*Disclaimer: I’ve been eating honey, which is technically not vegan, throughout the two weeks. After watching What the Health two weeks ago, I was totally totally disgusted by meat. I certainly don’t agree with everything they said, or even a lot of what they said, but I’ve always known the meat industry in this country was pretty awful, so I decided not to eat meat for a while. Then I thought why not take it a step further and go totally vegan, just for a two-week trial run and see how it goes. I kind of decided this about 11am, after I’d already had a vegan breakfast, but I didn’t take my weight or have time to get any blood work done. I emailed my amazing sister-in-law (She and my brother-in-law were totally vegan for a while and now try to eat vegan at least when they’re home and cooking for themselves.) to get some recipes and tips, and she went above and beyond what I was expecting with a ton of recipes, great advice, and some of her favorite vegan blogs to follow (I will include this information at the bottom of the blog.). A lot of people think they’ll be “starving” if they follow a vegan diet, and I expected to be more hungry than normal, but I wasn’t at all! I was a little hungry when I got home from work, which I usually am, so I had a handful of pistachios before going to the gym, but I never felt hungry or deprived at all yesterday. A lot of people also expect to experience more gas and bloating with all the added vegetables and beans, but I did not experience a difference during my first day. July 13, 2017 Day 1: Breakfast: Plain soy yogurt with fresh blueberries, hemp hearts, and a drizzle of honey; gala apple Lunch: Vegan bowl with quinoa flour rotini, salsa, half an avocado, half an orange bell pepper, and about ¼ cup salsa Dinner: Vegan bowl with brown rice, black beans, garbanzo beans, broccoli, green beans, and artichoke salad with a couple of tablespoons of the oil from the salad is in July 14, 2017 Day 2: I weighed myself this morning at was at 120 (with clothes). Will do the same at the end of the two weeks. Blood pressure around 9am was 97/66 Breakfast: Plain soy yogurt with fresh blueberries, chia seeds, and a drizzle of honey, gala apple **One of my clients brought in a back of salty snacks because she thought she was getting cheddar flavored, turns out it was jalapeno cheddar, so she brought them to me because she knows I love hot foods, and she hates them. I can’t eat them because of the dairy in the ingredients :( ** Lunch: Vegan bowl with brown rice, half an avocado, salsa, black beans, and half an orange bell pepper Dinner: Cheese-less pizza! It’s not as bad as it sounds - it’s actually quite good! I ordered traditional crust with pineapple, and the waitress didn’t even look at me funny when I ordered it without cheese, which I had totally prepared myself for. I had to say no to my fiance’s birthday cake when we went back to his parents’ house to celebrate his birthday :( July 15, 2017 (Fiance’s Birthday!!!) Day 3: Breakfast: Larabar after the gym Snack: Handful of pistachios Lunch: Benitos and salsa - not the healthiest, but nothing sounded good, and I was bummed about being vegan and not being able to eat a piece of birthday cake Dinner: Vegan salad from Cheesecake Factory (well, about ¼ of it - it’s huge!!) July 16, 2017 Day 4: Breakfast: Vegan biscuits and gravy I used my recipe for 2-ingredient biscuits, which calls for self-rising flour and heavy cream, but I subbed cashew milk. They didn’t turn out as well as when I’d used heavy cream, but they were fine with the gravy. I used my normal gravy recipe but subbed cashew milk for regular milk and used Morning Star sausage patties the I ran through the food processor to crumble them. After looking at the package, they patties were made with egg whites, so again, not 100% vegan TECHNICALLY, but for my purpose of doing it, I figured I could get away with it. Lunch: Peanut butter sandwich, handful of almonds, and a Larabar Dinner: More Cheesecake Factory salad and some pretzels July 17, 2017 Day 5: Breakfast: Smoothie with half an avocado, ½ cup blueberries, ½ cup coconut milk, and half a scoop of vanilla protein powder; gala apple Lunch: Leftover vegan biscuits and gravy and some home grown grape tomatoes :) After work snack (about 5pm): pretzels