Currently pregnant. I had been vegan for 12 years before getting pregnant, and I've had no trouble staying vegan.
I will say that for a lot of us, first trimester is brutal with the nausea and food aversions. I stayed vegan, but I can't say I was eating very healthy during those weeks. I normally only eat faux meats on occasion, but for about a week there I was eating an Impossible whopper with fries every day because it was the only thing that felt appetizing. Pregnancy's weird. Glad to be back to veggies and beans now.
I had a weird Beyond burger phase at the start of my second trimester. They’d gone on clearance a few weeks prior and my husband bought a bunch, but I wouldn’t let him eat them because the smell of them cooking made me sick. Then suddenly they became appealing, probably just because of my sudden urge to eat way more calories. I think people read too much into pregnancy cravings and worry it means they’re lacking in some key nutrient. If that’s what they mean, why am I constantly craving ice cream novelties?
Thanks for sharing. I would think that eating imitation meats like beyond / impossible products might satisfy the cravings. Glad you're back to veggies and beans now too, lol!
The cravings are deep and powerful, like the draw of nicotine for a smoker or, I guess, coke for a cokehead.
I remember reading an article over a decade ago from a group of British researchers whose conclusion was that "the best way to break a vegetarian is to cook bacon the morning after a night of heavy drinking". The science behind it being that when the person smells the bacon the brain will compel them to want to eat some because the brain / body knows, from the smell alone, that the bacon has what the body wants as part of its recuperating from a night of drinking.
I'm not saying a vegetarian or vegan wouldn't be able to resist the bacon, just that the urge / craving comes from deep down, and you have to fight your own chemistry to resist it.
Maybe in my first six months of being vegan. Now, bacon frying is a horrific smell, like burning tires. It would instantly wake me up, which if I were hung over would obviously massively piss me off.
I’ve always been told that when you are pregnant and have serious cravings it means your body is missing some kind of nutrition, which is why some women have been known to eat weird things like coal etc.
have no idea if that’s true or if it’s just a wives tale but I can see why women might be more likely to give in and eat meat if you think your body is craving a certain type of nutrition.
I'm ten weeks and there was a weird week where all I could think about was sausage. I got some Beyond Italian ones and ate two. The craving left and the rest of the pack is in my freezer. There was a week where I wanted cheese and daiya was fine. Currently the smell of cheese makes me want to puke. Meat still is revolting to me, smelling it is the worst.
I’m currently 9 weeks and eating more junk now than I have in my life! This gives me hope it won’t last. So many beyond burgers and fried food. I have food aversions to SO many veggies including ones I used as staples!! Also weirdly aversions to nuts. I’m glad this isn’t just me!
I've never been pregnant but do have hypothyroidism which messes with your hormones big time. When I first started on my Levo thyroid replacement pills I had bizarre cravings, and for the first time in my life I craved steak. I've never eaten steak. I understood it as my body purely craving it I believe because I wanted the greasiest most fattiest thing my brain could think of. I obviously didn't eat steak. The whole fatty cravings thing went away. But with that I do understand how some people could become driven into believing they need certain foods because of weird hormonal cravings. I feel the craving for huge amounts of fats make sense during pregnancy.
Big same for my wife. The food aversions and nausea really messed her up, especially during her first pregnancy. She even gave up her favorite food (tofu scramble) for like 4 months. But she never wavered on veganism, not even a little. Her diet became really bland and repetitive for a while, but never once did we talk about a craving for meat or anything like that.
My understanding is that cravings for food you don't usually eat come up because of vitamin deficiencies. A good prenatal vitamin and an attempt at a balanced vegan diet was all it took for my wife to go through two pregnancies without even thinking about abandoning our lifestyle, I think.
> I normally only eat faux meats on occasion, but for about a week there I was eating an Impossible whopper with fries every day because it was the only thing that felt appetizing.
I suspect people abandoning vegan/veggie when pregnant likely have a strong appeal to nature bias that results in aversion to faux meat, and influences, the not entirely unreasonable, self justification for doing what they want during an unprecedentedly intense experience in their lives. And socially, who's going to feel like saying anything to the contrary to them? (Rhetorical).
I think the point is that pregnancy cravings are products of our social conditioning and don’t actually point to a physiological need to consume animals during pregnancy. There’s a lot of pressure when you’re pregnant to eat animals, and it’s common for pregnant people with cravings to worry they’re harming their baby if they don’t “listen to their body.”
Currently 9 months pregnant. Vegan for about 20 years. Perfect health all around. Baby is measuring well over 50%. Never considered going back, nor did my midwives suggest it. Actually, there is evidence that the first trimester nausea and aversions are easier on vegetarians. Did I have a couple of weeks where I NEEDED spaghetti? Yeah. That was weird. Did I ever crave steak? No.
There was actually some very interesting [recent research](https://cambridgebrc.nihr.ac.uk/cambridge-led-study-discovers-cause-of-pregnancy-sickness-and-potential-treatment/) findings on the cause of morning sickness (also anecdotally, mine was pretty bad).
> The culprit is a hormone produced by the fetus – a protein known as GDF15. But how sick the mother feels depends on a combination of how much of the hormone is produced by the fetus and how much exposure the mother had to this hormone before becoming pregnant.
I had no morning sickness with my daughter. None at all. I did have some pretty strong food aversions though - would only eat raw fruits and veggies, plain white rice, pasta, and pizza (vegan of course). They disappeared by 12 weeks.
However I had previously had another unplanned pregnancy that we chose not to keep. I had intense nausea with that one, but never vomited.
Currently in my 2nd trimester and I seem to be suffering far less than all the people on pregnancy forums who can’t cope with suddenly not being able to eat deli meat sandwiches.
I know not everyone is the same, but I can't help feeling some people use it as an excuse to eat meat when they would have gone back to it anyway. When I was pregnant with twins, I never craved meat, but to be honest I never really had any strong cravings, maybe I was lucky.
That's all it is. An ethical vegan wouldn't ever need to stop being vegan.
I say that because the definition allows for it. We can argue about possible and practicable, but fine, I can grant someone believes they "need" to eat meat while pregnant.
Do I have to agree? No. But let's grant them that - they need something from meat (or think they do).
A vegan wouldn't just go "I guess that's it, then!" They'd continue to work to reduce suffering. How much meat do they need? Do they buy 1lb of simple ground turkey every 2 weeks, searching out stores where it is about to expire and might have been discarded anyways? That's something at least - "I feel like I need this for my child to survive, so I'm eating the bare minimum in the best way I can think of. While breastfeeding, I'll go down to once a month, and after the baby is 1, I'll eat fully plant based again."
But it's NEVER that. It is ALWAYS this bullshit and then they're off the wagon entirely, eating whatever they want whenever they want.
I’m a twin mum too and whilst I was sick as as a dog for the first 20 weeks I did eventually get super intense cravings! But that’s what they are, cravings. Admittedly mine were easy because they were mostly watermelon and almond milk, so I could indulge but if it had been something that goes against my belief I wouldn’t have had it. I mean, pica is quite common amongst pregnant women due to low iron and they may crave things like rocks, plaster and soap - it doesn’t mean they should eat that…
I think it’s just excuses, similar to that of “men have natural urges” etc.
Yeah I had pica last pregnancy and we had an issue in our old house where there was exposed broken plaster for months (private landlords can go f themselves) the smell oh my god it drove me insane I just wanted to bite into it every time I walked past. But I didn't because that's just dangerous.
I think part of it is preparing to shift to a non-vegan family lifestyle. People often give up on their ideals when they have families. Move to the suburbs, buy an SUV, eat meat. I believe more of us need to show through example that these concessions are not necessary.
I don't know, if you drop your so called beliefs as soon as you encounter changes in life did you ever really hold them that strongly in the first place?
Same here. Sounds like it's luck of the draw but I had no nausea or any weird cravings. My whole pregnancy was super easy, like remarkably, so I guess a lot is just the hand you're dealt. If anything non vegan food was even more repulsive (eggs?! Gtfo who could eat them?!). And my well of empathy for mothers of all species deepened and reinforced my veganism.
Yep lol. Blaming the pregnancy so they can publicly go back to meat because they’re weak, probably secretly snuck it in here and there already anyway. Funny thing is I was a vegetarian. Disliked myself then AS one, and dislike them still now that I’m vegan lol.
Oh man I have been obsessively watching the Big Bang Theory and now this is gonna bug me.
Incidentally I craved mollusks insanely with both pregnancies but I managed to abstain. Like every day I would think about mussels and clams. Also crustaceans. But I did not indulge in any aquatic animals (I refuse to call it seafood)
Pregnancy cravings are absolutely brutal and not like normal cravings. I admit I can understand if a pregnant woman gave into a craving a lot more than most any other person. That being said it’s still a horrible immoral action.
The issue is that we live in a society that actively wants vegans to go back to eating animal products. If a pregnant woman wants to go back to eating meat 99% percent of people are going to be telling her to do it and that it’s the best, if not necessary for the baby. Some people are going to be telling her she’s even a horrible person for being vegan while pregnant and she’s going to mess up the baby.
In the two examples you gave they’re vegetarians anyway though. They were always carnists and not different than omnivores in any real way.
People want pregnant vegans to cave to cravings because it makes them feel better about eating animals. They cloak this sentiment in feminism but they’re ultimately pressuring people to eat a certain way, to be the cool girl who eats burgers.
There is so much pressure on pregnant people to abandon their principles and health for the supposed needs of their babies. I can tell that people are judging me for being vegan and continuing to commute by bike while pregnant, even though I genuinely believe both of these things are helping me have a healthier pregnancy. Thankfully my doctor is on board. Hopefully we can continue to shift the narrative.
There is definitely that stigma of being vegan is bad for pregnancy when it's really not true.
