Finding it so hard to stick to veganism

[TeaforTheWins]

I was vegan for a while and felt amazing, in my health, my morals aligned with it etc. however, I find it really hard to stick to! Any tips? I find I start craving cheese, milk etc. I never eat meat

Just remember every day you achieve a full day of veganism, it has contributed to protecting animals and the environment. Even 1 day a week is better than none. if you manage 4 or 5 days a week you are amazing

Then don't. Use your common sense. Do your best, but if on some days you need to eat vegetarian, or even pescatarian, then do. Its a choice, driven by morals, not need.

Sorry forgot to add i am vegetarian, by choice, for over 40 years. I make it work for me, but some evenings are definitely less healthy than I would like.

You are craving those things because your body needs them 🤷🏻‍♀️ Maybe just be vegan during the week and vegetarian at the weekends?

I would advise you to try as many vegan products as possible - there are some great milk and cheese alternatives out there, but also some awful ones too! You need to find the ones you like and keep stocked up.

If you do find you are mostly vegan but occasionally eat x animal product then it’s still better than not trying at all (although more militant vegans wouldn’t agree). Every time you avoid an animal product is a small win but don’t beat yourself up if you can’t manage 100% all the time.

I have been vegan for nearly 7 years and find it gets easier and easier as I just don’t miss any of those things anymore, I have my new favourite foods instead.

I've been a strict vegetarian for 30 plus years apart from when I was pregnant and breastfeeding. I have a 15mo age gap between my kids so I had 2 years off. Do I regret it, no I don't. My body craved extra protein and I ate it.

Hi, have you tried lots of different milks and cheeses? I believe the vegan Philadelphia is supposed to be very good but I never liked cheese so I can’t confirm that.

I use Lidls own soya milk but try lots until you find what works. I hope you find vegan alternatives that work for you. There are lots of Facebook groups like vegan food Uk and they are really active and will have some good cheese ideas

I couldn’t be vegan because I love real cheese and ham. Maybe be a flexi vegan?

Lots of vegan options are absolutely shit for the planet. It’s not a short cut to sainthood. Don’t eat stuff that’s traveled miles. Even tofu. If you’re finding it hard please listen to your body.

I’m the same. I’m vegan nearly every day, but I have eaten vegetarian when there is no vegan option. Nobody has to be perfect. Cutting down can make a big difference.

Don't beat yourself up. If you need milk, cheese then have some. Women especially need to take care with their intake of calcium foods.

I eat vegan 99.9% of the time.
The 0.1% is when I give in to a sneaky piece of DH's milk chocolate bar or biscuit.
I feel guilty afterwards thinking of the poor dairy cow who produced that milk for her calf who was taken away from her.

I stick to it by thinking of the animals. My stomach isn't more important than their life. It's that simple. It's not a need, it's a desire, and for me my ethics and morals are stronger than my desire to eat animals. Though these days I don't get that desire at all, the idea repulses me. I'm eight years vegan.

I stick to it by thinking of the animals. My stomach isn't more important than their life. It's that simple. It's not a need, it's a desire, and for me my ethics and morals are stronger than my desire to eat animals. Though these days I don't get that desire at all, the idea repulses me. I'm eight years vegan.

You're craving very specific things. Maybe get a blood test to check if there's anything you need that is in those products?

I've been vegan for almost a decade - I never, ever miss dairy and meat now, though I did miss eggs and cheese for a while. Then Cathedral City plant based cheese turned up and I learned to make tofu scramble with Himalayan salt.

The trick is to build up more and more recipes that you absolutely love, that you look forward to eating.

My DH and I feel that we eat like kings, for not that much money. We even have our own Sunday roast (roasted vegetables and tofu - absolutely delicious!).

Who knew it was so easy to make dairy-free cakes that taste wonderful?

We don't feel we miss out at all. Don't beat yourself up. Focus on finding recipes that are relatively simple but also fabulous. Recipe by recipe, along with all the tips you can pick up on this thread, you'll get there. Also, at some point your taste buds gradually change. I used to love poached eggs. Offer me one now and I just couldn't eat it.

Just do your best and remember how amazing you felt on a vegan diet. Any reduction in animal products is better then none at all.

I've been vegan for 7 years now and still get insane cravings for things, never meat but fish, eggs and cheese? Yes, please!😁
I haven't cracked yet because I see it as choosing to exploit and harm animals and it would make me feel like Cruella De'Ville! I end up walking away from the chocolate aisle cursing animals and their stupid feelings!LOL😂

Sounds like your body is trying to tell you what it needs

For people who want to go vegan but struggle with the idea of giving up cheese, I recommend eating no cheese for 4 weeks. That seems to "get it out of your system" and then it's easier to enjoy the taste of vegan cheese. Cow's milk contains many of the same chemicals as human milk, so we need to ween ourselves off it, like babies!

To be honest, I've been vegan for two years and I don't miss cheese at all, so I don't feel a need for vegan cheese either.

Vegans have my genuine admiration, ❤️ I have been vegetarian for 46 years and I do eat a lot of vegan food but cheese is my downfall.
full vegan for dinner tonight though.

ETA So I would struggle too OP and I imagine thousands do.

I'm not sure that eating highly-processed fake meat, or fake cheese, or tofu that's been made from soya beans shipped thousands of miles, helps the environment?

We are a vegan family , everyone went vegan through their own choice in their own time ,but my son's and husband all found missing cheese the hardest thing about going vegan .
They found going completely cold turkey for a good few months ,then introducing some vegan cheese in a recipe,and on pizza..and then in sandwiches...doing it that way really helped...but going from dairy cheese to vegan cheese the next day ,really didn't help matters
There is so much choice ,we are literally spoilt for choice .
Well done for all your efforts though..your doing brilliantly x

It’s currently out of stock in the UK, but there’s a Danish brand called Uhhmami that does a fabulous cheese flavoured vegan powder. It’s worth looking out for that. It comes in 40 g packets and they also do a bacon flavour powder, which is okay and a blue cheese (tastes like Danish blue blue cheese) powder as well as a truffle one and other ones. They’re really good.

That's total misinformation, which has been debunked time and again. Even if soya had been flown from the other side of the world (which it isn't), it still wouldn't have the CO2 emissions of locally produced beef.

Besides which, the bulk of soya grown (for example in the Amazon region) goes for animal feed.

OP, there are many reasons to be vegan, from the ethical to the fact that it benefits one’s health. I find that vegan food is much more interesting and satisfying than it was when I wasn’t vegan. May suggest that you get some of the really excellent cookbooks that around now. I would mention the one by Dr Alan Desmond as a starter but I could suggest others. These are delicious, easy to prepare meals and he explains why they’re healthy. I honestly find the thought of “normal“ food now desperately boring.

Once you have got used to having vegan food around you, and really it’s just usual food, without meat and dairy and eggs, then you just make a meal. I don’t find it hard at all, and I’m trying to think why you would. I don’t know if it’s not being aware of the possibilities or thinking that it requires far more effort than it really does. I honestly find grains, pulses, vegetables, and fruit make for a far more interesting meals than non-vegan food.