I Went Vegan For a Month – Here’s What I Discovered

Back in October I decided to go vegan for a week. An easy enough challenge and, to be fair, I really had no reason for doing it other than to see if my energy levels would increase — as well as to try some new restaurants and recipes. One week passed in the blink of an eye and I decided to go for two. Two weeks passed without so much as an issue and I decided to continue for a month! Here’s what I discovered:

  1. Being vegan is actually pretty easy. Disclosure– I’ve been dairy free for two years so perhaps that made this transition easier for me. I guess this fact was surprising to me because of how many vegans I have seen  yo-yo back and forth with the reasoning being that vegan food is difficult to find. Honestly, it’s not hard to find vegan food as long as you aren’t particularly picky. And I say that in general – not as someone living in LA. You can do this!
  2. Being vegan AND gluten-free is a bit tougher! I am 100% gluten-free for two years now and gluten limited since 2009. I’m not a fair-weather friend who is gluten-free some days and not others. I am 100% in this thing and finding gluten-free vegan food is a much tougher challenge than simply being vegan. Many meat substitutes and sauces are gluten-laden. However, it was entirely manageable. If I was presented with a situation which did not have food I could eat (travel, events, etc) I simply waited until I got home to eat or picked up my own snack. It’s totally possible. It takes commitment, yes, but you’ve got this!
  3. My cravings changed. I used to refer to my diet as ‘meats and sweets’ as those were the two main food groups in my diet and the things I craved the most. I’ve eaten red meat at most every meal since I re-introduced meat into my diet about ten years ago (after five years of not eating beef or pork). Interestingly enough, after my month of veganism, I started craving vegetables — and my meat cravings subsided. I am now about 80-90% plant-based. Crazy. My sweets cravings, however, are still exactly the same. If you have suggestions on that one, send them my way!
  4. My energy gains were negligible. I initially did this vegan experiment to see if my energy levels would increase. I think a month is long enough to notice a difference, but unfortunately, I can’t report back with a significant change. However, I did notice a significant decrease in energy and strength the first week or so – my pilates classes were tough, but once I made it through I was back to normal. If that first week hits you hard, and it probably will, stay strong and stick to the plan. You can do this! 
  5. My skin looked the same. Since my vegan month ended I have read countless accounts of people harping on about their skin improving on a vegan diet, hair shining, losing weight, etc. This was not the case for me. Perhaps this is because I don’t have any real issues with my skin to begin with or perhaps because many skin issues trace back to dairy which I’ve not had in a couple of years (aside from the cheeky bag of m&ms). My hair and weight also remained the same. If anything I would guess that I gained a couple of pounds (don’t have a scale) as I ate even more frequently than usual to try to increase my energy levels.

I hope that if you’re considering a vegan trial you’ll be assured from my post that it is 100% possible to do this. It takes commitment and at times you will be challenged, but you can succeed 🙂 I will likely challenge myself again in the coming months and report back with any updates.

 

*photography by tslrlifestyle 




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