Azhia: I’ve talked to currently pregnant and previously pregnant mothers who say that they “crave” meat (and a few of these interviewees were supposedly vegan). I tell myself that when I finally become pregnant, that I will not deny what my body is signaling that I need, but I have trepidation about signals to eat meat (if there is such a thing). Anybody ever have these “cravings” for meat and if so, what did you do about it?

Pavlina: If you crave meat how do you know that means you need iron? Marketing. We are trained to believe that meat = iron or protein. Poppycock I say! If you find yourself craving meat, find a vegan substitute for the same item. Slather some barbecue sauce on a veggie burger and grill it up. Have some vegan macaroni and cheese. Find your comfort in vegan food.

I think women who crave meat and then go eat it even though they want to be vegan are in denial about what they really want. Since the human body has no biological need for meat, I can’t see how the brain would send a craving signal for meat that was based on a need and not a want.

celtic-womble: I haven’t had any cravings for meat since becoming pregnant. I think a lot more women get aversions to meat than get cravings. I know a lot of omnivores suddenly find the idea of meat disgusting. It’s probably some sort of self-defense mechanism, the body knows that meat may well be dangerous to eat.

That said, I have been getting major cravings for cheese, especially white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, and I wasn’t even a fan of that pre-vegan. I had to leave the room at work the other day because someone was eating a stromboli and I was so tempted to just grab it and swallow it whole. Never mind that that thing had meat in it, my body was totally willing to deal with that to get at the cheese!

The really weird thing is I was shopping the other day, and I said to the baby, “Right, you can have some cheese. What do you want?” The reply? “I don’t fancy cheese today, let’s get some black bean soup from Panera instead!”

LauraH: Well I royally screwed up! After being vegan for five years I got pregnant and started having horrible cravings, and severe round the clock nausea. Suddenly beans and tofu sounded awful to me and I started craving eggs. I thought about buying eggs for a long time before breaking down and doing so (and researching and contacting local egg places to find the most humane place). So I bought the eggs and have been eating one every morning. They’re strangely satisfying but smell bad and I have to open the window and turn on the fan to blow the smell out before my son wakes up, because the smell makes him gag.

I was also out one night and smelled fish cooking and suddenly realized I was starving for fish and after a lot of decision I bought some fish filets. I don’t know what happened to me, I used to be so vegan. Maybe I’m just scared because I’m 44 and I’ve lost 3 out of my 4 pregnancies and I feel like maybe this is my last chance. I know my Mom blames my diet on my last two pregnancy losses, she begged me before to at least eat milk and eggs, and this time she hasn’t even spoken to me.

And truth is, I make the same vegan food over and over and I think I’m just getting sick of the same old stuff. I cook it up for the family and can’t even eat it. I know that’s a lousy excuse and I feel bad about the whole thing.

I don’t know what I am anymore, I’ve lost my label. My son is disappointed in me so it’s very sad, but I just crave eggs and fish so bad. Maybe after I deliver I can go back, and in the meantime find new and exciting recipes that are satisfying. But for now I feel like a big failure.

kjmckenzie: Hey Laura, what about tofu scramble? That is very similar to eggs! You could also try the fake meat products, those are pretty tasty! Good luck with getting a handle on those cravings, but whatever you do, try to stop doubting the vegan diet. If you do it properly, it is way more healthy than anything else!

appifanie: I am 13 weeks pregnant as of today, and about 6-7 weeks ago I was having fish cravings. I admit that I gave in and ate a fish sandwich, and it was really good. But I’m so over it and don’t think I’ll be doing that again! Other than that, I had decided to go from vegan to vegetarian, but my morning sickness is almost all gone, and un-vegan things sound horrible again (thank heavens!).