Thoughts on Going Vegan: Week 3

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Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 4 | Meal Ideas & Afterthoughts

I've successfully completed the third week in my month long vegan challenge. The hills and valleys of the second week have been ironed out and the third week was nothing but smooth sailing. Vegan eating feels almost natural to me now. I have a few mainstay recipes in rotation, which keeps meal time interesting and varied. Here are a few personal observations about my third week*:

  • I've also noticed when I reach for snacks, I end up munching on sunflower seeds or spoonfuls of peanut butter (both relatively protein rich). My body still craves protein in large amounts, but eating these small snacks staves off hunger and keeps my body in check.
  • Grocery shopping has become a breeze. I can walk in and out of the store in about ten minutes and get a week's worth of groceries at the same time. This is definitely a perk. I'm amazed at how much of the grocery store I can simply ignore.
  • Vegan eating has become quite natural for me. When I'm making food for myself at home, I no longer wonder what vegan food I should eat, but rather what food I should eat. It's a small distinction, perhaps completely unnoticeable to most people, but it's a huge step for me. It no longer feels like I'm forcing myself to eat a particular diet. I'm just eating.
  • Today I tried northern white beans boiled in salt water (one of my very first bean adventures). The beans tasted exactly like bacon and I proceeded to eat half a cup straight from the pot. My mother says it's my imagination, blaming "vegan brain" for the perceived taste, but I swear I'm not making this flavor up. Maybe I do have a case of vegan brain, but I'd gladly eat these beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
  • This weekend will be my first real challenge since I've gone vegan. I'm visiting home for a few days, where my non-vegan family will be making many of my favorite cheesy and meat filled dishes, and I will have to use up my willpower not to sneak a taste. My mother is trying to be accommodating, researching vegan alternatives and picking up a few vegan staples (which I greatly appreciate), but this is the first time I will be constantly surrounded by food I simply cannot eat, both in the pantry and on the kitchen table. I'm curious to see how this will play out.
  • Should I let you in a little secret? I'm afraid for this challenge to end and I'm nervous about going back to regular food. I honestly don't know where this fear is coming from (I'm not morally opposed to eating meat), but it lingers in the back of my mind and I wonder if I'll continue to eat vegan on July 1st or go out for a dairy and egg filled Sunday brunch to celebrate successfully completing the challenge (no meat just yet—I don't want to shock my system and get sick).

After the third week, I feel pretty comfortable with eating vegan. I've figured out most of the "tricks" and I'm becoming more in tune to my body and what my cravings may mean. Eating vegan this week was surprisingly easy and didn't take too much work or thought on my part. Here's to the fourth and final week of the challenge!

*I mean no offense to those who have gone vegan for moral beliefs and obligations (in fact, you have my utmost respect). This is just a record of my personal experience with the lifestyle.

Thoughts on Going Vegan: Week 2

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Week 1 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Meal Ideas & Afterthoughts

I've successfully completed the second week in my month long vegan challenge. The second week went much smoother than the first, but it did have its fair share of hills and valleys. Vegan eating is starting to feel a little more natural (and a lot less like work). Here are a few personal observations about my second week*:

  • On Monday, I awoke to a pounding headache for the third day in a row. I felt weak, tired, and sore, as if I had gotten the flu. I was retaining fluids. When I finally crawled home after a long day at work, I collapsed on the couch. A quick internet search confirmed my suspicions. I had 11 of the 13 symptoms for a protein deficiency. Twelve days into my vegan challenge seemed too soon to be having such real symptoms, but I didn't eat much protein before the challenge either (with all of it coming from milk, eggs, and turkey slices).
  • It was the first time since taking on this challenge that I began to question whether it was the right move for me. In that moment, when I scarcely had the strength to walk around, I seriously debated quitting the challenge and cooking up a frozen chicken breast hidden in the depths of the freezer. My body was craving it, needing it. I didn't give in (the thought of standing that long seemed intimidating) and headed for bed instead, with the resolve to find a way to overdose on protein the next morning.
  • Protein has been, hands down, the biggest challenge for me. So many of you have pointed me in the direction of beans, nuts, and lentils to satisfy this need. However, I am deathly allergic to tree nuts (besides peanuts and almonds) so nuts aren't really the right direction for me. I also have a confession to make—I've never cooked with beans or lentils before. Growing up, they were never a part of my diet so I've never had a positive experience with them. This isn't an excuse, of course, but it doesn't make getting protein any easier when you don't have any tried and true recipes using them.
  • For the most part, I've stopped craving non-vegan foods. Unless you waft a greasy hamburger beneath my nose, I don't feel like I'm missing out. In fact, the thought of eating cheese right now is almost repulsive because it seems like it would be way too rich.
  • There was not a single search in my browsing history this week asking "Is _______ vegan?" I'm getting better at this game.
  • I still struggle with finding a quick lunch during the week that's vegan, but filling enough to hold me over until I get home from work 7 hours later. I've started making hummus sandwiches and, while they taste all right, I find my stomach growling 4 hours later.
  • For the first time since starting this challenge, I can start to imagine what it is like to be vegan while surrounded by non-vegans. It's similar to those (like me) with allergies, where you can't accept "foreign" foods and have to eat on your own before you visit with friends (or pack your own meal). It's certainly not convenient, but it's starting to seem closer to the realm of "doable."

