[philana]

so

[707Goddess]

I'd like to know as well ?? I've been doing 100% fruit and veggies for almost 30 days and was wondering, How do you deal with chicken cravings???
Michelle

[shananigans]

I think it really depends a lot on why you stop eating animals and how you view animals. I see animals as non-human persons with just as much a right to not be killed and eaten as myself, so eating them isn't an idea I'd ever consider again. If you are avoiding flesh because of health or environmental reasons, then the logic that almost 100% is nearly as good as 100% actually makes some sense.

[DottieMae]

For me it was time. I slowly dropped meat products because my husband did. I just stopped cooking them at home. First he dropped red meat, then poultry. I'd say that was a span of 1.5 years. I still ate poultry (turkey & chicken) for lunch and sometimes out to dinner but didn't keep it in the house. Then I just got bored with it. I think it's also as I became a better vegetarian cook. Herbs, spices and seasonings make a huge difference in veggie entrees being appetizing.

Anyway, I just sort of stopped and lost any craving. To be honest every now and then my craving was somthing terrible like bacon. Because veggie bacon just isn't the same.

Have you tried Quorn products? There's been some controversy that they can cause intolerance in some people but we eat them from time to time and I find them a good chicken substitute for dishes. Not 100% healthy but good every now and then. The 'naked' filets I can season however I like. I sometimes put some herbs on them, bake them and top a salad with them. Seitan can be a good substitute too, but I find it required a lot of seasoning and can become rubbery too depending on how its cooked. If you can't find it premade you can make it from wheat gluten (usually sold near the flour) if you can find that.

While I consider myself a vegetarian and eat vegan 3-4 days a week I do 'slip up' if you like to call it that maybe 2x a year. We like to travel internationally and it can be very hard to find a vegetarian meal in smaller foreign countries. In those instances I do indulge in a locally caught fish once or twice. And I don't beat myself up for it. My husband would rather just fill himself with bread if there's no alternative, so it's really a matter of preference.

Good luck on keeping up with eating veggies!

[Musicgal]

I had a lightbulb moment a few years ago when I actually saw a cow in a trailer being taken to a slaughterhouse....so I decided to go vegan but I had a hard time sticking to the no dairy part. This time I am trying again because I believe meat/poultry/fish and dairy are just not that healthy for me. I cook meat, etc. for my family which is all men except for me and I try to persuade them otherwise but it is very hard to convince them that these foods have a lot of hormones and are not very healthy. My husband was the one who told me watch the movie Food Inc. but it didn't seem to affect him in the least...although I must say after that, I no longer eat chicken. However, now I told them that now I am vegan....again. So far, I am doing great and not at all tempted by meat although I have to admit I miss yogurt and ice cream but for that I am going for almond milk and soy yogurt. It is easier if you have family support but I just stick to my beliefs and add in lots of veggies to their meals!

[LAgreeneyes]

After I completed the juice cleanse, I ate a vegetarian diet and I loved it. I like the feeling that I had eating just fruits and vegetables. Eating meat made me feel stuffed and bloated and sluggish.