Chicken cravings.

I've been a vegetarian for almost 6 months now, and before that the only meat I really ate was chicken. Lately I've been getting strong chicken cravings. I've even dreamed of eating a chicken breast a few nights ago! I attributed that to low protein, even though I checked and I seemed to be getting enough. I upped the amount anyway but I'm still craving me some white meat! Does anyone have any idea what this could all be about? I'm thinking I should maybe reintroduce it into my diet because if my body wants it so badly, it should have it.

Does anyone have any idea what this is all about?

could be an iron deficiency or maybe you just miss the taste. what's stopping you from eating it? have some if you want it so bad. it'll be a breakthrough i think. trust your body and just eat it.

I was low in iron last time I was tested, which was sometime last year I think..

But you know what? You're totally right. I obviously want it for some reason or another, so I shouldn't deny myself of it. Thanks Chrissy.

What do you think you'll have to satisfy this craving? some specific food you're craving or restaurant? make it good :)

Oooh! Ooh! My favourite restaurant before I turned vegetarian was Nando's, I think I've told you about it..it specialises in the most amazing grilled, marinated spicy chicken ever. I'll get myself a grilled chicken wrap from there, and something else that'll satisfy this craving will be my mum's baked chicken breast..it's so chewy and filling. Yumm..*mouth waters* haha.

are either of those options realistic? will your mom make it? is the restaurant nearby? can you drive to get it?

Yes and yes. Nando's is just up the street and my mum makes the chicken breasts weekly. Also, I told her I'm going to start eating it again and she said we'll get smaller portions so I can cook them for myself during the day for lunch. By the way, do you think I'll get any sort of..reaction to eating meat again? I say this because I've heard of people getting sick after reintroducing meat.

i think you'll be fine if you're eating things that are cooked similarly at the moment. i wouldn't have cream or something if you've not been eating that. or a lot of cheese on it or something that your body hasn't had in a while. so if you usually have stir fried tofu with olive oil then stir fried chicken with olive oil might be easier to handle than preparing it with stuff you don't usually eat. does that make sense? so if the sauce your mom cooks it in contains ingredients that you've been eating then it should be fine.

I tried going vegan for a while,  and while I had no cravings initially, after a while I started to get MASIVE cravings for fish and chicken. My cravings were mostly for fish though - because  salmon is the animal protein I ate the MOST before going vegan - much like chicken was YOUR main source.


The cravings got  unbearable  -  so I would have days where I would have a huge piece of fish. The cravings would go away for a little - but ultimately they would return.


So - now I am back to eating lots of chicken, fish, and animal proteins and the cravings have totally gone away.


So - my body craved the animal protein - and it stopped cravings it once I gave my body what it craved.

It sounds likely that it would be the same for most other people.

You should eat what you want to eat, I suppose. I'm vegan and I don't try to convert anyone. I don't have cravings for animal protein. I've been vegan for 10 years. The most difficult thing for me to give up was cheese. I have made that commitment for several reasons. I think that if you don't want to give up meat you shouldn't. But I think it's a mistake to assume that everyone shares those cravings.

I'm a vegetarian and I actually don't miss any meat. I've had dreams where I've been eating chicken or fish but I don't think anything of it. They're just dreams. Sometimes I'll be like "oh, I used to love quarter pounders from Mcdonalds." but I'm not going to RUN IN and have one just because I used to love them.

Think about why you went vegetarian 6 months ago.  I understand you shouldn't deprive yourself of food, but maybe...well, maybe I just don't understand. I think I wouldn't be able to walk into my favorite restaurant and order something chicken off the menu just like that. I'm a really passionate vegetarian so I wouldn't ever just give into my cravings if I had them, but then again, I don't have them. I'm not trying to push vegetarianism on you, but I guess if anything, it'd be awesome if you stuck it out. But hey, to each their own I guess. I wouldn't be saying this to someone who was a carnivore.

Personally, I don't have cravings because I substitute meat for tofu and other meat alternatives. Going vegetarian is not as easy as just cutting out meat. You need to check on your protein and iron levels and your b-12 supplements. But if I do want "meat", I have veggie burgers, veggie hotdogs, veggie sausages etc etc etc and I do all of my own cooking so I don't have to complain about anyone else's. I don't miss actual meat products in the slightest. I don't need meat and I remember constantly why I chose this lifestyle.

Edit: Sorry if this came off as bitchy, I didn't intend for it to come off that way.

Yepyep, that makes perfect sense Chrissy.

Personaltrainer, that's good to hear..but did you experience anything weird when eating meat again?

I see your point luhluhlovesongs, and that's why I posted this thread in the first place - to see if there was anything else I could do. I never craved any meat at all until the past month or so, and if I was going to run and have some chicken because I used to love it, I'd have definitely done so by now.

It's not that I missed the chicken as soon as I cut it out, it's that I've been getting very strong cravings for it now. And no, I don't want to deprive myself of it if my body is craving it this badly. I've reached a point where I can actually listen to my body and give it what it needs, and I do not want to stop. I am hesitant about eating chicken because of my beliefs, but I have to say that I'm not completely sure I became a vegetarian for my beliefs - since I was in a very bad place 6 months ago. I mean, before that I was still passionate about animal rights, but without placing the restriction of cutting out chicken from my diet. I eat a great deal of veggie products high in protein but my craving only intensifies daily. You didn't come off bitchy in the slightest and I appreciate your advice.