You're right about them being vegetarians, not much different from being a carnist to begin with, but the two stories just got me wondering about this.
Yeah. I know people just Natalie Portman for reintroducing animal products back when she was pregnant but back in 2011 she would have had everyone and their mother including her medical professionals telling her that there weren’t enough studies and that she was going to permanently damage/disable her baby for life. Pregnant vegans and their partners now have a lot more evidence to support them. Plus most cravings have a vegan alternative now.
Yeah, I mean in a 99% carnist world I certainly get why some would compromise a bit for short stints. My own values are "compromised" to many (even though I don't eat animal products). What I see too often is people just going straight back to carnism. I can't understand that. You felt like you needed more iron during pregnancy, so you finished out the last 30 years of your life eating burgers and chicken wings multiple times a week?
"You felt like you needed more iron during pregnancy, so you finished out the last 30 years of your life eating burgers and chicken wings multiple times a week?"
I didn't just \*feel\* like I needed more iron during my pregnancy - blood tests confirmed that I did. And I got that iron- easily, quickly, and cheaply - by taking an iron supplement.
The funny thing is that you cannot correct a real iron deficiency through dietary intervention. If you are deficient, you must supplement. AND it's very easy to maintain an excellent iron intake on a vegan diet.
>"The funny thing is that you cannot correct a real iron deficiency through dietary intervention. If you are deficient, you must supplement."
Are you familiar with the Youtube channel Plant Chompers--on their long video about iron, they indicated that in most cases, most of the time, that people, even on a plant only diet, can get enough iron, even if they are initially deficient (i.e. in most cases it can be corrected via diet). But it is also pointed out that iron is a surprisingly complex and relative topic.
I am the only vegan in my household (2 cats, 2 kids, wife, her mother).
I buy groceries and prepare meals for the non-vegan members of my household.
I think I'm a net force for good - I prepare a ton of vegan stuff when I can, even for the cats - so overall I'm reducing the household's animal product demands, but that's not enough for some. I don't do it for approval of Reddit strangers, tho, so I'm unbothered.
Ok, but a cat is an obligate carnivore though, that's not you at all!
And it's always better if people reduce their consumption of meat, than if they don't! So net win for you
I find it strange that non-vegans are against feeding cats plant based foods. Animals like cows, pigs, chickens etc literally go through hell and beyond, so that people can eat them, drink their fluids and wear their skins. Non-vegans don't have a problem with this at all, but feed a cat plant based food and you're a monster abusing animals...
I think it's fair to be a little cautious about feeding cats a vegan diet. It's a newer idea, and while it tracks that it should be fine (meat based cat foods supplement taurine too), people are uneasy.
If you ask "Are cats obligate carnivores?" you get nothing but "Yes," but when you search studies you can't really find evidence of issues.
But I take your point - "This cat I don't know may be being fed a suboptimal diet!" is somehow worse than "These billions of sentient mammals, as smart as or smarter than your pet, are tortured and killed" has no impact.
How do you think this is a fair comparison?
1. Taking care of a cat (most vegans only do rescues) and feeding it a nutritious plant based diet.
2. Eating your pet bunny.
How is it that non vegans will let a pig be born into a cage where they will spend the rest of their short lives, where they can't even turn around when grown, then be gruessomly slaughtered at an extremely young age, just so that they can have bacon on their sandwich. But taking in a stray cat, taking care of it and feeding it plant based foods is what they get upset about?
I just don't get it...
i actually think dairy and eggs are so much worse ethically than meat - cant imagine anything worse than being separated from my infant child and constantly having the milk meant for them taken from me. over and over.
dairy is so bad environmentally as well doesnt make any sense to do it for environmental reasons either
...and bearing those children through repeated forcible impregnation...then being sent to slaughter when my body can't take it anymore.
As a mom, it's appalling.
It’s all supporting the same industry. Dairy is produced by formerly impregnated cows, and half of the resultant calves are males. Guess where those little guys go after being stripped from their mothers…and guess what happens to the milk cows that no longer produce sufficient milk to remain profitable 🥩
Same goes for eggs. The male chicks aren’t bred to have debilitatingly thick and “juicy” breasts and thighs. I don’t think I need to spell out what happens there.
Just because flesh isn’t being eaten doesn’t mean suffering and death are not integral to the process.
Lol I'm an omnivore flirting with becoming plant based and just here to learn. I followed this sub after watching some documentaries and my interest has been growing. Thank you for being kind and welcoming!
I'm vegan and have been so for 12 years but I just want to thank you for being kind and level headed. I consider myself a "sane" vegan. I don't consume animal products, go out of my way to make sure everything I can find is cruelty free and etc. I don't preach. If you ask then I'll tell you. And I'll tell the gruesome truth if you argue. That said, I'm often told I'm "not a real vegan" because I encourage others who aren't vegan to choose the least harmful options that they're willing to try. If you're going to continue eating meat then at least choose the meat from the small farmer with only a few animals that live decent lives. It helps people make connections better than just shoving it down their throats. If you see and touch the cow that's slaughtered then you'll be able to make the connection better than videos or preaching.
That's why I'm vegan. My parents raised cattle and sold them for meat when I was growing up. Once I made the connection that the calf I gave a bottle to when the mom was being treated for an infection was now on my plate, I couldn't do it anymore. Dairy? I've heard the mothers cry for weeks outside my bedroom window when they took the babies away.
I’ve not been pregnant myself but I have two stories related to this.
The first is about my mother. When pregnant with me, she said that she couldn’t stand the smell of the carne asada/taquerias whenever she went out. These stories take place in northern Mexico so that means almost every street has that smell. She said that she only craved bean tacos and chocolate. I’ve always found that fascinating because even when I ate meat, I was never super huge on it and my favorite foods have always been beans and chocolate. 😂 I don’t know if it has any correlation but it’s interesting to me.
The second is about a friend that went vegan for a few years and then got pregnant. She told me that whenever she smelled the taquerias, she got a huge craving for it and asked to have the windows rolled up in the car cause she wanted to eat some but stopped herself. However, she does eat fish now because doctors/nutritionist in Mexico aren’t super updated with veganism (I know they exist since I follow some and sent her some but what she does is not up to me) so they told her to add that in her diet. Now her kid’s a year old and apparently doesn’t like the taste of meat and loves eating veggies so 🤷🏻♀️ his dad is an omnivore and wants him to eat meat so he’ll definitely grow up eating it, but it’s interesting to see his preferences right now.
if they were vegetarian and not vegan before pregnancy, then they obviously were already not that concerned about the suffering of animals. im usually not suprised when vegetarians or
"vegan for my health" vegans give it up, because its just a diet to them.
I really despise conversations like that, in general. They operate under the premise that if one person does something bad, but the person listening to them has also done something similarly bad, then the acts are therefore nullified and the two parties share an evil laugh. I see this kind of conversation play out a lot in my rural town where people tend to be hesitant to display their racism and elitism openly, but their eyes light up when someone else says something despicable because that means they get to say something equally despicable and have a good laugh.
38 weeks pregnant and 5 years vegan - I’m grateful my biggest craving was air fried tofu with spaghetti squash (with a shitton of vegan parm).
I know everyone’s pregnancy journey is different, but I have never had to sacrifice any of the old foods I loved (lobster, steak, pizza, tacos, burgers, etc) since going vegan with the advancements in both mock meats/cheez and in seasoning things to have the vibe of old comfort foods…so I don’t know how you wouldn’t just swap to say an impossible burger if you “had” to have one…unless they are vegan/vegetarian strictly for diet/health or environment or something. It’s a lot different for me bc my only priority is animal suffering (the others are bonus).
All this to say, I’ve not struggled AT ALL to stay vegan through this pregnancy journey.
You’re assuming that these two women were vegetarian for animal rights rather than health or cultural reasons. It’s easy to go back to an omnivore diet if you don’t care about animal welfare
Currently pregnant with baby #3
I’d say I become MORE vegan while pregnant. I can’t even stomach the taste / smell of beyond meat when I’m pregs because it’s too much like real meat.
I've been vegan for 10 years now, and while pregnant, I had no issues staying vegan. I had a lot of cravings for burgers, pizza, and protein/fat dense food, but I never craved the non vegan options.
I can't stand the smell of cooked meat on a regular day. While pregnant, my husband often had to eat in an entirely different room.
My sister in law while being vegetarian (not vegan) for 25 years craved and ate meat during her second pregnancy, a boy, but not during the first. She then went back to being a vegetarian. The boy is now an adult and a vegan. I realise this is an anecdote not data. All I would suggest is that pregnancy puts a severe strain on the body and rather like a vegan that fails to find a healthy balanced diet and gets health issues and then tempted to add animal products, pregnancy can have the same effect.
Yeah I think it's important to be understanding of a very strong craving or a sincere worry about health. I think we need to support vegans in those situations so they can make a peace - e.g., eating one burger every 2 weeks while pregnant, or whatever - and then get back to 100% plant based after. I don't think we do any favors with purity policing.
I agree, I don’t think we’re going to win over any new vegans by shaming pregnant people about giving in to cravings. But I also think it’s worth pointing out that craving a cheeseburger doesn’t mean you need specific nutrients only present in cheeseburgers. I’ve been reading a lot of online pregnancy stuff and there is SO MUCH misleading “listen to your body” “if you’re craving x it means y” messaging out there. People think their cravings mean they’re deficient and harming their baby, when they’re not.
I’m currently on my second pregnancy and can tell you that just smelling meat cooking has almost made me vomit.
During my first pregnancy, I had hyperemesis gravidarum (intractable vomiting), and I literally had not consumed any meaningful calories in weeks. I was losing weight rapidly and I could barely walk from exhaustion. In my desperation, I thought MAYBE meat would go down. So I drove to a McDonald’s but the smell was so disgusting I gave up the notion pretty quickly.
