Vegetarian, How to resist temptation to eat meat?

Question

I've been a vegetarian for several months now. I became one because I wanted to have a healthier diet and I feel so bad for the animals.

I've done pretty well with not eating meat, even when I was tempted to. But lately I've been ordering things that contain meat at restaurants and having small amounts of meat such as turkey from the fridge. I feel guilty every time I eat meat, because this is something I want to stick with.

What are some tips for resisting the temptation?

Answer 1

Yeah you could easily look up a Youtube video on how meat is processed and such. It's 90% guaranteed to kill those temptations. If you want, a more in depth movie called Earthlings is very powerful. It's about the 5 ways humans use animals; pets, food, clothing, entertainment and science. This is a full out 90 minute movie and it convinced me to go vegan. I'd recommend watching it sometime in your life. Ever since then any temptations/cravings for dairy (I had a hard time giving up dairy at first when I went vegan, I haven't had meat for years so that's not an issue) are completely dead.

Answer 2

As many people do, you are claiming to be a vegetarian when you aren't, you are at the 'fussy eater' stage until you quit all animal products.



The problem with eating tiny amounts of meat is that the animal still needs to be raised and slaughtered whether you chomp through a 16oz steak or just eat a nugget of meat. You might as well carry on eating as much of the animal as possible that was killed for your pleasure otherwise you really are making a mockery of the ethics of vegetarianism.

Answer 3

There are a couple of strategies that you can use. But before i get into that let me tell you that it totally gets easier with time.

Next thing, and i know that this is going to sound a bit crazy. But animal products are addicting. physically. I've included a couple of sources so that you don't think i'm a crackpot.

Also some non vegetarian food is sort of "comfort food". reminding us of happier times or whatever. I know a vegetarian girl who after her mother died has a strong craving for roast beef - well it turns out all thru her formative years, her mom cooked roast beef every Sunday.

and finally, and i want to stress this: Cravings are rarely based on any real need or deficiency. The pregnant lady who has to have pickles and ice cream is a great example. Most of the time, cravings are just mental hiccups. glitches in our brain.



Ok, this isn't necessarily a strategy but it should help. Almost all the experts agree that it takes just 3 weeks to break a bad habit or to create a new one. So if you could just make yourself go three weeks in a row as a good vegetarian - the habit will be ingrained. you won't have to think about it - it will be effortless. That kind of payoff at the end of three weeks should be enough motivation to power thru.



Also by the end of three weeks, you should be thu all of the withdrawn problems.



Ok, now for the strategies. Be aware of what is triggering the temptations. Try to avoid them. this is one of the few times avoidance is a good strategy. but just being aware of them really helps a lot. For instance you go into a restaurant and you smell roast beef and suddenly you think you want roast beef. You can just say to yourself. No. I don't want roast beef.



Kind of dove tailing with the above strategy is substituting. I used to make sandwiches, just like I used to before i was a vegetarian - just not with meat. I would toast the bread, put on the mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, (cheese?). You can do that with a lot of meals. Chicken fetucinni without chicken. BLT without B. Beef stew without beef.



When you do give in to temptation, think of it as a learning experience. why did it happen? what can i do to prevent if from happening again. What can i do to make resisting temptation easier? this type of behavior is much better than feeling guilty.

Answer 4

Being a vegetarian does not mean your diet is healthy.



A healthy diet is one that eats complex carbohydrates and avoids processed and refined foods (sugar, white flour) and foods high in fat.

You can have a healthy diet eating meat.

And you can have an unhealthy diet eating vegetarian.



Temptation? This is not temptation. This is you not listening to you body.

Your body is telling you that you are not eating enough (or the right combination of) protein.

Meat is protein. So are nuts, seeds (including quinoa), soy and tofu, and cheeses and eggs. AND combining legumes with grains (lentils and rice, pinto beans with cornbread, peanut butter on whole wheat, black beans in tortillas, etc).



Of course, nuts are fattening. Cheese is high in salt and in fats. Overuse of soy/tofu can cause thyroid cancer in people predisposed to thyroid cancer.

Legumes with grains are the safest course for getting enough protein.

In order to get enough daily protein from legumes with grains, you need to eat 4-5 cups a day of the two combined.



If you are not eating enough protein, you body will crave protein. And meat is a compact source of protein.

The amount of protein in half (one side of) a chicken breast gives you as much protein as 4-5 cups of beans with rice.



Listen to your body. Your body doesn't care what kind of protein you eat, as long as it is a "complete" protein and you eat enough of it.

Answer 5

All those vegetable farmers shoot, poison, trap, and otherwise kill all the wildlife that threatens their vegetable crops with out using those animals for the good of humanity!! Square that with your feeling bad for the animals the rest of us raise for human consumption! I make a good living raising sheep and cattle for the market!! I don't kill any vegetables or other plants to do so!!

Answer 6

Another account created on January 10, 2017 and copying an old question:

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The questioner and the user "roland" are point gamers who work together. "roland" has copied the original question's Best Answer and will be given BA on this question by his cheating friend, boosting his point total and therefore making the account more valuable so it can be sold to spammers.