From my understanding of things most food cravings stem from your body needing some kind of nutrition that it's not getting. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.
Now I expect to have crazy cravings since I'm pregnant, but honestly the meat and cheese cravings are surprising me a bit.
Meat makes my stomach hurt and so does dairy, but when I'm hungry it's all I can think about. I had two chicken tacos today and now my stomach hurts like hell, but I feel SO satisfied.
I really don't want to eat meat. I know it's not good for me, it causes me pain, it's bad for the environment, cruel to animals..I know all those things. But lately I crave it. I'm eating tons of fruits and veggies, but I think my diet is probably real low in fat when I'm eating 100% raw because I can't stand avacados and have never liked nuts other than roasted peanuts. Is this maybe the problem?
Any ideas would be really appreciated. I really want to succeed on this, but right now my cravings are just getting the better of me.

When I'm craving heavier foods I find that nothing satisfies better than bananas. I can eat one, two or several without overbalancing my percent fat for the day. If I'm craving it, and want the fat I spread some almond butter on one.

You could make sunflower seed balls or something or use other seed pastes or oils, like flax oil. Some fat is healthy - your body needs it!

[utopiankitchen.wordpress.com]

I eat like 6 bananas a day. I think I'm going to have to learn to like avacados, nuts, and seeds. I hope as I go more raw I'll develop a taste for these things. Right now they just taste terrible to me though.

I disagree that cravings are from nutrient deficiencies. I tend to find that they are from detox, to addictive or over-stimulating foods. Meat is addictive because of addictive compounds it has, same for cheese. Sugar works like a drug. Some people on this board will argue the same for spices or onions or garlic. Some people find this to be true for wheat, if they are sensitive to it. The thigns that are the worst for you give the worst cravings.

When you stop drinking coffee, you feel awful and crave it. If you drink some more coffee, or anything with caffeine, the craving goes away. Same with heroin. Healthy foods don't cause those kinds of cravings.

But I agree with you, that here you are probably just needing denser foods, more calories. You could try hiding fats in green or other smoothies, or try an avocado chocolate pudding, or one of the other great ideas here. Experiment.

rost0037 wrote:

"Meat is addictive because of addictive compounds it has, same for cheese. Sugar works like a drug. Some people on this board will argue the same for spices or onions or garlic. Some people find this to be true for wheat, if they are sensitive to it. The thigns that are the worst for you give the worst cravings."


I read recently (and sorry, right now I can not remember where) that meat contains opiate-like compounds that are, in fact, addictive...other foods as well, though I don't want to misquote...I'll try and locate the source later.

I also agree that we crave the things that are/or tend to hurt us most. Some speculate (or have they proven?) that allergies to certain substances perversely cause cravings for that very thing: think alcohol and alcoholics or sugar and diabetics.

But very often, at least for me, cravings are psycho-emotional-mental thingamajiggies that cause a rash of rationalizations all over the body. When this happens, the only thing to do is to just say "no" and find a way to comfort yourself in a more healthful and overall positive way...easier said than done I know.


khale

hey brenna shoot me your address via pm and i'll send you some raw macadamia nuts... even if you don't like nuts you are sure to like these blended into a dip for veggies with lemon (and i toss in nama shoyu and/or garlic and/or dry mustard too sometimes).

sounds like your body is craving calorie dense foods (fats, etc.)

what about coconuts, do you like those?

I have noticed a difference between cravings and urges. I agree with rost0037 about cravings and detox. What I have noticed that as I get more raw (time and pure) the signals from my body get less and less static and come more in the form of an urge then a craving. It is more of an intuitive feel that moves me to know what food to eat next or what I should buy the next time I am getting food.

Maui so far I have not liked coconuts either. Even before I learned about raw I was always a very picky eater. That's one of the things I'm struggling with as far as staying raw. I like a lot of fruits and some veggies, but not much beyond that. I'm hoping as I stick with this longer my tastes will change. I honestly had never even tried an avacado until this. I had my first mango 3 years ago when I met my husband. My family was always big on meat and potatoes, we had a garden, but it had a couple watermelon, some tomatoes, and cucumbers and that's about it. Even in my family full of picky eaters I am considered the picky one. I was raised on a lot of junk food and processed food and was never really taught how to cook or make anything healthy, so when I became an adult I relied on food I could make from the recipe on the back of the box or things I could heat up in the microwave.
Switching to raw foods has been a real adventure for me. I tried nectarines, peaches, plums, kale, and avacados for the first time last month. I was grocery shopping, walked by some nectarines and plums and they literally smelled so sweet and good that I had to buy some right away. So hopefully that means my tastes are changing. At this point though I can't stand anything even remotely bitter or more than a little sour. I'm continuing to buy coconuts and avacadoes and nuts and try them, but so far I haven't liked them. Maybe that will change as I eat more raw. At this point I'm pretty sure the cravings are a combination of detox and needing more fat in my diet. I'm just going to tough it out and keep trying stuff.

Yep, khale. Neal Barnard's "Breaking the Food Seduction" talks about addiction, especially with meat and dairy (cheese especially) and refined grains. A good read, skip the recipes at the end (low-fat vegan, but overall too refined and processed for most of us).

hi brenna :-)

Were the chicken tacos takeaway or home made?

If they were home made and you think you'll slip up regularly, maybe it's worth having some organic tofu or quinoa mince in the fridge/freezer so if you absolutely have to have that taco, at least you're eating a healthier alternative. It might be easier to wean off of the meat that way. Also, could try and swap the tacos for wholemeal tortillas and go heavy on the salad and make a raw mayo instead of real mayo, plus fresh salsa. As a temporary solution, of course :-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2008 04:07PM by rawnoggin.

Oh I walked across the parking lot on my lunch break and went to baja fresh. I don't have any meat in the house whatsoever because I know if it's there I'll eat it. I made that decision a while ago, because that way if I want meat I have to go out and get it and pay way more for it than I would if I went to the grocery store. It's good logic most of the time especially since I'm pretty broke. I slip of maybe every couple of weeks which is not bad for someone who ate meat twice a day before.
Never have liked tofu or quinona. Or soy anything either really. I managed a few veggies burgers but they're just ok. Don't like mayo either come to think of it. Jeez I'm picky!
I think next time I am craving junk food like that I need to make myself up a big batch of rice and kidney beans(my favorite cooked meal). As far as cooked food goes I'd say that's low on the list of things that are bad for me and it has lots of protein.

I used to picture the animal I was eating, then I would lose my appetite for the meat naturally. I remember the last BLT I ever had, it was my favorite food . I pictured the pig and then I could never order another one, and I was fairly little. It was a nice, natural progression, nothing forced, no discipline. Get one of those nice PeTA pamphlets

rost that is a good idea. After I ate those tacos yesterday I felt sick and tired for hours like I do every time anyway, so I felt really stupid about it. My stomach always gets bloated and painful when I eat meat, you think I'd learn. I think probably pulling that many things out of your diet all at once might be a bit much. I probably should have gone slower, but now that I know about raw I want to do it 100% all the time!
I will have to try to not beat myself up about the occasional slip up and just get back on track.