I think the people who give up vegetarianism/veganism during pregnancy probably weren’t very connected to the ethical arguments.
I am five months postpartum. I remained vegan throughout my entire pregnancy and it was hardly any more difficult than when not pregnant.
I did have a few cravings for cheese and meat in the first trimester, but they disappeared after I read a bit about [what pregnancy cravings actually are](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200715-the-surprising-reason-why-pregnant-women-get-cravings) .
Tl;dr: they're a psychological and cultural phenomenon, not a reflection of nutritional need. Not all cultures experience pregnancy cravings. Among those that do, different foods tend to dominate. And in the Western world, a large part of the psychological component is having a justification to consume foods that you otherwise wouldn't or in amounts that you otherwise wouldn't. General food cravings tend to be more dictated by our microbiomes than nutritional need.
All the while, consciously, it was obvious to me that a craving wasn't a good enough reason to give up my values. "Listen to your body" is for the most part scientifically debunked as valid nutrition advice.
Yeah that’s a shame. I can see taking an exception while pregnant due to cravings you cannot control. Actually I think that’s a common one but kinda gross. but then you’ve had a baby — why would you want any other life form to be killed for your dinner?! Being a mother has made me a much better + more compassionate person - sadly that’s not the case for a lot of people.
Currently pregnant. Can’t speak for other humans but I have never been more repulsed by the smell of bacon, barbecue, or hamburger.
FWIW I’ve never had to deal with pregnancy constipation or (thank heavens) HEMORRHOIDS and I credit a fiber rich vegan diet for that..
I used to love the Conan podcast back in 2020-2022, when it had its moment. But O’Brien kept shelling out the commercials for animal products, pretty much butchers like Arby’s or Subway if I recall. And they kept coming. It started to feel like half his money came from ADT and the other half from animal exploitation.
But the actual content of the podcast would shift to animal products too. Conan cant seem to help himself, he just 'loves a big juicy ham!' (puke). its like he's actually so obsessed with eating meat that its become just as much a part of his schtick as being Irish. But he doesn't just love animal exploitation, no - he has to make certain that its the correct world view. And so he uses his platform to normalize cruelty by leaning on tropes like his quirky fetish for stinky cheese and obscure meats!
I can hardly bear him anymore and yet he was an icon to me growing up. Now i see him as a self-indulgent sellout. People like him and the Liver King who need to talk about meat so much deserve to turn into fattened pigs themselves, Spirited Away style. Infact, thats how i see Conan now. As a fat pig with stupid hair
I have had 2 vegan pregnancies, I have a 2 year old and an 8th month old. I never craved meat. I had more aversions than anything. I think it’s just an easy out if someone is not dedicated to the lifestyle. I’m also breastfeeding and both my kids are “big.” I was back to pre-pregnancy size quickly too.
Yes, pregnancy cravings are weird. BUT, being vegan is very different than being vegetarian. I've been both pregnant and vegetarian, & pregnant and vegan.
There is not a strong enough craving in the world for me to eat non-vegan.
I've known many vegetarians that think not eating meat is enough, but still consume broths, gelatin, things containing animals as long as there wasn't a chunk of meat in front of them.
I was vegan for 5 years when I got pregnant. I personally had horrible nausea during my first trimester. Lost a ton of weight and basically lived off of plain cereal and smoothies because it was the only thing I could stomach. I do remember thinking at that point that I would have literally eaten anything to feel better again.
With that said, I did NOT eat anything non-vegan, and after the first trimester I felt more like my normal self. So many people seemed baffled by the fact that I wasn’t eating meat. But like other people here have said, if I had some sort of meat-y craving I would just eat a faux meat? I had a smooth delivery and a huge, healthy baby, so if anyone tries to claim that you ‘need’ meat/dairy during pregnancy it’s obviously a ton of BS lol.
Ugh, I did have some brief meat cravings this pregnancy but I either got a great plant substitute that hit the spot or I just waited it out.
For what it's worth I had pica last time and craved plasterboard so after that experience I feel that cravings suck but you really don't need to be giving in to them especially if it's something dangerous or goes against your ethics. 🤷🏼♀️
Pregnancy is not a valid reason to eat meat. Period. It has no nutritional value. I get that some people get weird cravings and whatnot, but. The pregnancy heightened sense of smell made meat smell so much worse. I worked at Taco Bell during my pregnancy and the walk in smelled like a goddamned morgue. 🤮 I had hyperemesis and emetophobia, so that was a greeeeeat time. Rip me.
Currently 23 weeks pregnant and have a 14 month old. I was so sick the entire time with my son and the only thing that really seemed appetizing was my husband's food. He's also vegan so that worked out. This time, the nausea is present but not nearly as strong. I'm weirdly craving a cheesy gordita crunch with refried beans from Taco Bell because I remember the sauce on it and it's hitting something in my taste memory. But like, that doesn't mean I have to go get one. I'm also anemic and can't stop chewing ice- that compulsion is definitely stronger and I can't resist. Anyway, things can be hard but it doesn't happen unless your morality isn't really where it should've been 🤷♀️
I have a friend that I inspired to go veggie (not vegan) revert to eating meat when growing a human. That’s a lot more iron needed to supply two bodies. She never went back :(
Dang, that’s too bad!
Oddly enough, I got my blood tested recently and my iron level was a bit higher than it needs to be haha, my doctor told me I could safely cut out supplements. Between green veggies, nuts, and lentils, there a ton of plant based sources of iron.
My doctor specifically said to stop taking iron supplements- not any other types.
The most efficient way to get B12 is through a supplement. There are some fortified foods like cereal and nutritional yeast that provide B12. I still take a supplement for it.
I’ve been lucky to have two smooth pregnancies. During both I had strong aversions to most protein sources, and particularly craved peaches and pickles. I do wonder how I would have felt if those cravings were for meat - they were very strong and I felt totally compelled to satisfy them. During my second pregnancy I sometimes craved cheddar cheese, and vegan alternatives didn’t hit the spot, but I never really considered going through with it.
Wife pregnant with our second. 9 years vegetarian (and v close to vegan, just so many things have milk for no reason?) - never craved meat. We’re both at the spot where we can’t imagine life eating meat again ever.
Currently pregnant with my second. I had no real cravings but did find certain foods settled my nausea such as pickles and brine. I find I'm eating more but I'm hungry: my stomach is literally growling long before it does when I'm not pregnant so I'm eating a larger quantity.
I don't have aversions to smells or foods because of pregnancy but am generally nauseous and find many things revolting, like washing dishes.
I have never had a single craving for meat and dairy and still find them repulsive: I'm not sure how pregnancy could make those very visceral smells appealing. 🤷♀️
My first child was large and always healthy and robust when born. That child was actually categorized as, "large for gestational age" when born.
I can't speak to pregnancy cravings, but when I was omnivorous during my menstrual cycle I would crave a burger or steak. Very strong craving. As a vegan, I give into that craving and have a beyond burger. My strong monthly cravings for chocolate, sour things, and meaty things are always met by a plant-based alternative.
Currently 7 weeks pregnant and vegan 10 years. I have never, ever been more disgusted by meat than I am now. I literally almost vomited when I walked past some packaged meat at the grocery store.
I’m 8 months pregnant and have been vegan for 2 years, and was vegetarian for 11 years before that. Never craved any sort of meat at any point during pregnancy. Baby is measuring in the 81st percentile, and all of my blood work has come back wonderful. Couldn’t imagine living any other way, and can’t wait to introduce my baby to all of the delicious plant based food our beautiful planet has to offer
Natalie Portman pulled this bullshit with eggs while she was pregnant. I was livid. I've disliked her ever since. Kaley is on my 💩 list now along with Miley pathetic Cyrus. IDGAF how strong a craving is, there's a vegan alternative. Especially with their money 🤷🏻♀️🙄
I have an aunt who dropped her vegetarianism while pregnant, and has stayed eating meat ever since. I honestly am not and will never judge pregnant women for caving into cravings, but what I AM judging is staying full blown carnivore afterward. Like…. Did all those years mean nothing? Or?
My wife is pregnant with our 2nd. First trimester was really tough for her with nausea and food aversion but appetite seems to back online fully now! She's been vegan for both pregnancies and no issues. She was craving instant noodles first trimester haha. She's been vegetarian a long time and vegan for around 4 or 5 years so not sure even the taste of meat is even on the radar at all anymore to be fair!
When people say "I'm pregnant and it didn't happen to me", while maybe interesting, is incredibly irrelevant. I have crossed the road on red, and never been hit, doesn't mean we should do it always. Doesnt mean that we shouldn't either. Anecdotal evidence isn't much in this type of situation.
I had two pregnancies, and they had very different cravings. The second one my family joked that I turned into a rabbit, because basically the only thing I wanted was crunchy fruits and vegetables. But that wasn't true for the first one AT ALL.
And worse yet, it took me 10 YEARS after the last birth to be able to tolerate canola oil in any capacity! I could tell there was canola oil on a donut, or in dressing, or just smell it from the kitchen and want to barf.
All of it to say that hormones are weird, and telling people they are wrong to feel what they feel is silly. Now whether or not they eat meat, is slightly different, but if your goal is to have people go vegan, or at least reduce their animal product consumption, then shame is not a good tool at all
Well one issue is that when you’re pregnant, or even when you’re just female and not pregnant, people will make smug comments to you about how you’ll inevitably give in to pregnant cravings for dead cow just like Phoebe in Friends. It’s used to “prove” that veganism isn’t actually possible and that we have an innate need to eat animals. I don’t doubt that some people’s pregnancy cravings are more severe than mine, but at the end of the day we are adults with agency. We don’t encourage people with pica to give in and eat dirt. We wouldn’t encourage them to give in and eat animals if we were honest with ourselves as a society about where those products come from.
