I'm Going Vegan For a Week.
(No, really!)
Entry 7: In Conclusion
Going vegan was not at all like I expected it to be. To be completely honest, I did not anticipate feeling any differences. At least not in the first week. However, after only twenty-four hours, a strange symptom occurred that I couldn’t quite make sense of: my blood sugar dropped.
I’ve had some experience with low blood sugar in the past even though I’m not diabetic and don’t have any diagnosed heart conditions. Usually, it starts when I’m working in the heat and my energy gets zapped, and I’ve always been able to cure it with a simple Gatorade or snack. But, this time, there was nothing I could eat or drink to raise it back up. I had an acute yet persistent light-headedness all day and all night, which made it difficult to sleep and focus while I was in class. My arms and lower-legs felt somewhat detached, like they were in that phase right before I got the shakes. No matter how much I ate, including high-carb and high-calorie snacks, the feeling remained.
Looking for answers, I reached out to a friend of mine who’s in nursing school. I explained to her my symptoms and that it felt exactly like it did when I had low blood sugar, but that that couldn’t be true because I was eating more carbs than ever before.
“It’s because you’re consuming too much fiber,” she said.
“But there’s no such thing as too much fiber!” I thought out loud. Doesn’t fiber clean out your digestive system?
She went on to explain that that’s exactly what it does, and that it’s essentially sweeping out all of the non-fiber carbohydrates, many of which are “simple sugars,” before my body can absorb the energy from them.
That made a lot of sense, but it still seemed a little far-fetched that fiber was actually hurting me. So, in typical, Farming Truth, fashion, I did some research on the topic. Turns out, that’s exactly what was going on:
What all of this means is that fiber is great for patients with diabetes who need to control their blood glucose levels, but, when my body received such an influx of it beyond it’s normal levels (I was eating larger volumes of food to get the same amount of calories and all of it had at least some fiber), my stomach did not know to hold back the simple sugars the fiber was sweeping away.
My friend gave me this advice: “If vegan is something you really want to do, you’ll need to make a process out of the transition. Try a few days a week, then gradually add a day every month or so until you’re completely plant-based.” This was something people mentioned in the comments section, as well… quitting cold turkey is often a little much.
Because she’s known me for a while, my friend has seen me at stock shows and working outside when my blood sugar dropped on my regular diet. She knows I always carry mints or juice in the summertime just in case. “Transitioning like that might work,” she said, “but you might just be wired that way. I know you have always had to keep an eye on this, and I can’t be sure your system will ever adjust.”
Another big point: she was very clear that low blood glucose was not a problem everyone would have on the diet: “I’m afraid vegan might just not be for you. If you don’t mind me asking, why are you doing this?”
I shrugged, a little embarrassed. Looking back, I’m sure she expected me to say for my health or something along those lines, but, as you all know, that wasn’t it. I explained to her the blog, and told her that the only way I could really level with the people I was communicating with was if I had firsthand experience to draw on. She asked me how everyone was responding to my trial online.
“Actually… they’re all being jerks,” I admitted. I showed her the comments where all the vegans were picking apart my diet:
“Eat more nuts.” (this response was to my post that said I ate walnuts in all my meals and was downing my body weight in peanut butter).
“Don’t eat just salad.” (This was the response to my spaghetti recipe… I guess spaghetti’s a kind of salad?)
“You need to eat more foods. Grains and pastas are the most filling.” (You mean like rice and spaghetti and oats in granola bars and the massive meals that wouldn’t even fit in my lunch box because I was eating twice as much food… ya, I’m already there, hun!)
“You need beans.” (I hate beans)
“You need lentils.” (wtf are lentils?!)
When I explained that I was following a meal plan and counting my calories and macros (sure, I’m not perfect, but, by my standards, I was trying pretty dang hard—this would all be for not if I didn’t take it seriously!), my friend said the most enlightening thing of all: “It seems like they’re just going to gripe at you no matter what you do. You’ll never impress them, so don’t put yourself through this to try.”
And then… I went to Whataburger.
