As I write this, I have been eating a vegan diet for four weeks. I’ve decided to make this a six-week challenge, so I’m ⅔ of the way through! A vegan diet eliminates meat, dairy, and eggs, which means that pizza and omelets and ice cream are (literally) off the table. Here’s a summary of my experience so far!
Why I decided to try eating vegan
First of all, I like challenges and I wanted to see if I could successfully eat a vegan diet for six weeks. But more importantly, I’ve recently learned more about the meat industry and how it connects to climate change, pollution, infectious diseases, animal cruelty, etc. I recommend watching the documentaries What the Health and Food, Inc. if you’re interested in the topic. Both of those documentaries left me with a sinking feeling as I learned how the meat industry is cruel, unsustainable, and simply unhealthy. Here are a few statistics I found that give an idea of the enormity of the issues:
-
The Food and Drug Administration called the widespread use of antibiotics in factory farming to boost the production of animals a public-health hazard that fosters microbial resistance in humans and makes infections more difficult to treat.
There’s a ton of information out there about the meat industry, so I definitely recommend doing a little research of your own to get a more complete picture of the situation!
Additionally, many people decide to switch to a vegan diet because of the health benefits it can provide. Vegan diets normally include more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fiber than the average Western diet, and excludes animal products that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. The list of long-term health benefits is long and includes protection against several types of cancer, a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, maintenance of a healthy body weight, and more.
How to prepare yourself to go vegan
Switching to a vegan diet, even temporarily, is a daunting task. As I considered this challenge I realized how much meat, dairy, and eggs I actually ate during a normal day and how many foods would suddenly become off-limits. To prepare, I suggest finding a few different vegan snacks that you can buy and have on hand in case you can’t find a satisfying meal. Additionally, it helped me to list out several foods and meals that did fit the vegan rules, and figure out what options would be available on a daily basis. For example, I felt more secure knowing that Bartol would always have the vegan station at dinnertime, I could have the vegetable sushi at Common Grounds, and Oreos and french fries were both vegan-friendly!!
What I’ve actually been eating
I’m not going to lie: in my experience, the vegan diet has been pretty restrictive. However, it’s not all that difficult and I enjoy the food that I eat. Here’s a typical day for me:
-
Breakfast: Oatmeal with brown sugar and a banana
-
Lunch: Vegetable sushi at Common Grounds between classes
-
Dinner: Whatever’s at the vegan station at Bartol. I’ll add salad or soup on the side too.
-
Snacks: I absolutely LOVE Larabars. They’re made with nuts and dates and they come in lots of different flavors! They seriously taste like dessert but they’re actually nutritious!
I’ve noticed that many of my meals consist of just vegetables and grains, which sounds dull, but I’ve actually had a lot of variety and I’ve rarely felt bored with my food. The vegan rules make it easier to eat healthy foods, because you naturally have to choose fruits, grains, vegetables, and legumes over meat and cheese. I think the vegan diet has helped me to eat healthier without even thinking about it!
The biggest challenges
If you try out a vegan diet, suddenly all your friends will decide to eat pizza and chocolate and mashed potatoes every day. For real. But I promise you can resist; just stay strong!! The most difficult part of the vegan challenge for me has definitely been the FOMO that comes from eating a plate of lettuce while the girl next to you devours a cupcake. It’s not that the vegan food tastes bad–it’s actually really tasty!–it’s just that dairy and eggs are so good. Remembering the reasons that I decided to start this challenge (which I discussed earlier in the article) has helped me through the tough times.
Eating at restaurants is also tricky, but usually there’s a vegan option or two on the menu, even if you have to add some modifications. Plus, finding vegan-friendly restaurants is as easy as running a Google search. Worst-case scenario, if you absolutely can’t find a vegan meal, bring along a snack to hold you over.
Looking ahead
Am I going to stay vegan forever? No. But I’m eyeing vegetarianism as a feasible alternative: it’s less intense than a vegan diet and it still doesn’t support the meat industry. In the future, I’d love to continue learning about the problems in the meat industry and how to create sustainable, cruelty-free solutions. The vegan experience so far has been eye-opening for me, and I’d encourage anyone to experiment with a vegan or vegetarian diet, even if you end up deciding that it’s not for you. You’ll learn a lot about yourself, and the environment will thank you!