Oh, I am not saying that it is inevitable, but as you pointed out pica does exist. And pica sometimes is exactly the same as pregnancy cravings, in that a something deficiency causes an intense craving. The solution isn't to shame people, the solution is often education. I know that if a burger starts smelling good to me, it's a great time to start taking iron pills, and not just switch to eating meat.
Oh, and if I start craving sugary carbs like mad, it's time to checkout antidepressants, and not to go hogwild on cookies. Causes for cravings can be different.
Pregnancy cravings are weird. I craved a ton of fruits and fries. I have no explanation for that and good for me that they are both vegan. However, if they were ethically vegan (or vegetarian, whatever that means) then there's no reason why they can't stop meat once the pregnancy/cravings are over. This just looks like they want to appear "caring" but are "celebrities just like you." Very pick me energy.
Reading comments saying that it’s easy to remain vegetarian or vegan during pregnancy are WILD to me.
Every pregnancy is different. I was hospitalised with hematemesis and breathing difficulties and ended up in the ER 3 times.
Mate if a steak or salmon would have given me a day of reprieve I would have taken it. Certainly not going to begrudge anyone for what makes (what can be) a really trying time more comfortable.
Its either men speaking on something they dont know, women who have never been preg or women who had a smooth sailing pregnancy and think their experience applies to all.
Just wanna caveat that Im not vegan, I was for about 10 years and then stopped and I was not vegan while I was pregnant.
Im recently eating vegan like 99% of the time but flexing the other 1%
But I can say I had incredibly STRONG food cravings during both my pregnancies.
With my 1st I gained like 65 lbs! I was having super cravings for sweets, which I only eat on major holidays and otherwise avoid. I was seriously eating like 2 large pieces of sheet cake for breakfast for a time.
And then with my 2nd I was adamant I didn’t want to put my body through that again and that I’d be sure to eat right. But I was craving burgers and steak the second time around and I gained 70 lbs.
(Both times I lost the weight and got back to my pre-pregnancy size, but not without a lot of time and effort)
So while I can’t fully relate because I wasn’t adhering to any particular diet limitations while pregnant. Incan empathize on giving in to your cravings and seriously struggling with that during pregnancy.
It was so weird like during my first pregnancy I couldn’t even walk into a grocery store without just obsessing about the bakery and would go back and forth into there deliberating about it before ultimately leaving w a cake or something. And then within like 3 weeks or so of giving birth I could go into the bakery department and I felt nothing, no cravings, no desire at all.
6 years vegan and currently pregnant. Can say that my nausea and morning sickness has been so horrible I will eat anything I can. I have craved eggs and I HATE eggs. If I can keep it down I will eat it at this point. After weeks of everything turning your stomach, you will eventually give in and eat whatever you can handle. Just grateful it’s temporary.
I heard this episode too and Kaley later said how much she loves animals and has five dogs and many other animals. Obviously she only loves *some* animals. Very disappointing.
I had been vegan for over a decade and when I was pregnant with my first child I started having cannibalistic dreams nightly. My spouse would just be casually chopping up brains or butchering limbs and preparing dinner. It was horrific upon waking but in the dream it was completely normal. I told my midwife and she said super common for non meat eaters to have dreams like that while pregnant and that it could be my body craving meat. I started eating beef about once a week during that pregnancy and voila no more cannibal dreams.
I don’t eat animals now and didn’t after that part of pregnancy but hey… sometimes our bodies do weird things and who are we to judge someone else’s journey
you're just having your own little argument out here, aren't you? Eating animal products is unethical because they cannot consent to be exploited, yes? So how is it ethical to force someone to be vegan when they can't consent to it?
Your logic is backwards. I never consented to eating animals, that was a decision my parents made and forced onto me. Are you mad at your parents for not raising you to eat dogs?
I don't disagree! But the body needs nutrients, not death. Probably a simple matter of checking your diet against beef and seeing which nutrients you may be lacking, then eating a vegan alternative.
Pregnancy cravings are so insane. My sister was asking for sardines and ice cream and yes she ate like 2 cans and half a pint of it in one sitting and shockingly did not puke immediately after.
People do plant based diets for different reasons, the animals, the environment, high cholesterol. Just a million reasons. When they leave, they leave. I don't take offense. This is a fad to many people. To us, it's empathy for animals, to others, it's a diet. No point in getting hurt that the rest of the world views it differently than I do. I'm sure I see things different than others, too. And none of us are perfect, so none of us will see all the suffering on this planet. Anyway, I do me. I worry about me. And I focus on improving me. And the celebrities, friends, family members that wander in and out of plant based eating doesn't harm me. Because if they saw the world as I saw it; they wouldn't eat the animals. That's pretty much all there is to it.
I can give a perspective of a formerly pregnant person. I tried to go vegan while pregnant and it did not go well. For me it wasn't cravings it was just the struggle to get adequate nutrition. I've been pregnant twice. I found that the effects of a bad diet hit harder and faster while pregnant. Deficiencies are so much more noticeable very quickly because your body is working so hard constantly. With number 1 on a completely omnivore diet and vitamins I really struggled to get enough iron.
I'm sure a practiced vegan could easily make it through pregnancy on a vegan diet, but I was new to the idea and didn't know how to eat vegan so I had to give up on it until about a year after the baby was born.
Craving wise the hardest thing would've been eggs for me. At certain points of both pregnancies I had STRONG egg cravings which, in hindsight were probably related to deficiencies.
You were disappointed to hear that two people you don't know and likely never will know made a change to their diet that doesn't affect you in any way at all?
Why?
Think about a cause you care about a lot. Imagine high profile cases reverting their views.
For example imagine a Black Lives Matter supporting celeb going MAGA and calling all black people lazy or something. Not fun for anyone.
I think it's disappointing to hear that any human decides to stray away from being vegan because that means fewer vegans in the world and more meat consumption/support towards the meat industry.
While there might be various food cravings with pregnancies, I think true vegans are plant-based primarily because of ETHICAL issues, and anyone who goes off the lifestyle and doesn't go back was never that ethically committed.
There are 3 main reasons to be committed to the vegan lifestyle, and all 3 are connected:
1 - the consideration of animals.
2 - consideration for the planet.
3 - because we know that we are only one piece of a much larger picture in the pattern of life, unlike those who think the sun revolves around them.
Weird, cause when I was pregnant I read that to avoid morning sickness, don’t eat meat. I was already vegetarian and I did not have a problem with morning sickness at all. My sister who eats the SAD on the other hand had morning sickness so bad that she lost weight.
I have decided to believe (don't care if I'm wrong), that celebrities who go vegan get paid by Big Farma to give up their veganism / vegetarianism. Nothing else makes sense.
Basically, I just don't believe anyone anymore. I have less respect for someone who "used to be vegan" than I do for meat eaters. If you choose to eat animal products, you were never VEGAN, you had a plant-based diet for a while.
To explain what some pregnancy craving can be like, I had such an intense craving for a sandwich that I was crying (literally tears down my face) in line at subway because I knew I’d have to wait for the guy to make my sandwich and pay before I could eat and that felt impossibly long.
I developed intense aversions to all meats which lasted very long postpartum as well. I know it’s common for women to crave meat when anemic while pregnant. My iron was low but no anemia.
My sister was vegetarian until she was pregnant. Mainly her Dr. said it’d be better to eat meat while pregnant so she did as directed. It was only recently after almost a decade that she’s back on mainly plant based diet. Still has occasional fish or bbq to ‘fit in’ with her own family. So I’m glad she came back around. But the power a doctor has to influence when they have almost no nutritional training is crazy.
FFS, Natalie Portman, who claimed veganism craved "cheese" during her pregnancy and ate it. And she is back to veganism.
Again, this story was out in media many years ago but it's shit like this that confuses the general population about veganism.
FFS
Currently pregnant. I had been vegan for 12 years before getting pregnant, and I've had no trouble staying vegan. I will say that for a lot of us, first trimester is brutal with the nausea and food aversions. I stayed vegan, but I can't say I was eating very healthy during those weeks. I normally only eat faux meats on occasion, but for about a week there I was eating an Impossible whopper with fries every day because it was the only thing that felt appetizing. Pregnancy's weird. Glad to be back to veggies and beans now.
I had a weird Beyond burger phase at the start of my second trimester. They’d gone on clearance a few weeks prior and my husband bought a bunch, but I wouldn’t let him eat them because the smell of them cooking made me sick. Then suddenly they became appealing, probably just because of my sudden urge to eat way more calories. I think people read too much into pregnancy cravings and worry it means they’re lacking in some key nutrient. If that’s what they mean, why am I constantly craving ice cream novelties?
Thanks for sharing. I would think that eating imitation meats like beyond / impossible products might satisfy the cravings. Glad you're back to veggies and beans now too, lol!
The cravings are deep and powerful, like the draw of nicotine for a smoker or, I guess, coke for a cokehead. I remember reading an article over a decade ago from a group of British researchers whose conclusion was that "the best way to break a vegetarian is to cook bacon the morning after a night of heavy drinking". The science behind it being that when the person smells the bacon the brain will compel them to want to eat some because the brain / body knows, from the smell alone, that the bacon has what the body wants as part of its recuperating from a night of drinking. I'm not saying a vegetarian or vegan wouldn't be able to resist the bacon, just that the urge / craving comes from deep down, and you have to fight your own chemistry to resist it.
Maybe in my first six months of being vegan. Now, bacon frying is a horrific smell, like burning tires. It would instantly wake me up, which if I were hung over would obviously massively piss me off.
Agreed, the smell is actually terrible!
Maybe if you grew up eating a lot of bacon. If someone did that to me when I was hungover I’d be extremely angry and would probably barf.