Going vegan was not at all like I expected it to be. To be completely honest, I did not anticipate feeling any differences. At least not in the first week. However, after only twenty-four hours, a strange symptom occurred that I couldn’t quite make sense of: my blood sugar dropped.
I’ve had some experience with low blood sugar in the past even though I’m not diabetic and don’t have any diagnosed heart conditions. Usually, it starts when I’m working in the heat and my energy gets zapped, and I’ve always been able to cure it with a simple Gatorade or snack. But, this time, there was nothing I could eat or drink to raise it back up. I had an acute yet persistent light-headedness all day and all night, which made it difficult to sleep and focus while I was in class. My arms and lower-legs felt somewhat detached, like they were in that phase right before I got the shakes. No matter how much I ate, including high-carb and high-calorie snacks, the feeling remained.
Looking for answers, I reached out to a friend of mine who’s in nursing school. I explained to her my symptoms and that it felt exactly like it did when I had low blood sugar, but that that couldn’t be true because I was eating more carbs than ever before.
“It’s because you’re consuming too much fiber,” she said.
“But there’s no such thing as too much fiber!” I thought out loud. Doesn’t fiber clean out your digestive system?
She went on to explain that that’s exactly what it does, and that it’s essentially sweeping out all of the non-fiber carbohydrates, many of which are “simple sugars,” before my body can absorb the energy from them.
That made a lot of sense, but it still seemed a little far-fetched that fiber was actually hurting me. So, in typical, Farming Truth, fashion, I did some research on the topic. Turns out, that’s exactly what was going on:
- “Soluble fiber can help lower your cholesterol level and improve blood glucose control if eaten in large amounts.”
- “Dietary fibers have been shown to result in decreased blood glucose excursions and attenuated insulin responses.”
- “Several studies have shown that the adverse metabolic effects of high-carbohydrate diets are neutralized when fiber and carbohydrate are increased simultaneously.”
What all of this means is that fiber is great for patients with diabetes who need to control their blood glucose levels, but, when my body received such an influx of it beyond it’s normal levels (I was eating larger volumes of food to get the same amount of calories and all of it had at least some fiber), my stomach did not know to hold back the simple sugars the fiber was sweeping away.
My friend gave me this advice: “If vegan is something you really want to do, you’ll need to make a process out of the transition. Try a few days a week, then gradually add a day every month or so until you’re completely plant-based.” This was something people mentioned in the comments section, as well… quitting cold turkey is often a little much.
Because she’s known me for a while, my friend has seen me at stock shows and working outside when my blood sugar dropped on my regular diet. She knows I always carry mints or juice in the summertime just in case. “Transitioning like that might work,” she said, “but you might just be wired that way. I know you have always had to keep an eye on this, and I can’t be sure your system will ever adjust.”
Another big point: she was very clear that low blood glucose was not a problem everyone would have on the diet: “I’m afraid vegan might just not be for you. If you don’t mind me asking, why are you doing this?”
I shrugged, a little embarrassed. Looking back, I’m sure she expected me to say for my health or something along those lines, but, as you all know, that wasn’t it. I explained to her the blog, and told her that the only way I could really level with the people I was communicating with was if I had firsthand experience to draw on. She asked me how everyone was responding to my trial online.
“Actually… they’re all being jerks,” I admitted. I showed her the comments where all the vegans were picking apart my diet:
“Eat more nuts.” (this response was to my post that said I ate walnuts in all my meals and was downing my body weight in peanut butter).
“Don’t eat just salad.” (This was the response to my spaghetti recipe… I guess spaghetti’s a kind of salad?)
“You need to eat more foods. Grains and pastas are the most filling.” (You mean like rice and spaghetti and oats in granola bars and the massive meals that wouldn’t even fit in my lunch box because I was eating twice as much food… ya, I’m already there, hun!)
“You need beans.” (I hate beans)
“You need lentils.” (wtf are lentils?!)
When I explained that I was following a meal plan and counting my calories and macros (sure, I’m not perfect, but, by my standards, I was trying pretty dang hard—this would all be for not if I didn’t take it seriously!), my friend said the most enlightening thing of all: “It seems like they’re just going to gripe at you no matter what you do. You’ll never impress them, so don’t put yourself through this to try.”
