This article is part of my FAQs series.
For well over a decade, I have been answering anonymously submitted questions on my Tumblr blog. Over that time, I have noticed many recurring themes, concerns, and misunderstandings.
This series brings together concise, practical responses to the questions I am asked most often, based on real conversations with people at every stage of thinking about veganism.
If you’d like to see more entries in this series, you can find them here.
The Short Answer
Cravings are normal when you change your diet. They are not a moral failure, and they are not necessarily a sign of that anything is wrong.
Most cravings fade with time. In the meantime, you can manage them by meeting the underlying nutritional need, using plant-based alternatives, and staying connected to your reasons for going vegan.
What matters is not whether cravings occur, but whether you act on them.
The Detail
Cravings Are Normal, and Usually Temporary
When you remove foods you have eaten for years, your brain doesn’t instantly adjust. Taste, smell, and texture are tied to habit, comfort, and routine. If you used to enjoy certain animal products, it’s completely unsurprising that you might crave them at first.
Not everyone experiences cravings, but many do. This is not a sign that something is wrong, it is simply your brain adjusting to a new normal.
Most people find that cravings significantly reduce within a few weeks. Over time, many vegans reach a point where they no longer even perceive animal products as food. That is where I am now, but it took me years to get there.
Understand What You’re Actually Craving
Cravings are rarely about a specific food in isolation. Rather, they’re usually about:
- Fat
- Salt
- Protein
- Calories
- Familiar textures
- Emotional comfort
If you’re craving red meat, for example, you may actually be craving something high in protein, calorie-dense, and savoury. Instead of focusing on the exact food, focus on the function it served.If you’re craving something rich and fatty, try things like nuts, nut butters, avocado, hummus, or some vegan junk food.
If you’re craving something savoury and hearty, try lentil based dishes, chilli, soups and stews, beans, tofu or tempeh. Your brain needs time to re-associate those nutritional needs with new foods. This “rewiring” doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen.
Use Plant-Based Alternatives
There is no rule that says you must avoid vegan substitutes. If having a plant-based version of a food you used to enjoy helps you stay consistent, then there is nothing wrong with using it. Modern alternatives to things like burgers, sausages, bacon, cheese, butter and chicken are plentiful.
They will not be exact matches, but they will serve the same function on a plate and are often close enough to satisfy the craving, even if they are not identical. The goal of these products is not perfection, it’s function. If they help you transition and prevent feelings of restriction, they serve a useful purpose. Don’t feel the need to radically change your diet when you go vegan, there is nothing wrong with like-for-like swaps with vegan alternatives.
If you prefer whole foods and want to avoid substitutes, that’s fine too. Just make sure you are replacing what you removed with something satisfying, rather than simply depriving yourself.
Don’t Interpret Cravings as a Sign to Quit
It’s important not to over-interpret cravings. Feeling the urge to eat something does not mean:
- You need it.
- You are deficient.
- You are failing.
It just means your habits are adjusting. Over time, most people report that cravings either disappear entirely or become much weaker and easier to ignore. I still get the odd strange craving now and again, usually having to do with a childhood food or smell, but they’re not at all tempting and usually go away quickly.
Stay Connected to Your Why
Cravings become harder to manage when you lose sight of your reasons for going vegan. When people drift back toward old habits, it’s often because they’ve become disengaged. The food starts to feel abstract again, and so does animal exploitation. The connection between the product and the animal fades.
If you’re struggling, try revisiting books or documentaties that inspired you. Engage with animal rights materials, and remind yourself what you’re trying to reduce or prevent. This isn’t about guilt, it is about clarity.
When your values are clear, short-term cravings don’t just go away, but they become much easier to manage.
If You Slip Up
Mistakes can happen, even for vegans who have been doing this for years. If they do, treat it as a learning experience rather than a reason to quit. Ask yourself:
- What triggered the craving?
- Was I hungry?
- Was I stressed?
- Did I not plan properly?
- Did I not have any vegan alternatives available?
Then adjust accordingly. Consistency matters more than perfection.
The Bigger Picture
It’s completely normal to acknowledge that animal products taste good. Veganism doesn’t require pretending otherwise. What it asks is that you weigh taste, habit, and tradition against the harm involved in producing those foods.
Cravings are temporary – your values are not. If you consistently choose your principles over short-term pleasure, the cravings will eventually lose their power..
Suggested Reading
- Ed Winters – How to Go (and Stay) Vegan). A very good guide to going vegan, it tackles this issue and many others you will likely encounter as a new vegan.
- Jonathan Safran Foer – Eating Animals. A very accessible account of how animals are treated in animal agriculture industries, to help keep you connected to your “why.”
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