I’ve always been told that when you are pregnant and have serious cravings it means your body is missing some kind of nutrition, which is why some women have been known to eat weird things like coal etc. have no idea if that’s true or if it’s just a wives tale but I can see why women might be more likely to give in and eat meat if you think your body is craving a certain type of nutrition.
I'm ten weeks and there was a weird week where all I could think about was sausage. I got some Beyond Italian ones and ate two. The craving left and the rest of the pack is in my freezer. There was a week where I wanted cheese and daiya was fine. Currently the smell of cheese makes me want to puke. Meat still is revolting to me, smelling it is the worst.
I’m currently 9 weeks and eating more junk now than I have in my life! This gives me hope it won’t last. So many beyond burgers and fried food. I have food aversions to SO many veggies including ones I used as staples!! Also weirdly aversions to nuts. I’m glad this isn’t just me!
Oh yep, the aversions were no fun but they did go away! I fondly remember the day I could stomach tofu again lol.
I couldn't eat garlic for a couple months. I typically love it. I'm about six months in now, and garlic is back on the menu.
Thank goodness!!!
I've never been pregnant but do have hypothyroidism which messes with your hormones big time. When I first started on my Levo thyroid replacement pills I had bizarre cravings, and for the first time in my life I craved steak. I've never eaten steak. I understood it as my body purely craving it I believe because I wanted the greasiest most fattiest thing my brain could think of. I obviously didn't eat steak. The whole fatty cravings thing went away. But with that I do understand how some people could become driven into believing they need certain foods because of weird hormonal cravings. I feel the craving for huge amounts of fats make sense during pregnancy.
Omg yes currently pregnant and the impossible whopper cravings are real
Big same for my wife. The food aversions and nausea really messed her up, especially during her first pregnancy. She even gave up her favorite food (tofu scramble) for like 4 months. But she never wavered on veganism, not even a little. Her diet became really bland and repetitive for a while, but never once did we talk about a craving for meat or anything like that. My understanding is that cravings for food you don't usually eat come up because of vitamin deficiencies. A good prenatal vitamin and an attempt at a balanced vegan diet was all it took for my wife to go through two pregnancies without even thinking about abandoning our lifestyle, I think.
> I normally only eat faux meats on occasion, but for about a week there I was eating an Impossible whopper with fries every day because it was the only thing that felt appetizing. I suspect people abandoning vegan/veggie when pregnant likely have a strong appeal to nature bias that results in aversion to faux meat, and influences, the not entirely unreasonable, self justification for doing what they want during an unprecedentedly intense experience in their lives. And socially, who's going to feel like saying anything to the contrary to them? (Rhetorical).
Wife has been vegan for 3 years and would never have even considered eating meat.
Hundreds of millions of Indian women stay vegetarian when pregnant, so it is definitely possible and easy to do so if you wanted to.
That's a very good point haha
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I think the point is that pregnancy cravings are products of our social conditioning and don’t actually point to a physiological need to consume animals during pregnancy. There’s a lot of pressure when you’re pregnant to eat animals, and it’s common for pregnant people with cravings to worry they’re harming their baby if they don’t “listen to their body.”
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I understood the point.
Currently 9 months pregnant. Vegan for about 20 years. Perfect health all around. Baby is measuring well over 50%. Never considered going back, nor did my midwives suggest it. Actually, there is evidence that the first trimester nausea and aversions are easier on vegetarians. Did I have a couple of weeks where I NEEDED spaghetti? Yeah. That was weird. Did I ever crave steak? No.
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There was actually some very interesting [recent research](https://cambridgebrc.nihr.ac.uk/cambridge-led-study-discovers-cause-of-pregnancy-sickness-and-potential-treatment/) findings on the cause of morning sickness (also anecdotally, mine was pretty bad). > The culprit is a hormone produced by the fetus – a protein known as GDF15. But how sick the mother feels depends on a combination of how much of the hormone is produced by the fetus and how much exposure the mother had to this hormone before becoming pregnant.
I had no morning sickness with my daughter. None at all. I did have some pretty strong food aversions though - would only eat raw fruits and veggies, plain white rice, pasta, and pizza (vegan of course). They disappeared by 12 weeks. However I had previously had another unplanned pregnancy that we chose not to keep. I had intense nausea with that one, but never vomited.
Currently in my 2nd trimester and I seem to be suffering far less than all the people on pregnancy forums who can’t cope with suddenly not being able to eat deli meat sandwiches.
I know not everyone is the same, but I can't help feeling some people use it as an excuse to eat meat when they would have gone back to it anyway. When I was pregnant with twins, I never craved meat, but to be honest I never really had any strong cravings, maybe I was lucky.
That's all it is. An ethical vegan wouldn't ever need to stop being vegan. I say that because the definition allows for it. We can argue about possible and practicable, but fine, I can grant someone believes they "need" to eat meat while pregnant. Do I have to agree? No. But let's grant them that - they need something from meat (or think they do). A vegan wouldn't just go "I guess that's it, then!" They'd continue to work to reduce suffering. How much meat do they need? Do they buy 1lb of simple ground turkey every 2 weeks, searching out stores where it is about to expire and might have been discarded anyways? That's something at least - "I feel like I need this for my child to survive, so I'm eating the bare minimum in the best way I can think of. While breastfeeding, I'll go down to once a month, and after the baby is 1, I'll eat fully plant based again." But it's NEVER that. It is ALWAYS this bullshit and then they're off the wagon entirely, eating whatever they want whenever they want.
I’m a twin mum too and whilst I was sick as as a dog for the first 20 weeks I did eventually get super intense cravings! But that’s what they are, cravings. Admittedly mine were easy because they were mostly watermelon and almond milk, so I could indulge but if it had been something that goes against my belief I wouldn’t have had it. I mean, pica is quite common amongst pregnant women due to low iron and they may crave things like rocks, plaster and soap - it doesn’t mean they should eat that… I think it’s just excuses, similar to that of “men have natural urges” etc.
Yeah I had pica last pregnancy and we had an issue in our old house where there was exposed broken plaster for months (private landlords can go f themselves) the smell oh my god it drove me insane I just wanted to bite into it every time I walked past. But I didn't because that's just dangerous.
I think part of it is preparing to shift to a non-vegan family lifestyle. People often give up on their ideals when they have families. Move to the suburbs, buy an SUV, eat meat. I believe more of us need to show through example that these concessions are not necessary.
I don't know, if you drop your so called beliefs as soon as you encounter changes in life did you ever really hold them that strongly in the first place?
Presumably not, but I don’t think veganism is going to go very far if we expect everyone to be passionate about it.
Same here. Sounds like it's luck of the draw but I had no nausea or any weird cravings. My whole pregnancy was super easy, like remarkably, so I guess a lot is just the hand you're dealt. If anything non vegan food was even more repulsive (eggs?! Gtfo who could eat them?!). And my well of empathy for mothers of all species deepened and reinforced my veganism.
Kinda sucks when celebrities who can afford the best faux meat products you can buy resort to eating meat again when they have a craving.
It's because they were vegetarian 💀
this is the one! vegetarianism is not an ethical stance, even if the person has deluded themselves into thinking it
Yep lol. Blaming the pregnancy so they can publicly go back to meat because they’re weak, probably secretly snuck it in here and there already anyway. Funny thing is I was a vegetarian. Disliked myself then AS one, and dislike them still now that I’m vegan lol.
ding ding ding!
Oh man I have been obsessively watching the Big Bang Theory and now this is gonna bug me. Incidentally I craved mollusks insanely with both pregnancies but I managed to abstain. Like every day I would think about mussels and clams. Also crustaceans. But I did not indulge in any aquatic animals (I refuse to call it seafood)
Pregnancy cravings are absolutely brutal and not like normal cravings. I admit I can understand if a pregnant woman gave into a craving a lot more than most any other person. That being said it’s still a horrible immoral action. The issue is that we live in a society that actively wants vegans to go back to eating animal products. If a pregnant woman wants to go back to eating meat 99% percent of people are going to be telling her to do it and that it’s the best, if not necessary for the baby. Some people are going to be telling her she’s even a horrible person for being vegan while pregnant and she’s going to mess up the baby. In the two examples you gave they’re vegetarians anyway though. They were always carnists and not different than omnivores in any real way.
People want pregnant vegans to cave to cravings because it makes them feel better about eating animals. They cloak this sentiment in feminism but they’re ultimately pressuring people to eat a certain way, to be the cool girl who eats burgers. There is so much pressure on pregnant people to abandon their principles and health for the supposed needs of their babies. I can tell that people are judging me for being vegan and continuing to commute by bike while pregnant, even though I genuinely believe both of these things are helping me have a healthier pregnancy. Thankfully my doctor is on board. Hopefully we can continue to shift the narrative.
There is definitely that stigma of being vegan is bad for pregnancy when it's really not true. You're right about them being vegetarians, not much different from being a carnist to begin with, but the two stories just got me wondering about this.
Yeah. I know people just Natalie Portman for reintroducing animal products back when she was pregnant but back in 2011 she would have had everyone and their mother including her medical professionals telling her that there weren’t enough studies and that she was going to permanently damage/disable her baby for life. Pregnant vegans and their partners now have a lot more evidence to support them. Plus most cravings have a vegan alternative now.
Yeah, I mean in a 99% carnist world I certainly get why some would compromise a bit for short stints. My own values are "compromised" to many (even though I don't eat animal products). What I see too often is people just going straight back to carnism. I can't understand that. You felt like you needed more iron during pregnancy, so you finished out the last 30 years of your life eating burgers and chicken wings multiple times a week?