And then… I went to Whataburger.
So, to conclude this journey, I’ll never use my experiences as a reason other people should not go vegan. They were merely my experiences. My motives proved not to be in the right place, and my body is just a little strange. Some things I enjoyed about the diet:
- One ingredient can be used for a hundred different recipes. I felt like, if I really had been able to go longer, after a few grocery trips, I would have been pretty set for a long time and I like the idea of being able to cook on a whim, not having to choose meals based on what’s in the pantry.
- I discovered I love walnuts!
- I’m a cook-aholic and I really enjoyed the challenge and getting to learn new methods.
Entry 6: Morning Update
I'm Sorry to Say I'm Done
After a horribly long night of shakes that turned what I would describe as violent at one point, I decided to eat a breakfast burrito and get a heavily-creamed frappuccino for breakfast. I couldn't do it anymore, and I feel better already.
I hope to do another, pretty detailed post about all the things I've learned, some of which made me glad I did this, but low blood sugar is just not something to mess with. As I've stated before, I'm a firm believer in listening to my body. I want to be clear that I'm not going to use my experience as a reason people should not go vegan because that's really all it was... my experience.
To recap: I was having very low blood sugar despite eating a higher-than-average amount of added sugars (non-fiber carbs). If I had to guess, I'd say that the fiber was flushing it out of my system before I could absorb energy from the carbs. To address some specific comments on Instagram:
I'm Sorry to Say I'm Done
After a horribly long night of shakes that turned what I would describe as violent at one point, I decided to eat a breakfast burrito and get a heavily-creamed frappuccino for breakfast. I couldn't do it anymore, and I feel better already.
I hope to do another, pretty detailed post about all the things I've learned, some of which made me glad I did this, but low blood sugar is just not something to mess with. As I've stated before, I'm a firm believer in listening to my body. I want to be clear that I'm not going to use my experience as a reason people should not go vegan because that's really all it was... my experience.
To recap: I was having very low blood sugar despite eating a higher-than-average amount of added sugars (non-fiber carbs). If I had to guess, I'd say that the fiber was flushing it out of my system before I could absorb energy from the carbs. To address some specific comments on Instagram:
- The most common comment I got was that I need more protein- I'll address this much more in depth in my followup post, but I will say that I went over minimum protein requirements both days. Here's a previous blog post about plant-based proteins.
- People were saying I need to eat more fats/food in general- the first day this was certainly true because I only managed to eat half of my normal amount of calories. However, the second day, I was eating my normal caloric amount and consumed a substantial amount of walnut and peanut butters, and I felt the same.
- There was some talk about me needing to eat alkaline... that's not a thing! Read this blog post if someone has told you it is!
- People were mentioning I shouldn't drink coke- you're definitely right. I disclosed this early on. However, for me, it was an easy way to get simple sugars that weren't fiber. Please tell me healthy options that are high sugar, low fiber, and still vegan... it's a challenge!
