Basics
How do you handle cravings for cheese or meat?
Short answer
It is normal. Taste retrains over weeks, not days. Fat and umami help (tahini, mushrooms, soy sauce, analogues), not salad alone. A craving does not mean “the body requires meat”.
Cheese and meat are built around salt, fat and childhood habit. At the start you miss texture and the “hole” after a yellow-cheese sandwich — hummus, pesto, smoked paprika and a discounter cheese analogue close it more often than dry willpower.
Barbecue: mushrooms, corn, seitan or a plant burger instead of a lecture by the fire. If a month later it “still has to be cheese”, that is habit information, not a protein deficiency. Eat enough protein and calories — a craving is often just hunger.