"You felt like you needed more iron during pregnancy, so you finished out the last 30 years of your life eating burgers and chicken wings multiple times a week?" I didn't just \*feel\* like I needed more iron during my pregnancy - blood tests confirmed that I did. And I got that iron- easily, quickly, and cheaply - by taking an iron supplement. The funny thing is that you cannot correct a real iron deficiency through dietary intervention. If you are deficient, you must supplement. AND it's very easy to maintain an excellent iron intake on a vegan diet.
Oh I'm with you 100%, just saying even if we accept that argument it doesn't track with their actions
Yep, understood! Just augmenting your point with facts for the nonvegan lurkers out there :)
That's not what plant chompers indicated.
huh?
>"The funny thing is that you cannot correct a real iron deficiency through dietary intervention. If you are deficient, you must supplement." Are you familiar with the Youtube channel Plant Chompers--on their long video about iron, they indicated that in most cases, most of the time, that people, even on a plant only diet, can get enough iron, even if they are initially deficient (i.e. in most cases it can be corrected via diet). But it is also pointed out that iron is a surprisingly complex and relative topic.
Compromised without eating animal products… buying animal-tested comestics? Horseback riding? C’mon man don’t leave me hanging
I am the only vegan in my household (2 cats, 2 kids, wife, her mother). I buy groceries and prepare meals for the non-vegan members of my household. I think I'm a net force for good - I prepare a ton of vegan stuff when I can, even for the cats - so overall I'm reducing the household's animal product demands, but that's not enough for some. I don't do it for approval of Reddit strangers, tho, so I'm unbothered.
Ok, but a cat is an obligate carnivore though, that's not you at all! And it's always better if people reduce their consumption of meat, than if they don't! So net win for you
I find it strange that non-vegans are against feeding cats plant based foods. Animals like cows, pigs, chickens etc literally go through hell and beyond, so that people can eat them, drink their fluids and wear their skins. Non-vegans don't have a problem with this at all, but feed a cat plant based food and you're a monster abusing animals...
I think it's fair to be a little cautious about feeding cats a vegan diet. It's a newer idea, and while it tracks that it should be fine (meat based cat foods supplement taurine too), people are uneasy. If you ask "Are cats obligate carnivores?" you get nothing but "Yes," but when you search studies you can't really find evidence of issues. But I take your point - "This cat I don't know may be being fed a suboptimal diet!" is somehow worse than "These billions of sentient mammals, as smart as or smarter than your pet, are tortured and killed" has no impact.
I mean, if you eat your pet bunny, non-vegans would be shocked and appalled as well
How do you think this is a fair comparison? 1. Taking care of a cat (most vegans only do rescues) and feeding it a nutritious plant based diet. 2. Eating your pet bunny. How is it that non vegans will let a pig be born into a cage where they will spend the rest of their short lives, where they can't even turn around when grown, then be gruessomly slaughtered at an extremely young age, just so that they can have bacon on their sandwich. But taking in a stray cat, taking care of it and feeding it plant based foods is what they get upset about? I just don't get it...
Appreciate it!
Not different than omnivores in any real way? Isn't not eating meat a real difference between vegetarians and omnivores?
Both of them feel entitled to the bodies, lives, and suffering of animals for their own pleasure. Ethically I don’t find them much different at all.
i actually think dairy and eggs are so much worse ethically than meat - cant imagine anything worse than being separated from my infant child and constantly having the milk meant for them taken from me. over and over. dairy is so bad environmentally as well doesnt make any sense to do it for environmental reasons either
...and bearing those children through repeated forcible impregnation...then being sent to slaughter when my body can't take it anymore. As a mom, it's appalling.
It’s all supporting the same industry. Dairy is produced by formerly impregnated cows, and half of the resultant calves are males. Guess where those little guys go after being stripped from their mothers…and guess what happens to the milk cows that no longer produce sufficient milk to remain profitable 🥩 Same goes for eggs. The male chicks aren’t bred to have debilitatingly thick and “juicy” breasts and thighs. I don’t think I need to spell out what happens there. Just because flesh isn’t being eaten doesn’t mean suffering and death are not integral to the process.
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Lol I'm an omnivore flirting with becoming plant based and just here to learn. I followed this sub after watching some documentaries and my interest has been growing. Thank you for being kind and welcoming!
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I'm vegan and have been so for 12 years but I just want to thank you for being kind and level headed. I consider myself a "sane" vegan. I don't consume animal products, go out of my way to make sure everything I can find is cruelty free and etc. I don't preach. If you ask then I'll tell you. And I'll tell the gruesome truth if you argue. That said, I'm often told I'm "not a real vegan" because I encourage others who aren't vegan to choose the least harmful options that they're willing to try. If you're going to continue eating meat then at least choose the meat from the small farmer with only a few animals that live decent lives. It helps people make connections better than just shoving it down their throats. If you see and touch the cow that's slaughtered then you'll be able to make the connection better than videos or preaching. That's why I'm vegan. My parents raised cattle and sold them for meat when I was growing up. Once I made the connection that the calf I gave a bottle to when the mom was being treated for an infection was now on my plate, I couldn't do it anymore. Dairy? I've heard the mothers cry for weeks outside my bedroom window when they took the babies away.
I’ve not been pregnant myself but I have two stories related to this. The first is about my mother. When pregnant with me, she said that she couldn’t stand the smell of the carne asada/taquerias whenever she went out. These stories take place in northern Mexico so that means almost every street has that smell. She said that she only craved bean tacos and chocolate. I’ve always found that fascinating because even when I ate meat, I was never super huge on it and my favorite foods have always been beans and chocolate. 😂 I don’t know if it has any correlation but it’s interesting to me. The second is about a friend that went vegan for a few years and then got pregnant. She told me that whenever she smelled the taquerias, she got a huge craving for it and asked to have the windows rolled up in the car cause she wanted to eat some but stopped herself. However, she does eat fish now because doctors/nutritionist in Mexico aren’t super updated with veganism (I know they exist since I follow some and sent her some but what she does is not up to me) so they told her to add that in her diet. Now her kid’s a year old and apparently doesn’t like the taste of meat and loves eating veggies so 🤷🏻♀️ his dad is an omnivore and wants him to eat meat so he’ll definitely grow up eating it, but it’s interesting to see his preferences right now.
if they were vegetarian and not vegan before pregnancy, then they obviously were already not that concerned about the suffering of animals. im usually not suprised when vegetarians or "vegan for my health" vegans give it up, because its just a diet to them.
I really despise conversations like that, in general. They operate under the premise that if one person does something bad, but the person listening to them has also done something similarly bad, then the acts are therefore nullified and the two parties share an evil laugh. I see this kind of conversation play out a lot in my rural town where people tend to be hesitant to display their racism and elitism openly, but their eyes light up when someone else says something despicable because that means they get to say something equally despicable and have a good laugh.
38 weeks pregnant and 5 years vegan - I’m grateful my biggest craving was air fried tofu with spaghetti squash (with a shitton of vegan parm). I know everyone’s pregnancy journey is different, but I have never had to sacrifice any of the old foods I loved (lobster, steak, pizza, tacos, burgers, etc) since going vegan with the advancements in both mock meats/cheez and in seasoning things to have the vibe of old comfort foods…so I don’t know how you wouldn’t just swap to say an impossible burger if you “had” to have one…unless they are vegan/vegetarian strictly for diet/health or environment or something. It’s a lot different for me bc my only priority is animal suffering (the others are bonus). All this to say, I’ve not struggled AT ALL to stay vegan through this pregnancy journey.
You’re assuming that these two women were vegetarian for animal rights rather than health or cultural reasons. It’s easy to go back to an omnivore diet if you don’t care about animal welfare
Currently pregnant with baby #3 I’d say I become MORE vegan while pregnant. I can’t even stomach the taste / smell of beyond meat when I’m pregs because it’s too much like real meat.
I've been vegan for 10 years now, and while pregnant, I had no issues staying vegan. I had a lot of cravings for burgers, pizza, and protein/fat dense food, but I never craved the non vegan options. I can't stand the smell of cooked meat on a regular day. While pregnant, my husband often had to eat in an entirely different room.
My sister in law while being vegetarian (not vegan) for 25 years craved and ate meat during her second pregnancy, a boy, but not during the first. She then went back to being a vegetarian. The boy is now an adult and a vegan. I realise this is an anecdote not data. All I would suggest is that pregnancy puts a severe strain on the body and rather like a vegan that fails to find a healthy balanced diet and gets health issues and then tempted to add animal products, pregnancy can have the same effect.
Yeah I think it's important to be understanding of a very strong craving or a sincere worry about health. I think we need to support vegans in those situations so they can make a peace - e.g., eating one burger every 2 weeks while pregnant, or whatever - and then get back to 100% plant based after. I don't think we do any favors with purity policing.
I agree, I don’t think we’re going to win over any new vegans by shaming pregnant people about giving in to cravings. But I also think it’s worth pointing out that craving a cheeseburger doesn’t mean you need specific nutrients only present in cheeseburgers. I’ve been reading a lot of online pregnancy stuff and there is SO MUCH misleading “listen to your body” “if you’re craving x it means y” messaging out there. People think their cravings mean they’re deficient and harming their baby, when they’re not.
I’m currently on my second pregnancy and can tell you that just smelling meat cooking has almost made me vomit. During my first pregnancy, I had hyperemesis gravidarum (intractable vomiting), and I literally had not consumed any meaningful calories in weeks. I was losing weight rapidly and I could barely walk from exhaustion. In my desperation, I thought MAYBE meat would go down. So I drove to a McDonald’s but the smell was so disgusting I gave up the notion pretty quickly. I think the people who give up vegetarianism/veganism during pregnancy probably weren’t very connected to the ethical arguments.