Entry 5: Wednesday Feb 21
Day 3: Another Rough Day Thanks again to all my Insta supporters who've been cheering me on. I really appreciate and rely on the tips y'all have been given me. Unfortunately, it's not going so well. This morning I woke up feeling in much higher spirits than the morning before. That sluggishness had faded, and I was beginning to feel more confident that I could get some traction with the diet. I gulped down a smoothie (a frozen fruit mix with bananas, pineapples, and strawberries blended with almond milk... I enjoyed this one!) and about half a cup of canned pairs. Right before class (a few hours after breakfast), I was absolutely starving and actually semi-concerned I would pass out if I tried to confront the cold (because it was FRICKIN FREAZING today!) in the state I was in. I lucked into finding a granola bar with no dairy, and that actually did a pretty good job at holding me until lunch. Actually, it did so well that I didn't even think about eating again until a good bit after my usual lunch hour. This is where the story changes. I ate the same salad that I made last night (it's quite a bit more than lettuce and gave me a considerable amount of calories; recipe below) and, not thirty minutes later, that deep, shaky hunger that I was discussing last night set in again. It was the same one that had been with me all day yesterday. This is when I put two and two together and realized that the amount of fiber I was eating (refer back to Friday's entry where I discussed my lack of fiber in my Super Tracker report) was speeding my digestive system up. I mentioned yesterday that I thought it was the lack of calories that was making me feel that way, and I don't doubt that was part of it, but I had already eaten more calories at that point today than I had all day yesterday, and the feeling returned. I realized that the excessive fiber intake was flushing all of the nutrients out of my body before my stomach could absorb them to make energy out of them. For a snack, I had some more Nutter Butters and Coca Cola- they did nothing to curb the hunger. I heard a lot of people say that they felt tired when they went vegan. For me, that's not how I am describing it. I'm more antsy with the shakes. The only reason I could get the shakes is if the carbs I'm eating aren't making it into my blood stream (low blood sugar). It's not so much a lack of bodily energy (like I'm good to walk around campus and get stuff done), but it's hard to focus mentally. When I got home, desperate for more food, I immediately made my lazy-man spaghetti that I put the recipe for at the right. This is the most basic recipe that I actually make as an omnivore, but I usually put cheese in it and top it off with garlic bread. After this, my stomach felt full, but the shaky, a-few-steps-before-lightheaded-but-never-progressing-quite-that-far feeling remains. All-in-all, I managed to double my calorie count from yesterday but the result was the same. Everyone is talking about my digestive system just needing time to adjust. I hope that happens soon. |
Spaghetti for a Lazy College GirlTotal Time: 30 minutes Servings: 3 Ingredients: 8 oz of Spaghetti noodles Full jar of Ragu (I go for Chunky Garden) 1 cup mushrooms 1 tbsp minced garlic Salt & Pepper Instructions:
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Entry 4: Tuesday Feb 20
Day 2: I'm Not Feelin' Too Hot Honestly, I feel pretty icky today. That overfull, bulky feeling I was talking about last night has not gone away. I can only describe it as feeling like I have a Styrofoam ball in my stomach with lots of air bubbles. I'm full and don't want to eat anymore, but I don't feel like I have anything substantial in my system. The easiest thing I can compare it to is when you're working outside in the heat all day and your blood sugar is dropping and you're in that state right before you get the shakes. But that all day long, and I don't want more sugar because I've already ate more than enough carbs. It's surprising that I'm not more hungry because I haven't even eaten 1,200 kcals today. I should want more food, but, in fear of sounding very un-scientific, my stomach feels tumbly and heavy. I actually left class this morning on the verge of nausea, but I think that might have just been the DISGUSTING mixed berry and almond milk smoothie I made for breakfast. Emphasis on made, because I didn't dare drink more than a few sips. I'm hoping it was just the types of berries in it and not the almond milk, because I'm planning on almond milk being my ride or die for the next few weeks. I felt better after lunch where I ate a trustee PB&J and some Nutter Butters. This evening, I ate a lemon juice & walnut salad (recipe to the right), then followed that up with some more Nutter Butters and a package of Smarties. I know that sort of junk food is not healthy, but I really didn't know what else I could turn to to get my kcal count up. Although my original intent was to do this for a week, I have repeatedly said that, at the advice of others, I will set out to do this for a month. However, if I continue feeling this way, I won't go on. I'm a firm believer in listening to my body, and my goal of this project was not to feel unhappy. Hopefully things will turn around tomorrow. |
Lemon Juice & Walnut SaladTotal Time: 20 minutes Servings: 3 meals Ingredients: 6 oz pre-packaged lettuce/salad mix 1 cup mushrooms 1 cup cherry tomatoes 3/4 cup walnuts 3 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp Stevia sweetener Directions
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Entry 3: Monday Feb 19
The First! This evening, I cooked and ate my first vegan meal (recipe at right). I have to say that it was really tasty, but, as I'm writing this an hour after, I feel pretty sluggish, like I just did a carb load (which I sorta did!). This recipe made five tiny wraps, and, while rolling the mixture up in the tortillas, I worried that it may not be even be enough for one meal. However, I barely made it through two of them-they were just that filling. Despite being overly fibrous, I'm sure I'll be re-visiting this recipe at some point- it tasted good and made my apartment smell amazing! I look forward to seeing if I feel hungry in the morning. |
Cauliflower WrapsThis is a simplified version of a recipe initially published by Brand New Vegan. Prep Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes Servings: 5 Small Wraps Ingredients:
Instructions:
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Entry 2: Friday Feb 16
What I Typically Eat in a Week
First of all, let me just say thank you to all the support and kind words I’ve received upon the announcement of this project. I wasn’t really sure how it would be received, but everyone has been so encouraging. The general complaint I’ve received is that a week is not long enough—thirty days would be better. For that reason, I’m going to re-evaluate four or five days into it to decide if I would like to continue this further. I’m definitely committed to this, and would not want my conclusion to be that I felt no different because my body didn’t have time to adjust. However, I am working on a college student’s budget, and so I’m worried that might get in the way. I’ll update y’all on this dilemma as I go.
