Veggie craving chicken during pregnancy? (Specifically chicken selects!)

[upandmummin]

Been veggie for 2 years, I won't lie although much prefer not feeling guilty after eating my dinner (I always felt so guilty when I ate meat since I was a child) it wasn't solely for those reasons, I did also go off the texture and just gradually got to the point where I ate less and less meat, then only chicken, then veggie over the course of 10 years. I've not eaten red meat for a decade.

I've been hankering for McDonald's chicken selects for months this pregnancy and it just won't go away. I've tried the green cuisine southern fried 'chicken' strips and they're lovely but not scratching the itch. I've tried a few others and didn't rate them at all. I don't want to go and get them and then feel really guilty and sick. Has anyone found anything to help the craving? I thought it would go away if ignored but it's been 3 months! 😂

I'm not veggie but fussy about animal welfare standards so can never get any processed stuff really. I think Quorn Southern fried bites are lovely, they taste just like kinda processed chicken to me (and I'm not generally a fan of non meat substitutes). The nuggets are good too but not as nice and crispy as the Southern fried ones.

Pregnancy is so wierd- I'm usually a meat eater , most days of the week we have salmon or chicken, but I'm 16 weeks and cannot stand the smell of meat or fish! I've tried to force myself to eat some but the texture is just not for me at the moment. Worried about getting enough iron and protein but am trying to eat loads of vegatables, beans and tofu (newfound love for it!)

Thanks for the advice but I now have a 10 month old so pregnancy cravings are no longer an issue

That's what you think @upandmummin , maybe DC2 has other ideas.

It was fried chicken for me, during pregnancy.
I don’t eat much meat, prefer fish. But I do now have a penchant for fried chicken, that I didn’t have before!

Was veggie for 10 years but had SUCH a craving for chicken drumsticks when pregnant for DC1 that started eating chicken and fish again.

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies and shared experiences, everyone. I ended up sending my husband out for roasted chicken and basically no regrets - I feel fine now.
My b12 and iron were great throughout my last pregnancy, and I asked them to be tested a couple times when routine bloodwork was ordered; that being said, I had bloodwork a day or two before that craving hit so hard.
I don't yet know how my levels are this pregnancy (my 2nd) but I wasn't doing anything differently - b12 spray, on top of prenatal complete and a hearty iron-rich plant based breakfast most days (Oats, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, blackstrap molasses, and a little maple syrup). 🤷‍♀️

Pregnancy is wild.

Seitan and many fast food analogues aren't options for me due to wheat intolerance. How I miss the wheat-meat!