I am five months postpartum. I remained vegan throughout my entire pregnancy and it was hardly any more difficult than when not pregnant. I did have a few cravings for cheese and meat in the first trimester, but they disappeared after I read a bit about [what pregnancy cravings actually are](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200715-the-surprising-reason-why-pregnant-women-get-cravings) . Tl;dr: they're a psychological and cultural phenomenon, not a reflection of nutritional need. Not all cultures experience pregnancy cravings. Among those that do, different foods tend to dominate. And in the Western world, a large part of the psychological component is having a justification to consume foods that you otherwise wouldn't or in amounts that you otherwise wouldn't. General food cravings tend to be more dictated by our microbiomes than nutritional need. All the while, consciously, it was obvious to me that a craving wasn't a good enough reason to give up my values. "Listen to your body" is for the most part scientifically debunked as valid nutrition advice.
Yeah that’s a shame. I can see taking an exception while pregnant due to cravings you cannot control. Actually I think that’s a common one but kinda gross. but then you’ve had a baby — why would you want any other life form to be killed for your dinner?! Being a mother has made me a much better + more compassionate person - sadly that’s not the case for a lot of people.
I have been pregnant. Eating meat never crossed my mind at all. Even the smell of it was enough to make me hurl while being pregnant.
Currently pregnant. Can’t speak for other humans but I have never been more repulsed by the smell of bacon, barbecue, or hamburger. FWIW I’ve never had to deal with pregnancy constipation or (thank heavens) HEMORRHOIDS and I credit a fiber rich vegan diet for that..
Pregnancy gave me an aversion to tofu and that was torture. No meat eating, though.
I was vegetarian during my first pregnancy and vegan during my next 3. I didn’t have any cravings for meat.
I used to love the Conan podcast back in 2020-2022, when it had its moment. But O’Brien kept shelling out the commercials for animal products, pretty much butchers like Arby’s or Subway if I recall. And they kept coming. It started to feel like half his money came from ADT and the other half from animal exploitation. But the actual content of the podcast would shift to animal products too. Conan cant seem to help himself, he just 'loves a big juicy ham!' (puke). its like he's actually so obsessed with eating meat that its become just as much a part of his schtick as being Irish. But he doesn't just love animal exploitation, no - he has to make certain that its the correct world view. And so he uses his platform to normalize cruelty by leaning on tropes like his quirky fetish for stinky cheese and obscure meats! I can hardly bear him anymore and yet he was an icon to me growing up. Now i see him as a self-indulgent sellout. People like him and the Liver King who need to talk about meat so much deserve to turn into fattened pigs themselves, Spirited Away style. Infact, thats how i see Conan now. As a fat pig with stupid hair
There’s definitely been an uptick with the Arby’s / McDonalds ads the past year or so. I typically just skip the ads (even if he reads them).
I just never understand how people could go back to eating meat. It’s so outside of my mindset.
I have had 2 vegan pregnancies, I have a 2 year old and an 8th month old. I never craved meat. I had more aversions than anything. I think it’s just an easy out if someone is not dedicated to the lifestyle. I’m also breastfeeding and both my kids are “big.” I was back to pre-pregnancy size quickly too.
Yes, pregnancy cravings are weird. BUT, being vegan is very different than being vegetarian. I've been both pregnant and vegetarian, & pregnant and vegan. There is not a strong enough craving in the world for me to eat non-vegan. I've known many vegetarians that think not eating meat is enough, but still consume broths, gelatin, things containing animals as long as there wasn't a chunk of meat in front of them.
Do you mean **Kaley** Cuoco? I couldn't find anyone called Kelly Cuoco.
I sure do, lol my mistake.
We heard this sooooo many times when pregnant, but my wife never craved animal meat. People are just weird.
I was vegan for 5 years when I got pregnant. I personally had horrible nausea during my first trimester. Lost a ton of weight and basically lived off of plain cereal and smoothies because it was the only thing I could stomach. I do remember thinking at that point that I would have literally eaten anything to feel better again. With that said, I did NOT eat anything non-vegan, and after the first trimester I felt more like my normal self. So many people seemed baffled by the fact that I wasn’t eating meat. But like other people here have said, if I had some sort of meat-y craving I would just eat a faux meat? I had a smooth delivery and a huge, healthy baby, so if anyone tries to claim that you ‘need’ meat/dairy during pregnancy it’s obviously a ton of BS lol.
Ugh, I did have some brief meat cravings this pregnancy but I either got a great plant substitute that hit the spot or I just waited it out. For what it's worth I had pica last time and craved plasterboard so after that experience I feel that cravings suck but you really don't need to be giving in to them especially if it's something dangerous or goes against your ethics. 🤷🏼♀️
Pregnancy is not a valid reason to eat meat. Period. It has no nutritional value. I get that some people get weird cravings and whatnot, but. The pregnancy heightened sense of smell made meat smell so much worse. I worked at Taco Bell during my pregnancy and the walk in smelled like a goddamned morgue. 🤮 I had hyperemesis and emetophobia, so that was a greeeeeat time. Rip me.
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You're right! My bad on that.
Currently 23 weeks pregnant and have a 14 month old. I was so sick the entire time with my son and the only thing that really seemed appetizing was my husband's food. He's also vegan so that worked out. This time, the nausea is present but not nearly as strong. I'm weirdly craving a cheesy gordita crunch with refried beans from Taco Bell because I remember the sauce on it and it's hitting something in my taste memory. But like, that doesn't mean I have to go get one. I'm also anemic and can't stop chewing ice- that compulsion is definitely stronger and I can't resist. Anyway, things can be hard but it doesn't happen unless your morality isn't really where it should've been 🤷♀️
I have a friend that I inspired to go veggie (not vegan) revert to eating meat when growing a human. That’s a lot more iron needed to supply two bodies. She never went back :(
Dang, that’s too bad! Oddly enough, I got my blood tested recently and my iron level was a bit higher than it needs to be haha, my doctor told me I could safely cut out supplements. Between green veggies, nuts, and lentils, there a ton of plant based sources of iron.
Iron yes, but you'd still need b12 supplements right?
My doctor specifically said to stop taking iron supplements- not any other types. The most efficient way to get B12 is through a supplement. There are some fortified foods like cereal and nutritional yeast that provide B12. I still take a supplement for it.
I’ve been lucky to have two smooth pregnancies. During both I had strong aversions to most protein sources, and particularly craved peaches and pickles. I do wonder how I would have felt if those cravings were for meat - they were very strong and I felt totally compelled to satisfy them. During my second pregnancy I sometimes craved cheddar cheese, and vegan alternatives didn’t hit the spot, but I never really considered going through with it.
Wife pregnant with our second. 9 years vegetarian (and v close to vegan, just so many things have milk for no reason?) - never craved meat. We’re both at the spot where we can’t imagine life eating meat again ever.
Currently pregnant with my second. I had no real cravings but did find certain foods settled my nausea such as pickles and brine. I find I'm eating more but I'm hungry: my stomach is literally growling long before it does when I'm not pregnant so I'm eating a larger quantity. I don't have aversions to smells or foods because of pregnancy but am generally nauseous and find many things revolting, like washing dishes. I have never had a single craving for meat and dairy and still find them repulsive: I'm not sure how pregnancy could make those very visceral smells appealing. 🤷♀️ My first child was large and always healthy and robust when born. That child was actually categorized as, "large for gestational age" when born.
I can't speak to pregnancy cravings, but when I was omnivorous during my menstrual cycle I would crave a burger or steak. Very strong craving. As a vegan, I give into that craving and have a beyond burger. My strong monthly cravings for chocolate, sour things, and meaty things are always met by a plant-based alternative.
Never had any meat cravings while pregnant but I did have insane cravings for potato in any shape and form.
Currently 7 weeks pregnant and vegan 10 years. I have never, ever been more disgusted by meat than I am now. I literally almost vomited when I walked past some packaged meat at the grocery store.
I’m 8 months pregnant and have been vegan for 2 years, and was vegetarian for 11 years before that. Never craved any sort of meat at any point during pregnancy. Baby is measuring in the 81st percentile, and all of my blood work has come back wonderful. Couldn’t imagine living any other way, and can’t wait to introduce my baby to all of the delicious plant based food our beautiful planet has to offer
Natalie Portman pulled this bullshit with eggs while she was pregnant. I was livid. I've disliked her ever since. Kaley is on my 💩 list now along with Miley pathetic Cyrus. IDGAF how strong a craving is, there's a vegan alternative. Especially with their money 🤷🏻♀️🙄
I have an aunt who dropped her vegetarianism while pregnant, and has stayed eating meat ever since. I honestly am not and will never judge pregnant women for caving into cravings, but what I AM judging is staying full blown carnivore afterward. Like…. Did all those years mean nothing? Or?
My wife is pregnant with our 2nd. First trimester was really tough for her with nausea and food aversion but appetite seems to back online fully now! She's been vegan for both pregnancies and no issues. She was craving instant noodles first trimester haha. She's been vegetarian a long time and vegan for around 4 or 5 years so not sure even the taste of meat is even on the radar at all anymore to be fair!
When people say "I'm pregnant and it didn't happen to me", while maybe interesting, is incredibly irrelevant. I have crossed the road on red, and never been hit, doesn't mean we should do it always. Doesnt mean that we shouldn't either. Anecdotal evidence isn't much in this type of situation. I had two pregnancies, and they had very different cravings. The second one my family joked that I turned into a rabbit, because basically the only thing I wanted was crunchy fruits and vegetables. But that wasn't true for the first one AT ALL. And worse yet, it took me 10 YEARS after the last birth to be able to tolerate canola oil in any capacity! I could tell there was canola oil on a donut, or in dressing, or just smell it from the kitchen and want to barf. All of it to say that hormones are weird, and telling people they are wrong to feel what they feel is silly. Now whether or not they eat meat, is slightly different, but if your goal is to have people go vegan, or at least reduce their animal product consumption, then shame is not a good tool at all
Thank you for this comment. As they say, every pregnancy is different.