Before it starts on Tuesday, I wanted to share what a typical week of eating looks like for me. I regard myself as a pretty healthy eater with occasional exceptions. I do fast food one or two times a week, but, other than that, I’m eating home-cooked meals, sandwiches, or Kraft Mac & Cheese (#RepreSENT! #NotSponsored). Oh, and, full disclosure I’m addicted to Coca Cola and I only agreed to take on this project when I realized it qualified as vegan.
The point of this update: I went onto the USDA’s SuperTracker and put in what I would realistically eat while on my un-disciplined, omnivorous diet. Here’s the foods I put in:
What I Typically Eat in a Week
First of all, let me just say thank you to all the support and kind words I’ve received upon the announcement of this project. I wasn’t really sure how it would be received, but everyone has been so encouraging. The general complaint I’ve received is that a week is not long enough—thirty days would be better. For that reason, I’m going to re-evaluate four or five days into it to decide if I would like to continue this further. I’m definitely committed to this, and would not want my conclusion to be that I felt no different because my body didn’t have time to adjust. However, I am working on a college student’s budget, and so I’m worried that might get in the way. I’ll update y’all on this dilemma as I go.
Before it starts on Tuesday, I wanted to share what a typical week of eating looks like for me. I regard myself as a pretty healthy eater with occasional exceptions. I do fast food one or two times a week, but, other than that, I’m eating home-cooked meals, sandwiches, or Kraft Mac & Cheese (#RepreSENT! #NotSponsored). Oh, and, full disclosure I’m addicted to Coca Cola and I only agreed to take on this project when I realized it qualified as vegan.
The point of this update: I went onto the USDA’s SuperTracker and put in what I would realistically eat while on my un-disciplined, omnivorous diet. Here’s the foods I put in:
Tuesday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Bread Lunch: Spinach wrap, potato chips Dinner: Personal pizza Drinks: Coke Wednesday Wednesday Breakfast: Cinnamon Bread Lunch: Chef Salad Snack: Goldfish Dinner: Potato soup and yogurt Drinks: Coke, Choc Milk |
Thursday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Bread Lunch: Chicken Express- #1 Meal Dinner: Chicken alfredo Drinks: Choc Milk, Coke Friday Breakfast/Lunch: Breakfast burrito Snack: Chocolate Pudding Dinner: Potato soup Drinks: Coke, Choc Milk |
Saturday
Breakfast/Lunch: Grilled cheese, potato chips Dinner: Chicken alfredo Drinks: Coke, Choc Milk Sunday Breakfast/Lunch: Breakfast burrito Snacks: Popcorn, Yogurt Drinks: Coke Monday Breakfast: Cinnamon Bread Lunch: Cobb Salad, Granola Bar Dinner: Kraft Mac & Cheese Drink: Coke |
Side note: I homemade the potato soup, chicken Alfredo, breakfast cinnamon bread, spinach wraps, and breakfast burritos. If y’all would like recipes for these, I'll gladly share them.
