemade cheese sauce –

1 1/2 cups of plain soy milk
1 cup of water
1/3 cup of tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegesal or in lack of fancy product, just use salt
1/4 of a block of firm (not silken) tofu
1 cup of canola or vegetable oil

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Heat in small saucepan.

or another recipe found on

I usually eat brown rice with kidney beans or lentils to feel “full and satisfied”. I love the taste and it is a healthy meal.

Good Luck!

Try a Boca burger is taste like the real thing..but its soy aka fake meat….

Do plenty of jogging

Who said you have to give up a bacon cheeseburger because there is vegan bacon, vegan cheese, and my favorite vegan patties are “Boca’s” Spicy Chik’n Patties. It’s ALL vegan by the way (no animal products). I like putting it all together sometimes when I’m in the mood. And damn it; its good! ^_^

If your really skilled with tofu you can make it on your own, but you would have to be a level 5 vegan or something :D

Sorry I couldn’t help with the self control issue though.

Post your comment

You have to login to comment.



feed  Cooking ingredients -  ©2012 cooking-ingredients.com - Contact - Privacy