and salsa (yeah I know it’s a weird combo) and some almonds Dinner: Yet again more Cheesecake Factory salad; this time I added more garbanzo beans and balsamic vinegar; coconut ice cream bar for dessert July 18, 2017 Day 6: Breakfast: Plain soy yogurt, old fashioned oats, honey, and blueberries; gala apple Lunch: The last of my Cheesecake Factory salad (finally!) and some pistachios After gym snack: about a cup of almond milk with about 1/3 scoop of vanilla protein powder Dinner: Lentil tacos made from the recipe my SIL shared with me (recipe link below) http://www.isachandra.com/2011/05/ancho-lentil-tacos/ July 19, 2017 Day 7: Breakfast: Avocado, blueberry, almond milk, and vanilla protein powder smoothie; gala apple Lunch: Vegetarian burrito from Q’doba (flour tortilla, brown rice, black and pinto beans, roasted chile cord, salsa roja, guacamole, and shredded lettuce) After work snack: Black pepper pea crisps Dinner: Vegan broccoli “cheese” casserole (recipe link below) http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/vegan-broccoli-cheese-casserole/ Dessert: Vegan cookie dough for one (recipe link below; you can also use agave nectar instead of maple syrup; I used almond flour instead of all purpose flour, and it tasted like and had a similar texture to those Neapolitan coconut slice candy bars - yum! I left out the chocolate chips because I didn’t have any vegan chips) http://theliveinkitchen.com/vegan-cookie-dough-one/ July 20, 2017 Day 8: Breakfast: The last of my vegan biscuits and gravy; gala apple Lunch: Salad made with red leaf lettuce, Romain lettuce, green cabbage, garbanzo beans, and balsamic vinegar Dinner: Lentil taco salad (just used leftovers from dinner on the 18th and piled some lentils on top some Romain lettuce and topped it with salsa) July 21, 2017 Day 9: Breakfast: Blueberries, two lemon date protein balls, and a gala apple Lunch: Leftover broccoli casserole After work snack: Snapea crisps, pistachios Dinner: Half of a small vegan pizza from Papa John’s (traditional crust, no cheese) with jalapenos and extra sauce (was also excited that I got to eat the garlic sauce too - I always thought it was garlic butter, but no, not butter, just dipping sauce! Yay! It’s the small victories in life….) July 22, 2017 Day 10: Breakfast: Coconut cream pie Larabar after the gym Brunch: Leftover half of my small vegan pizza from Papa John’s and a chocolate cashew milk ice cream bar Afternoon snack: Snapea crisps Late dinner: Bean and rice tostada from Roscoe’s tacos; a couple of handfuls of Frosted Flakes July 23, 2017 Day 11: Breakfast: Bowl of Frosted Flakes with almond milk After church snack: A handful of veggie pretzels Late lunch: Grilled Portobello cap topped with avocado, chopped red and green bell peppers, fresh basil, and salt and pepper; Bush’s Grillin’ Beans; pineapple and watermelon Dinner: I was still fairly full from our late lunch, so I snacked on more watermelon and pineapple and some veggie pretzels July 24, 2017 Day 12: Breakfast: Plain coconut yogurt, old fashioned oats, and blueberries; gala apple Lunch: Leftover Grillin’ beans and Portobello cap from yesterday’s late lunch Dinner: Greek salad from Oaken Barrel (asked for no feta; lettuce, kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers with pita and vinaigrette) and a bowl of black bean soup July 25, 2017 Day 13: Breakfast: Avocado, blueberry, and coconut milk smoothie Lunch: The rest of the Grillin’ beans with red and green bell peppers, cucumbers, and cauliflower After work snack: Pistachios Dinner: Lentil taco (leftovers from last week - gluten-free shell, guacamole, lettuce) July 26, 2017 Day 14: Breakfast: Gala apple and two lemon date protein balls Weight: 119 with clothes Lunch: Vegetarian burrito from Q’doba (flour tortilla, brown rice, black and pinto beans, roasted chile cord, salsa roja, guacamole, and shredded lettuce) Blood pressure: 96/41 After work snack: tablespoonful of peanut butter; snapea crisps Dinner: Homemade vegan vegetable soup (vegetable broth, V8 spicy tomato juice, cabbage, yellow squash from my grandma’s garden, seeded jalapenos from my friend’s dad’s garden, and green beans from my garden) First day off of vegan diet: A huge piece of cake my *future* mother-in-law made for my fiance’s birthday that I’d