Been veggie for 18 years, but pg and craving meat - wwyd?

[JamesAndTheGiantBanana]

Meat has never looked or smelt so appealing, I'm craving it so much but feel guilty for even thinking about it! WWYD?

i went off broccoli and dark green veg completely when pregnant, both times. i'm still not really back in love with the broc, which is a shame.

I was the opposite - total carnivore but couldn't stand even thinking about meat while pregnant. Swear that contributed to DD's low birth weight.
But do believe your body knows what it needs so go with it if you can.

i am in the same boat and this thread is absolutely brilliant....i am a pescatarian and only stopped eating meat 5 years ago but still feeling so guilty for wanting it again.....i went veg when i met my DH who is veg as a) it was easier to cook nonmeat food for us both rather than diff dinners and b)i wanted to impress him at first but slowly got into the meat is murder thing....

i am craving chicken like you wouldn't believe and really think i am going to eat meat now and see how i feel when i stop craving it....also it might stop me from getting so hideously fat as the only craving i am giving into at the moment is crusty white bread and yum yums....not exactly kind to the waist line!!

thanks guys for not making me feel like a total freak....i feel liberated now!

I have been a veggie for years including my pregnancy....except..
I spent one whole night when pregnant dreaming of parma ham (!), it was really funny. Can't work out why as have lots of protein in my diet but still.
So when I got up the following morning, I went and bought some parma ham and had an enormous sandwich and it tasted great.
I haven't wanted to have meat in any shape or form since (it was over two years ago) but I was not going to deny it to myself as I clearly wanted it madly.
I was more worried by the fact that I craved gherkins as well as watermelon eaten together with jaffa cakes?! Imagine.
So if you fancy meat, go and have some. It's not the end of the world.

I'm veggie and have been for 10 years now. Now I'm pregnant meat is even more unappealing than it usually is! So I can't really comment on craving for it because the thought of it makes me feel ill. But your reasons for being veggie are totally different to mine and if you really want to eat it (and esp if your family are already eating it and you're preparing it anyway) you may as well I reckon.

But how can you not like avocadoes? They are delicious!!

Thanks guys. I had a small turkey sandwich last night, it was so good and satisfying, like when you've been needing chocolate all day and then you finally get your mitts on some galaxy! Haven't had any today and not really having any cravings for it yet/since so I think I might just have some now and then when I do have a craving.

well i had a BLT for lunch and parma ham wrapped chicken for dinner and have not had a stitch of evening sickness today for the first time in 6 weeks.....am sooooo glad i did it as feel like weight lifted off my shoulders and when i am ready i will stop eating it again but for now....i am a carnivore once more....

Interesting thread

I was a veggie for 9 years before getting pregnant with DD. I had bad anaemia, and spatone and iron tablets were not touching it, so I decided to eat meat, mostly red meat. My iron level went back to normal, and I felt great. I now eat a very good beef steak a couple of times a week. I still cant face chicken, pork etc, but eat the same healthy diet lots of lentils beans etc, just with red meat included as I feel better with it included in my diet.

If your body is craving meat, then it probably needs more protein, which you can chose either animal source, or lots of lentils leafy green veg etc.

eating fish = you're not a vegetarian, so since you're already eating animals you might as well eat some land-based ones too!

I was a vegetarian but started nomming fish in pregnancy (due to morning sickness, went off most food but got cravings for fish suppers at 8 weeks) so no moral high ground here. I spent about, ooh, 5 seconds having a moral debate with myself before I gave in. Funny how flimsy even strongly held beliefs can be when you're hungry.

I was vegetarian for about 14 years before I became pregnant with DS. I found myself craving food in general- not meat in particular, but I have a fairly small appetite and it felt like I needed very calorie/protein dense foods such as meat. So I started eating small amounts of meat. Also, although I wasn't anaemic, my iron levels were very low, so I was in danger of becoming anaemic.

Then we had to move in with my parents for a while when DS was newborn and it wasn't really practical to insist on a separate meal for me (especially as my Mum hates cooking and was already doing loads of stuff for us), so I carried on.

2 years later I probably eat meat 2-3 times a week, and fish once a week. Interestingly I had always hated the taste of fish in my pre-vegetarian days, now I quite like it.

I never craved meat during my pregnancy, but my iron levels were always really good. I never even mentioned to the midwives I was vegetarian, and they always commented on my high iron!
If you're craving meat it's probably because you do need more iron. I used to eat porridge and dried fruit every day, which I believe is high in iron. Also have something with vit c in with your iron rich food to help it be absorbed. Or just have some meat, but I couldn't have faced it. Just do what's best for you and baby.