And here’s what the USDA thinks about that (averages based on those seven days):
And here’s what the USDA thinks about that (averages based on those seven days):
ENTRY 1: Thursday Feb 15
Statement of Intent
Vegans don’t read.
I don’t know if the carrots fried that part of their brain, or what, but I’ve spoken to hundreds of them, and the conversations always going exactly like this:
Them: *outrageous claim*
Me: Here’s science that proves that wrong. Have you seen science that suggests otherwise?
Them: No, I’m right because vegan just feels good.
Well, my friends, if “I like the way it makes me feel,” is a good enough reason to completely swear off science, then we should all smoke, do drugs, and get funky with the hunky next door while we’re at it.
Yes.
It’s exactly the same thing. Why can I say this? Because I have never read a study that found that a strictly plant-based diet is healthier than a balanced, omnivorous one. However, I have found, and cited throughout this blog, over 200 studies speaking to the importance of incorporating animal products into our diet. When I send these studies to the vegans I chat with on social media, they don’t even take the time to read them. They simply say that the only evidence they need is how they feel.
Why I'm Doing It
And I’d like to think I’m a reasonable person. I definitely see the importance of appealing to others by paying mind to what they value, so I’m going to invest some time, effort, and hopefully not a terribly lot of money into giving it a go. I’m going to see how it feels.
I’m going vegan for a week.
No meat. No milk. No eggs. I’m doing it. Of course the thought has crossed my mind—what if veganim really is a miracle diet that far surpasses the scope of scientific understanding? What if I do suddenly get more energy and sleep better and get glowing skin? What if my hair really does turn into amber waves of grain and the birds sing sweet songs of praise to me when I step outside in the morning because I’m saving their sweet brother and sister animals?\
Okay, so that last part was my own embellishment, but, up until then, I’ve honestly been drawing quotes from previous vegan conversations. These are all benefits people say cutting out animals has. The truth is that I want to be happy and healthy just as much as the next guy, and, if veganism really can do all that for me, I’d like to know.
How I'm Going to Do It
Some notes on my plan of attack: Today is Thursday, I’m going to research some vegan recipes over the weekend and go grocery shopping hopefully Monday (but I’m also in college and things can sometimes turn hectic!). So I’ll shoot for starting the diet on Tuesday (2/20) and, with a little luck, maintain it all the way through next Monday (2/26). It’s my goal to journal every day here in this feed, where, at the very least, I’ll share with you guys what I ate for each meal and give some general comments as to how I’m feeling.
I’ll try and get the word out on social media, but, if this is something you’re interested in doing with me and you keep logs of things, I’ll gladly publish them here alongside my own notes.
I’m very aware that this will all be for nothing if I go into it believing it will fail, so I’m stating here and now that I’m going to give it everything I have to keep an open mind. The truth is that it actually is possible to feel great while your health is deteriorating. Science has attributed this the placebo effect and the fact that, if someone is willing to take two whole food groups out of their pantry in the name of health, there’s obviously other lifestyle factors contributing to their well-being. This is called confounding, better known as “correlation does not equal causation.” I pledge to not change any part of my lifestyle other than my diet. I’ll keep on my same exercise plan (which is regrettably faint, RIP New Years Goals…), be staying in the same location, sticking to the same routines, especially sleeping routines, etc. I aim to compare apples to apples here.
My Regular Diet
Compared to many other omnivores, going vegan isn’t a terrible stretch for me. I actually don’t eat a lot of meat. I’m talking less than one serving a day, on average, and I’m sure I’ve gone an entire week without meat before. This isn’t for ethics or anything, it just takes a while to cook and it’s not my favorite thing to eat. Eggs will be slightly more difficult because it seems to be an ingredient in tons of stuff, but I’ll manage. What I’m really going to struggle with is dairy.
I. Love. Milk.
I have a glass of chocolate milk every evening. There are many dishes that I simply refuse to touch if it’s not swimming in cheese. Butter is an implied ingredient in my kitchen. And I actually have found nothing that ranch dressing does not make ten times better. As I’m writing this, I’m realizing that I’ll have to go without gravy, too. The terror!
But hey. Jesus went without eating, period, for forty days. Surely I can survive going without a few things for seven.
