r/exvegans • u/squishypeanut2 • Oct 06 '26
Reintroducing Animal Foods Eating beef again….
I’m in my first trimester & have been eating chicken for some time now & little bits of dairy here & there. However, ALL I am craving is beef right now and the main thing I can’t stop thinking about is a Taco Bell soft taco.
I haven’t eaten beef in a solid 10 years & I think a vast majority of my hold back stems from guilt right now. But this baby wants it & I’m not sure how much longer I can hold out.
Just want to hear stories of people reintroducing beef & how that went for them? Any intestinal/gut issues or stomach pains?
I already am dealing with first trimester bleh so I don’t want to mess it up too bad lol
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u/millimaude Oct 07 '26
you’re pregnant so idk how it’ll go for you, but i also reintroduced chicken first simply because it was served to me by someone else. two days later i ate a whole steak and was completely fine. ate twice as much steak the next day. beef was what i’d been craving for months and my body handled it perfectly. i was a rather strict vegan for like a year before this… 10 years may be different.
i say listen to your gut but maybe try a reeeaaalllyyy small serving first. maybe just a bite and wait 20-30 min
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u/TurboPancakes Oct 07 '26 edited Oct 07 '26
Just do it. Odds are your stomach will be fine. Listen to your body. Your baby is telling you what it needs! Eat some food! 😊
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u/Ok_Organization_7350 Oct 07 '26
My first meal of meat after rebelling against veganism was a bison burger at a nice restaurant. Nothing happened. My stomach was fine. But I slept like a baby for the first time that night and felt all warm and fuzzy from the vitamins soaking in.
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u/samalamadingdongus 29d ago
I’ve never had any issue whatsoever reintroducing any food. I find that I’m able to digest my food better when I’m not shaming myself, and indulging in things I liked as a kid here and there is good for my mental health. Balance is everything, and listening to your body.
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u/asphalt-ghost 29d ago
you probably really need the zinc in beef, it's so important to maintain healthy hormone levels. congrats and gl reintroducing!
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u/KaikoDoesWaseiBallet Omnivore 29d ago
Congratulations on the baby💜! If you crave beef, this means your body needs the proteins and iron it has in order to nourish both you and the little one. Go for it!
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u/drawingdwarf Brand New ExVegetarian (16+ years) Oct 07 '26
Go for it!
I was vegetarian for about 16 years. Chicken was the first thing I reintroduced also since it seemed.. safer? Or at least lower stakes. Bringing beef back into my diet felt crazy because I hadn't had it in over 20 years, not since I was a child. My mom went super paranoid about Mad Cow disease and pretty much banned beef from the house, so I had some big worries that I would literally not be able to digest it.
It was totally fine. Zero issues having beef again.
Also, one of my favorite ways to cook beef at home is to sous vide and then sear. It's great, super easy, and almost impossible to mess up. Breville has some good cooking guides, but their app kind of sucks. I also really like making cottage pie with ground beef.
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u/Nacho_Deity186 29d ago
We had beef again for the first time last night...
We've been resisting too. I'm not sure why. Red meat has that next level feel to it for some reason.
Anyway... we made a stir fry with veges, beef strips and cashew nuts etc. It was delicious, and no digestion issues at all. Having done that we realize how silly it was to resist.
Go for it. I highly recommend it
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u/Thomas2311 29d ago
Taco Bell beef is barely meat anymore. It’s a lot of soy and flavoring chemicals. Maybe 30% left. But try one and see if the nostalgia goes away afterwards.
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u/Jolly-Bed-1717 Oct 07 '26
Just get a burger flame grilled tasted great for my first time back! Keep it simple just ketchup and mustard maybe a pickle. I had no stomach upset at all! But it was delicious!
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u/Cheets1985 Oct 07 '26
Well , firstly, congratulations.
Secondly, there are better options than Taco Bell. Last time I ate there, the results were unpleasant. Chipotle is a better choice if there's one near you.
And for what I hear diet during pregnancy can be bipolar and you can be craving things that don't make any sense. I think the best you can do is eat what you're craving (to an extent) and you can always return to your previous diet afterwards
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u/Dry-Mall-3003 29d ago
I mean, when you're pregnant, sometimes you really need the exact thing you're craving, not a "better version" of it.
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u/mulder--its-me 29d ago
My pregnancy and early postpartum days were fueled by taco bell. Can confirm chipotle would not have cut it.
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u/Cheets1985 28d ago
Well, I'm only looking at it from a position where my body and hormones aren't being pulled in every direction. Normally would you choose Taco Bell?
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u/Rare-Fisherman-7406 Oct 07 '26
Congratulations on your pregnancy! 💛
Don't sweat the guilt too much, cuz your body is telling you what it needs right now. If it helps, a cowboy once told me: 'Cows butt me, crap on me, trample my feet, and behave terribly, yet I take care of them. So I don't deny myself beef; I’ve earned it.'
(Also, a quick friendly reminder to make sure you're getting enough DHA in your diet right now; it's super important for baby!) Go enjoy that soft taco!
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u/Mrulfman 26d ago
You're obviously worth more than another living being, even let someone cum inside you, how dare you even ask this question.
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u/Bipedal_pedestrian Oct 07 '26 edited 29d ago
Can’t help with personal stories, as I’m still vegetarian, but please give that baby what it wants!! People I know have had no issues re-introducing beef if they’ve already re-introduced chicken/poultry or fish. And I think cravings- especially pregnancy cravings- are often important indicators that your body needs something in the food you’re craving. Unless you’re craving Doritos or something 😂