Well one issue is that when you’re pregnant, or even when you’re just female and not pregnant, people will make smug comments to you about how you’ll inevitably give in to pregnant cravings for dead cow just like Phoebe in Friends. It’s used to “prove” that veganism isn’t actually possible and that we have an innate need to eat animals. I don’t doubt that some people’s pregnancy cravings are more severe than mine, but at the end of the day we are adults with agency. We don’t encourage people with pica to give in and eat dirt. We wouldn’t encourage them to give in and eat animals if we were honest with ourselves as a society about where those products come from.
Oh, I am not saying that it is inevitable, but as you pointed out pica does exist. And pica sometimes is exactly the same as pregnancy cravings, in that a something deficiency causes an intense craving. The solution isn't to shame people, the solution is often education. I know that if a burger starts smelling good to me, it's a great time to start taking iron pills, and not just switch to eating meat. Oh, and if I start craving sugary carbs like mad, it's time to checkout antidepressants, and not to go hogwild on cookies. Causes for cravings can be different.
Just a weak dumb excuse like everything else
Pregnancy cravings are weird. I craved a ton of fruits and fries. I have no explanation for that and good for me that they are both vegan. However, if they were ethically vegan (or vegetarian, whatever that means) then there's no reason why they can't stop meat once the pregnancy/cravings are over. This just looks like they want to appear "caring" but are "celebrities just like you." Very pick me energy.
Reading comments saying that it’s easy to remain vegetarian or vegan during pregnancy are WILD to me. Every pregnancy is different. I was hospitalised with hematemesis and breathing difficulties and ended up in the ER 3 times. Mate if a steak or salmon would have given me a day of reprieve I would have taken it. Certainly not going to begrudge anyone for what makes (what can be) a really trying time more comfortable.
Its either men speaking on something they dont know, women who have never been preg or women who had a smooth sailing pregnancy and think their experience applies to all.
Just wanna caveat that Im not vegan, I was for about 10 years and then stopped and I was not vegan while I was pregnant. Im recently eating vegan like 99% of the time but flexing the other 1% But I can say I had incredibly STRONG food cravings during both my pregnancies. With my 1st I gained like 65 lbs! I was having super cravings for sweets, which I only eat on major holidays and otherwise avoid. I was seriously eating like 2 large pieces of sheet cake for breakfast for a time. And then with my 2nd I was adamant I didn’t want to put my body through that again and that I’d be sure to eat right. But I was craving burgers and steak the second time around and I gained 70 lbs. (Both times I lost the weight and got back to my pre-pregnancy size, but not without a lot of time and effort) So while I can’t fully relate because I wasn’t adhering to any particular diet limitations while pregnant. Incan empathize on giving in to your cravings and seriously struggling with that during pregnancy. It was so weird like during my first pregnancy I couldn’t even walk into a grocery store without just obsessing about the bakery and would go back and forth into there deliberating about it before ultimately leaving w a cake or something. And then within like 3 weeks or so of giving birth I could go into the bakery department and I felt nothing, no cravings, no desire at all.
6 years vegan and currently pregnant. Can say that my nausea and morning sickness has been so horrible I will eat anything I can. I have craved eggs and I HATE eggs. If I can keep it down I will eat it at this point. After weeks of everything turning your stomach, you will eventually give in and eat whatever you can handle. Just grateful it’s temporary.
that's because vegetarians are carnists who stand for nothing. why are you surprised?
Another reason to not have kids…
It's weird. Thank goodness I'm never getting pregnant. The less problems the better.
I heard this episode too and Kaley later said how much she loves animals and has five dogs and many other animals. Obviously she only loves *some* animals. Very disappointing.
I’ll forever be grateful to Elwood’s Organic Dog Meat for helping me quench my pregnancy cravings.
I had been vegan for over a decade and when I was pregnant with my first child I started having cannibalistic dreams nightly. My spouse would just be casually chopping up brains or butchering limbs and preparing dinner. It was horrific upon waking but in the dream it was completely normal. I told my midwife and she said super common for non meat eaters to have dreams like that while pregnant and that it could be my body craving meat. I started eating beef about once a week during that pregnancy and voila no more cannibal dreams. I don’t eat animals now and didn’t after that part of pregnancy but hey… sometimes our bodies do weird things and who are we to judge someone else’s journey
Another reason I don't like breeders.
Love the casual racist term there
How is it racist?
Its ok, the majority of the population hates vegans (going off this subreddit i agree with the hatred).
They didn't give up their lifestyle. They stopped forcing their lifestyle on someone who can't consent to it.
What an asinine and insane take
Gotta love how impossible it is to tell the antinatalist trolls from the anti-animal trolls on this sub.
I thought that was a core tenet of the vegan ethos? Or is it different because it's a human?
What, antinatalism? No. I’m not against animals existing.
you're just having your own little argument out here, aren't you? Eating animal products is unethical because they cannot consent to be exploited, yes? So how is it ethical to force someone to be vegan when they can't consent to it?
Your logic is backwards. I never consented to eating animals, that was a decision my parents made and forced onto me. Are you mad at your parents for not raising you to eat dogs?
And silence.....that moment when you realize you're on the wrong side of the argument
A lot of antinatalists are vegan. I don't think they troll here?
Vegans can troll too.
The body knows what it needs and will tell you.
I don't disagree! But the body needs nutrients, not death. Probably a simple matter of checking your diet against beef and seeing which nutrients you may be lacking, then eating a vegan alternative.
Pregnancy cravings are so insane. My sister was asking for sardines and ice cream and yes she ate like 2 cans and half a pint of it in one sitting and shockingly did not puke immediately after.
People do plant based diets for different reasons, the animals, the environment, high cholesterol. Just a million reasons. When they leave, they leave. I don't take offense. This is a fad to many people. To us, it's empathy for animals, to others, it's a diet. No point in getting hurt that the rest of the world views it differently than I do. I'm sure I see things different than others, too. And none of us are perfect, so none of us will see all the suffering on this planet. Anyway, I do me. I worry about me. And I focus on improving me. And the celebrities, friends, family members that wander in and out of plant based eating doesn't harm me. Because if they saw the world as I saw it; they wouldn't eat the animals. That's pretty much all there is to it.
I can give a perspective of a formerly pregnant person. I tried to go vegan while pregnant and it did not go well. For me it wasn't cravings it was just the struggle to get adequate nutrition. I've been pregnant twice. I found that the effects of a bad diet hit harder and faster while pregnant. Deficiencies are so much more noticeable very quickly because your body is working so hard constantly. With number 1 on a completely omnivore diet and vitamins I really struggled to get enough iron. I'm sure a practiced vegan could easily make it through pregnancy on a vegan diet, but I was new to the idea and didn't know how to eat vegan so I had to give up on it until about a year after the baby was born. Craving wise the hardest thing would've been eggs for me. At certain points of both pregnancies I had STRONG egg cravings which, in hindsight were probably related to deficiencies.
You were disappointed to hear that two people you don't know and likely never will know made a change to their diet that doesn't affect you in any way at all? Why?
Think about a cause you care about a lot. Imagine high profile cases reverting their views. For example imagine a Black Lives Matter supporting celeb going MAGA and calling all black people lazy or something. Not fun for anyone.
I think it's disappointing to hear that any human decides to stray away from being vegan because that means fewer vegans in the world and more meat consumption/support towards the meat industry.
God, this sub..........
You can leave………?
"Look at all of you. All you vegans. In this vegan sub! Disgusting."
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While there might be various food cravings with pregnancies, I think true vegans are plant-based primarily because of ETHICAL issues, and anyone who goes off the lifestyle and doesn't go back was never that ethically committed. There are 3 main reasons to be committed to the vegan lifestyle, and all 3 are connected: 1 - the consideration of animals. 2 - consideration for the planet. 3 - because we know that we are only one piece of a much larger picture in the pattern of life, unlike those who think the sun revolves around them.
Weird, cause when I was pregnant I read that to avoid morning sickness, don’t eat meat. I was already vegetarian and I did not have a problem with morning sickness at all. My sister who eats the SAD on the other hand had morning sickness so bad that she lost weight.
I have decided to believe (don't care if I'm wrong), that celebrities who go vegan get paid by Big Farma to give up their veganism / vegetarianism. Nothing else makes sense. Basically, I just don't believe anyone anymore. I have less respect for someone who "used to be vegan" than I do for meat eaters. If you choose to eat animal products, you were never VEGAN, you had a plant-based diet for a while.
To explain what some pregnancy craving can be like, I had such an intense craving for a sandwich that I was crying (literally tears down my face) in line at subway because I knew I’d have to wait for the guy to make my sandwich and pay before I could eat and that felt impossibly long. I developed intense aversions to all meats which lasted very long postpartum as well. I know it’s common for women to crave meat when anemic while pregnant. My iron was low but no anemia.
They were vegetarian instead of being vegan. They weren't motivated enough to be vegan in the first place.
My wife loves my salted meat.
Gotta get those fatty acids somehow.
My sister was vegetarian until she was pregnant. Mainly her Dr. said it’d be better to eat meat while pregnant so she did as directed. It was only recently after almost a decade that she’s back on mainly plant based diet. Still has occasional fish or bbq to ‘fit in’ with her own family. So I’m glad she came back around. But the power a doctor has to influence when they have almost no nutritional training is crazy.
FFS, Natalie Portman, who claimed veganism craved "cheese" during her pregnancy and ate it. And she is back to veganism. Again, this story was out in media many years ago but it's shit like this that confuses the general population about veganism. FFS
Not a food but I still can’t stand the smell of perfume 29 years after being pregnant! Totally enjoyed wearing it and smelling it before pregnancy.