Here is a list of some of my favorite foods:
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Nachos
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Hotdogs
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Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Sandwiches
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Pizza
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Chicken Nuggets
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Etc
While I have always tried to eat a balanced diet, I love cheese, meat, creamy dressings, and everything savory!
Choosing to begin a plant-based diet wasn’t necessarily a quarantine activity. Still, I did stumble across informational youtube videos, articles, and podcasts while I was home for the semester due to COVID-19, so I guess the coronavirus era led to my newly found dietary restrictions.
Anyways, I am someone who struggles with chronic headaches, constant digestive issues, and I am always exhausted. I often nap and take Tylenol way more than the typical 20-year-old. I don’t enjoy complaining, but it seems like I could list at least six things wrong with me at any moment. FOR EXAMPLE, as I write this, my head hurts, my stomach is crampy, and I am exhausted despite the four-hour nap I took today. I don’t remember what kickstarted my interest in becoming plant-based. Still, there is a good chance that I saw a Tiktok about the diet’s benefits and then took to Google to find out more.
A significant influence on my decision to give it a try was the idea that following a plant-based diet is the healthiest form of food consumption. It can help boost your productivity, including energy and focus, and help you maintain a healthy weight, not that I am an unhealthy weight, but I would love to shred a few pounds.
Around December 2020, I began to look into plant-based diets and figured that I might benefit from one. I thought back to my previous failed attempt to become vegetarian and decided to wait until I was back at school to start the lifestyle changes. It’s just a lot easier to constrict yourself when you buy your own groceries. I also considered how quickly I can lose motivation and decided that I would start cutting things out of my diet one by one. So, in late January, I cut out dairy. I thought this would be harder than it was, especially not eating cheese, but I’ve come to enjoy it. I really like oat milk, so coffee and cereal are covered. As far as pizza and nachos, I definitely miss them, but I’ve found that I snack a lot less than I used to. It’s easy to pick when there are leftover mozzarella sticks in the fridge or a party pizza on the counter after a night out, but not being able to eat dairy allows me to make more conscious decisions about what I eat. There are also dairy-free alternatives to pizza and cheese. My favorite pizza brand is Daiya, which is both dairy and gluten-free. I even made the viral feta-tomato pasta with Violife vegan feta cheese, so I am not falling behind on trends.
On March 14th, once I was used to being dairy-free, I gave up red meat. This has definitely been a challenge, but as I said before, it just makes me more conscious about what I eat, which I enjoy. It is hard as a college student with a meal plan to go to the dining hall, and nearly everything contains some red meat or dairy. However, I am making it through just fine.
As far as results, I haven’t seen many changes within my body. I still get headaches, and stomach aches, and lack the energy that someone my age should have, but maybe once I am entirely plant-based, I’ll feel on top of the world. That’s the plan anyway. But for now, I am slowly cutting things out of my diet. Next is either seafood or chicken/turkey, but I haven’t decided.