frozen for this very day :) I didn’t even wait for it to completely thaw, and it was DELICIOUS! My response to What the Health‘s claim that vegan is the only way to go is this: yes, a vegan diet is healthy because mostly you can only eat plant-based whole foods. You are very limited in snacks because so many traditional snack food contains dairy and/or eggs. A lot of desserts and breakfast pastries are also a no-no on a vegan diet, so there go a ton of calories a lot of non-vegans are getting on a daily basis. Therefore a person on a non-vegan diet who then makes a lifestyle change to become a vegan is very likely to drop weight as he or she will be cutting a lot of calories because their diet will be limited. The person will also likely have better blood work results and feel much healthier 1. Because he or she will be getting more vitamins and minerals because they will likely have to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables, 2. Because that person will end up having to switch out a lot of processed foods for whole foods, and 3. Because he or she will likely lose weight. My final thoughts on my two-week vegan test drive are that a vegan diet is totally doable, but it definitely has its challenges, especially when out to eat or eating at a relative/friend’s house. I never felt more hungry than I normally do, and I felt the same during and after my workouts. I also never experienced a difference in bloating/gas during the vegan test drive. I did not experience a significant weight change or notice a difference in my blood pressure (I’ve been monitoring it throughout the two weeks but not always recording it). While it is a doable diet, it needs to be done right, and those following a vegan diet, especially strictly, need to make sure they are getting all the vitamins and minerals that are essential to our health. It is very important to learn which veggies, legumes, and grains, when mixed together, provide a complete source of protein, and sometimes it may be necessary to supplement with protein and/or certain vitamins (including B12). It is AMAZING how many processed foods and snacks are made with some form of dairy. I had to say no to a lot of my favorite snacks, even chocolate, because of their ingredients. For me personally, I can see how it would be hard to follow a strict vegan diet for an extended period of time. I struggled with cravings for ice cream and my favorite snack foods that were out of my diet because of dairy. The cravings were worst when I was hungry and/or bored, and I also think my brain was telling me I wanted these foods because I knew I couldn’t have them. My fiance is not into going vegan, and we eat with his parents (also not vegan) a few times a month, and it would just be too difficult and not worth it to me (I don’t have any religious beliefs that restrict what I can eat) to permanently become a strict vegan. That being said, I will likely maintain a mostly vegetarian diet, as I’ve never been a huge fan of meat, and after What the Health, I’m even less of a fan. I will still make some of my favorite vegan dishes just because I like them, but I won’t be strict about it. Plus I’m really excited to dig into that piece of my fiance’s birthday cake that I stuck in the freezer for myself when my two-week test drive was over! Think positive, stay active, and smile. -A
2 Comments
Jenny Tabor
8/9/2017 10:35:39 pm
My husband and I watched What The Health a few nights ago and have been talking about it since then. I was happy to come across your blog about this. I questioned several of the statements in the documentary but it did get me thinking. A vegan diet isn't doable with our family (our little girl is almost two) but we will be cutting back on meat consumption and replacing some dairy products. Thanks for posting!
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Allison
8/9/2017 10:53:40 pm
I'm glad you enjoyed the post! I have cut way back on my meat consumption as well - not 100% vegetarian but pretty close. I definitely think substituting for meat and dairy when possible is a healthy decision, and it kind of forces you to eat a plant-based diet. Good luck with your diet changes, and please let me know if I can be of any help! :)
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