Right?
Statement of Intent
Vegans don’t read.
I don’t know if the carrots fried that part of their brain, or what, but I’ve spoken to hundreds of them, and the conversations always going exactly like this:
Them: *outrageous claim*
Me: Here’s science that proves that wrong. Have you seen science that suggests otherwise?
Them: No, I’m right because vegan just feels good.
Well, my friends, if “I like the way it makes me feel,” is a good enough reason to completely swear off science, then we should all smoke, do drugs, and get funky with the hunky next door while we’re at it.
Yes.
It’s exactly the same thing. Why can I say this? Because I have never read a study that found that a strictly plant-based diet is healthier than a balanced, omnivorous one. However, I have found, and cited throughout this blog, over 200 studies speaking to the importance of incorporating animal products into our diet. When I send these studies to the vegans I chat with on social media, they don’t even take the time to read them. They simply say that the only evidence they need is how they feel.
Why I'm Doing It
And I’d like to think I’m a reasonable person. I definitely see the importance of appealing to others by paying mind to what they value, so I’m going to invest some time, effort, and hopefully not a terribly lot of money into giving it a go. I’m going to see how it feels.
I’m going vegan for a week.
No meat. No milk. No eggs. I’m doing it. Of course the thought has crossed my mind—what if veganim really is a miracle diet that far surpasses the scope of scientific understanding? What if I do suddenly get more energy and sleep better and get glowing skin? What if my hair really does turn into amber waves of grain and the birds sing sweet songs of praise to me when I step outside in the morning because I’m saving their sweet brother and sister animals?\
Okay, so that last part was my own embellishment, but, up until then, I’ve honestly been drawing quotes from previous vegan conversations. These are all benefits people say cutting out animals has. The truth is that I want to be happy and healthy just as much as the next guy, and, if veganism really can do all that for me, I’d like to know.
How I'm Going to Do It
Some notes on my plan of attack: Today is Thursday, I’m going to research some vegan recipes over the weekend and go grocery shopping hopefully Monday (but I’m also in college and things can sometimes turn hectic!). So I’ll shoot for starting the diet on Tuesday (2/20) and, with a little luck, maintain it all the way through next Monday (2/26). It’s my goal to journal every day here in this feed, where, at the very least, I’ll share with you guys what I ate for each meal and give some general comments as to how I’m feeling.
I’ll try and get the word out on social media, but, if this is something you’re interested in doing with me and you keep logs of things, I’ll gladly publish them here alongside my own notes.
I’m very aware that this will all be for nothing if I go into it believing it will fail, so I’m stating here and now that I’m going to give it everything I have to keep an open mind. The truth is that it actually is possible to feel great while your health is deteriorating. Science has attributed this the placebo effect and the fact that, if someone is willing to take two whole food groups out of their pantry in the name of health, there’s obviously other lifestyle factors contributing to their well-being. This is called confounding, better known as “correlation does not equal causation.” I pledge to not change any part of my lifestyle other than my diet. I’ll keep on my same exercise plan (which is regrettably faint, RIP New Years Goals…), be staying in the same location, sticking to the same routines, especially sleeping routines, etc. I aim to compare apples to apples here.
My Regular Diet
Compared to many other omnivores, going vegan isn’t a terrible stretch for me. I actually don’t eat a lot of meat. I’m talking less than one serving a day, on average, and I’m sure I’ve gone an entire week without meat before. This isn’t for ethics or anything, it just takes a while to cook and it’s not my favorite thing to eat. Eggs will be slightly more difficult because it seems to be an ingredient in tons of stuff, but I’ll manage. What I’m really going to struggle with is dairy.
I. Love. Milk.
I have a glass of chocolate milk every evening. There are many dishes that I simply refuse to touch if it’s not swimming in cheese. Butter is an implied ingredient in my kitchen. And I actually have found nothing that ranch dressing does not make ten times better. As I’m writing this, I’m realizing that I’ll have to go without gravy, too. The terror!
But hey. Jesus went without eating, period, for forty days. Surely I can survive going without a few things for seven.
Right?