After the second week, I feel a little more comfortable with being vegan and it doesn't seem to take as much willpower as it did the first week. I still struggle with my on again/off again protein deficiency (when I wake up with a headache and no other symptoms, it's my body's way of giving me a warning sign), but I'm trying to open myself up and consciously base every single meal around protein rich foods, like chickpeas and quinoa. Let's hope week three is much healthier (and headache free)!

*I mean no offense to those who have gone vegan for moral beliefs and obligations (in fact, you have my utmost respect). This is just a record of my personal experience with the lifestyle.

(The photo above features a vegan hot dish I threw together with a wine sauce, peppers, mushrooms, and onion with soy meat that looks/tastes quite similar to the real thing).

Thoughts on Going Vegan: Week 1

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Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Meal Ideas & Afterthoughts

I've successfully completed the first week in my month long vegan challenge. It wasn't quite as challenging as I initially thought it would be, but I can't say it's been very enjoyable. I guess the best word to describe it so far would be interesting. The first week has been a little like treading water as I learn what I can eat (and what I should eat). Here are a few personal observations about my first week*:

  • I can walk through the entire grocery in a third of the time. Since there's no longer a need to walk past the meat/dairy/frozen food sections and most of the aisles containing "forbidden foods," grocery shopping is suddenly a breeze. Downfall: I have to willfully ignore and pass all the foods I wish I could be eating.
  • I rotate shopping between three separate grocery stores in order to buy a wider variety of vegan food. The small towns of the Midwest typically aren't vegan friendly so most chain stores where I live carry very few foods I can eat beyond the fresh fruits and vegetables. Luckily (or unluckily?), each grocery store carries a slightly different selection.
  • I've spent more time reading food labels in the last week than I have in my entire life. I never realized how many products contained eggs or dairy products. You could say it was a very eye-opening experience. Did you know most white wines and certain brands of sugar are off limits?
  • There are at least one hundred identical searches in my browsing history: "Is _______ vegan?"
  • Out of curiosity, I wanted to try the vegan equivalent of common American foods. Though I don't mind veggie burgers, vegan burgers are entirely something else. The soy burgers have a charred grilled taste to cover up the fact that they don't have much flavor. They are edible with too much ketchup, but I can't say I enjoyed eating them. Vegan pizza was an equally interesting experience. The frozen pizza box excitedly mentioned the "cheese" actually melts (which I should have taken as a warning sign). The pizza was not very good warmed up (in fact, the "cheese" very much resembled melted glue in taste and texture). However, it wasn't bad when it was cold, indistinguishable from any other cold frozen pizza I've ever eaten.
  • Since I often need to grab quick lunches during the week, I've tried some very unusual sandwich options, including a chickpea avocado sandwich. As I told my friend, once you get over the taste and texture, it's actually not so bad! I fear this will become my motto.
  • I couldn't imagine trying to be vegan while living with non-vegans or having non-vegan friends. The temptation to eat "forbidden foods" would be unbearable. I find it difficult enough passing the hot dog stand in front of the supermarket as the smell of a summer barbecue wafts over me (and I don't even like hot dogs). It would take an enormous amount of self-control to watch a close friend eat non-vegan foods in front of me. Perhaps this changes if you feel morally obligated to practice veganism instead of pursuing it as a month long challenge?
  • Going vegan is expensive. I've spent more on groceries this week than I have in the last few weeks all together. My digestive system is also slow to adjust to the changes in my eating habits, leaving me in uncomfortable situations.
  • If I have to sit through another commercial featuring gorgeous, sizzling bacon, I will throw celery sticks at the television.

After the first week, I've concluded that veganism is surprisingly do-able with a Mount Everest of willpower (and a pocket full of cash). However, it hasn't been an enjoyable experience for me just yet. Once I fit a few more recipes into my repertoire and have a few standby meals on hand, I hope it won't feel so intimidating (and overwhelming) to me anymore. Here's to week two!

*I mean no offense to those who have gone vegan for moral beliefs and obligations (in fact, you have my utmost respect). This is just a record of my personal experience with the subject.