Meat Cravings

Question
Dear Lela,

I am writing to you because something really strange is going on.  I was a pescatarian for over 4 years (meaning I had fish 2-4 times a month because I like it not because I craved it) and didn't fancy eating meat at all.  Since September (2008) I increasingly crave meat (not "blocks" of meat but smallish quantities such as ham, salami and small quantities of lamb or duck.  For the main meal of the day I eat a healthy vegetarian diet which me and my boyfriend (a veggie of 25 years) cook from scratch with fresh ingredients.

Before I turned pescatarian I ate meat occasionally (1-2 times a week), but never experienced cravings for it.  I'm 36 & not pregnant, but my appetite has changed considerably in the past 2 months (I actually have a sense of hunger now, not just feeling ravenous at the end of the day when I just forgot to eat).

I really have 2 questions for you:

1. Are the meat cravings, something I need to worry about (are they a sign of something that's wrong with me)?

2. As my sense of hunger has come back now, I am slightly worried about keeping my weight (between 8&9 stones for 5.6 height, never been overweight in my life).  My guess is that meat can cause weight gain, so what is the ideal amount of meat in a balanced diet.

Many thanks in advance for your reply,

Kind regards,

Michelle

Answer
Michelle,

Your body may be trying to tell you something. You might be low on B vitamins, or iron- both of which are common causes of meat cravings. Try eating foods that are high in iron.
List here-  http://www.vegsoc.org/info/iron.html

You can get B vitamins from eggs, wheat germ, dairy products, nuts and seeds- so make sure you are getting enough of those in your diet as well.

Now that you are feeling hungry you have to re-learn how to eat normally. Make sure that you have healthy snacks on hand so that you don't get to the ravenous state and over-eat. Planning meals and snacks can put you in control of what you eat so you don't go hours without eating.

Meat itself doesn't cause weight gain, calories do, so as long as you are aware of your calorie balance- you should be fine on that count.

Hope this helps,
Lela Simon
http://www.LelaSimonWellness.com

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