If you had told me one month ago that I would have tried out the plant-based lifestyle I would have been highly skeptical. However, over the past year I had a rollercoaster of health issues and it reached a point where I did not even remember what "healthy" felt like. After mass research online, I reached the conclusion that perhaps adopting a plant-based lifestyle was the best option for me. Being an all or nothing gal, I decided to skip the transition period (which in hindsight may have been where I went wrong) and embrace the vegan lifestyle whole heartedly. In the end, I only have positive things to say about this experience and it was due to personal circumstances that I did not continue and not because of veganism itslef. However, for the meantime I will make incremental changes and when the time is right, I will adopt a plant-based life completely.
So here are 15 things I learnt from my 30 days as a vegan:
1. You will have to do a lot of research and it may drive you crazy
To ensure I wasn't going to worsen my health condition and experience any kind of nutrient deficiency, I did ample research beforehand. This included documentaries (Forks Over Knives, Cowspiracy, Earthlings etc.), TED talks, Youtube videos, following vegan instagram accounts and reading books (e.g. Skinny bitch - it was witty and sometimes harsh but ultimately very effective in motivating me to continue with this lifestyle). I also replaced my omega 3 with flaxseed and started taking B12 and Floradix (for Iron).
2. You will be surprised of animal products that exist in food
After getting over not having honey, it may sound silly but I had to throw away my omega 3 even though they were just vitamins and I had to be careful of the kind of protein powders and dark chocolate I was consuming because many contained traces of milk in them.
3. It can be expensive but it doesn't have to be
4. You will end up getting innovative with your cooking
5. You will experience tons of health benefits (but maybe downsides too)
I became much leaner just after one week (I started developing "abs" even though I stopped working out) and my skin improved immensely (some people asked what my trick was because I seemed to "glow") and my hair and nails got stronger too. However, I have also heard of people who started developing acne and experiencing stomach cramps - vegan experts claim this is the "detoxing" period and if you ride it through it will be fine.
6. You will feel super elated and happy
Gone were my mood swings, anxiety and depression. If I wasn't feeling super happy and positive (mainly because I was eating super clean, started nourishing my body and stopped putting junk inside me), my mood was stable and I felt content. I started approaching each situation logically and with mental clarity, and started treating people much kinder than I did before.
7. However...bloating
This leads me to my next point. Although I experienced loads of health benefits, I also suffered from extreme bloating. However, this is not abnormal due to the increased your fibre and water-intake (if you are a healthy vegan you should be consuming lots of fruits and vegetables). I found that adding fresh lemon juice to everything and drinking water in between meals really helped. I also found that eating fruit during the day helped with my digestion, rather than having it after cooked meals.
8. You might feel slightly awkward at social gatherings
Suddenly you have become the "difficult" dinner guest at the party, who's food needs tailoring. I was also put in a few uncomfortable positions at lunches or dinners where people went out of their way to make sure there were vegan options for me - however, know that this comes from purely a good place and it shows that they care.
9. You find out who cares and supports you
Fortunately, all my friends and family supported my decision despite some their doubts. However, there are some people who go the extra mile to support you in this decision and it is from this that you can tell who truly cares about you.
10. People will make fun of you
There will be harmless vegan jokes made and you probably will get tagged in a lot of vegan posts and memes on facebook - but take it with a grain of salt (as long as it's not overly offensive) and laugh it off! Life shouldn't be taken so seriously anyways.
11. You may feel like the whole world is going vegan
Since I did so much research on veganism, at one point everything popping up on the newsfeed of my social media accounts were all related to veganism and I had to do a reality check and call several friends to make sure there wasn't a sudden shift to plant-based eating.
12. You might feel sad and lonely sometimes
I grew up being a foodie and often bonded with my friends and family over sharing food and trying out new restaurants. You might feel a little left out at social gatherings when you have to eat your own specially prepared dish, however know that it's all in your own head and food can be a big part of your social life but it doesn't have to be.
13. The cravings do stop
At the beginning, I wondered if I could ever stop eating salmon, yoghurt and eggs - all of my favourite foods! However, if you are eating right (enough healthy carbs such as brown rice, lentils, beans, vegetables and fruits etc.) the cravings do stop and I was shocked to find out that I actually felt disgusted at the thought of eating such foods.
14. However, there might be moments where you have weird cravings
I'm not going to lie, there are some days where I just wanted to eat a slab of red meat - not just that but eat it RAW. This is when you have to re-examine what you are eating as it is likely that you are lacking something. I upped my carb (brown rice) and iron intake (taking floradix and spinach), nommed on a lentil burger, and everything was fine!
15. You might have slip ups - and that's ok
However, that being said, you are making massive lifestyle adjustments and changes and it's inevitable that you will have slip-ups. Whether they are accidental or not, don't be harsh on yourself, you're only learning. As long as you make a mental note to stay focused on why you're transitioning into a plant-based lifestyle and to try and not do it again, you should be fine.
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