Eating Vegan for a Week
“You’re crazy right?” yeah, that’s
exactly what I said to myself too. There’s
all kinds of crazy rumors about vegans.
A lot of people ask “so what do vegans eat?” and don’t actually know
what vegan means. So if you’re one of
those people, here’s something that will make things a lot more clear for you”
Vegan-
no animal products (dairy, meat, eggs, etc.)
At first it seems really scary, but
when you think about all the things you CAN eat, it gets better I promise. In fact, there are probably things you eat
every day that are vegan and you don’t even realize it. It’s not always necessary to change your
whole diet (unless of course it’s for a health related reason). It’s easier to start out with the foods you’re
already used too, instead of suddenly changing everything.
So now I’m going to tell you about my
experience. I would like to say,
however, that if you’re seriously considering becoming a vegan to give it a lot
more time than just one week, which is what I chose to do. Lifestyle choices like this take a while to
take effect.
Monday
From
my journal:
[eating
vegan] was a lot easier than I expected it to be. I barely even felt tempted to eat anything
else. I think the most important thing
is to have the right mindset (saying “I CAN do this” instead of “this is way
too hard”). I ate dinner at Olive Garden
and it was extremely difficult to order something that wasn’t vegan, but
overall it was a good start to the week
So obviously the first day wasn’t too
hard, aside from the Olive Garden part.
Olive Garden is one of my FAVORITE restaurants ever, so getting
something vegan was a little hard for me (but I still enjoyed it anyway). Also, I have a short story about the whole
Olive Garden experience. So I wasn’t
sure if I could have the breadsticks they serve, so I asked the waitress about
it and she told me the breadsticks were not vegan, and did in fact, have egg in
them. So I went home, disappointed, but
later as I was looking on a website that tells you about the food at Olive
Garden (for vegans, vegetarians, and people with allergies), it said that they
were indeed vegan after all. So if
anyone who works at Olive Garden is reading this, you owe this girl some breadsticks.
What
I ate:
Breakfast-
apples and cinnamon oatmeal
Lunch-
chickpea salad (like chicken salad except made with chickpeas and vegan mayo.
Tastes DELICIOUS), Trisquit crackers, and mango
Dinner-
pasta with marinara sauce and salad
Snacks-
waffle fries from Chick-fil-A
Tuesday
From
my journal:
Still going strong! Today was a little harder than yesterday,
just because I felt “restrained from eating other foods. I felt really tired in the morning, but I’m
not sure if it was from my new diet or from something else. But other than that, day 2 was a success!
So yes, the motivation and perseverance
from day 1 had worn off by day 2, but still pretty good by my standards. I read
that it’s important to make sure you’re getting the correct amount of protein
and vitamins that are in things like meat and dairy, so that’s one thing to
remember if you’re considering going vegan.
I wasn’t trying too hard, since it was only for a week, but if you’re
going to be eating vegan for a long time, make sure you’re eating the proper
amounts of protein and vitamins.
What
I ate:
Breakfast-
peanut butter whole wheat toast
Lunch-
chickpea salad and harvest grains (a mix of quinoa, orzo pasta, and corn from
Trader Joe’s. THE BEST)
Dinner-
leftovers from Olive Garden, salad, and garlic toast
Snacks-
orange, mug cake, cereal
Wednesday
From
my journal:
It
got a lot harder to stay focused and not eat things that I can’t have. I think it’s mostly out of laziness because
it takes a lot longer to prepare vegan and healthier food. But on the positive side, I am getting more
used to it. I definitely don’t miss
eating meat. I’ve noticed I feel really
good after I eat too. I don’t feel
bloated or sick after I eat which is really nice.
That was when I started to notice
the effect of what I was and wasn’t eating.
I really don’t like meat that much, so that was why I said it was one of
the easier parts. Also, I wasn’t feeling
sick or bloated after I eat too, which is something I normally feel after I eat
a big meal.
What
I ate:
Breakfast-
apples and cinnamon oatmeal
Lunch-
baked potato and brown rice
Dinner-
Mexican chopped salad wrap and tortilla chips
Snacks-
apple, Trisquit crackers
Thursday
From
my journal:
I
expected to give up by now and eat something I can’t have, but that still has
yet to happen. Today I felt a little
more “full” from my meals than I have the last few days. The problem is that these foods still fill
you up, but not for as long so you’re hungry more often. Today was definitely easier and I’m still not
missing anything.
So yes, by this day I’ve gotten in
the rhythm and routine of this, still not missing anything. Also another thing is that like I mentioned,
you still feel full and fulfilled from these meals, but just not for as long.
What
I ate:
Breakfast-
cereal
Lunch-
Mexican chopped salad wrap and tortilla chips
Dinner-
pineapple stir fry, peas, and a corn muffin
Snacks-
crackers and hummus, mug cake
Friday
From
my journal:
Still
going strong as a vegan! I really
thought I wouldn’t last this long, but I’m actually starting to like it. I feel less conscious of what I’m eating now,
like it’s become a routine. I haven’t
been missing the way I used to eat either, and I’m considering sticking with
this if it is successful. Now all I have
to do is make it through the weekend!
Okay so by this point I’m starting to
get used to it….and surprisingly liking it!
I didn’t have to think as much about what I was eating, and nope, still
not missing anything.
What
I ate:
Breakfast-
cereal
Lunch-
pasta and fruit
Dinner-
enchiladas, white corn, and corn muffin
Snacks-
ritz crackers, trisquits and hummus
Saturday
From
my journal:
Today
was probably one of the harder days because I went to work and all the food
there was so tempting. Then I went to
Cracker Barrel for dinner and they had hardly anything that I could eat. I still feel pretty good though (besides
hungry all the time).
So like I said, I went to work where
I was pretty much surrounded with things I couldn’t eat. Resisting the temptation was so hard, but I only
had one more day left so I couldn’t mess up at the end right? And let me just say, restaurants really need
to get on it and have more vegan options.
What
I ate:
Breakfast-
apples and cinnamon oatmeal
Lunch-
black bean/hummus veggie wrap, apple, and pita crackers
Dinner-
salad, fresh fruit, and fries
Snacks-
toast with jelly
Sunday
From my journal:
Today was the last day! I’m so happy but also kind of sad at the same
time. I’m really glad I did this experiment
because I felt so good about what I was eating.
One thing I did crave today was dessert….not surprising, really. Anything with sugar was on my mind
today. I also didn’t feel as full after
lunch, which is one of the biggest things I’ve noticed this week. But I did it!
It’s such a good feeling to prove
yourself wrong. I never thought that I
would last the entire week, but I did!
Like I said, I craved a lot of sugar today but I craved that even when I
wasn’t a vegan. But I had a lot of
motivation to stay focused obviously, since it was the last day. But I did it!
What I ate:
Breakfast- cereal and
toast
Lunch- salad, pita
chips, and hummus
Dinner- Samosa
patties,
So
that was it! As I said, I’m so glad I
did this because you really do feel better about what you’re eating. I would totally encourage doing this if you’re
considering being vegan or vegetarian.
Just try it out and see how it goes.
Also, if you’re already vegan or vegetarian, send me some of your
favorite recipes!
