In Spring 2020, I transitioned to a vegan, plant-based diet. [Please note, I mean diet as in ‘what I eat’ not diet as in ‘I’m on a diet to lose weight.’] Honestly, it felt kind of inevitable for me and actually wasn’t as challenging as most people warned me it would be! It has definitely been a big change and so far I’m loving it! I do get lots of questions so I’m answering them here. This would also be useful if you’re considering moving to a plant-based or vegan diet.
Table of Contents
What is Plant-Based Eating?
Eating a plant-based diet is exactly what it sounds like: a diet made up of mostly foods from plants. This means vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, and beans. It’s also as general or as specific as you want. Eating plant-based simply means most of your food and nutrients come from plants rather than animals. Some people go plant-based and focus more on plant products but still consume animal products, some go vegetarian (still eating dairy and eggs), some choose pescatarian (fish, dairy, and eggs) and others go all-out vegan (no animal products whatsoever). There are health benefits to each different diet and several reasons people choose to go plant-based. It’s definitely a very personal choice.
Why Make the Change?
I want to start by being very clear: I did not go vegan to lose weight. Over the past few years, I seem to have developed an intolerance to dairy products. For the most part, this hasn’t really been a big problem for me. I barely drink milk, so switching to plant-based milk was easy. Ice cream is only a random indulgence and I don’t like yogurt, so those weren’t a big deal. My issue? Cheese. By early 2020 I had pretty much gone non-dairy except for continuing to eat cheese. I freaking LOVE cheese. Baked goat cheese? Whipped feta? Manchego? Cream cheese, cottage cheese, brie, Dubliner; give me alllllll the cheese. Sadly, cheese is not my friend and let’s just say my digestion really appreciates dairy-free life.
Realistically though, that’s still not why I switched to a vegan diet. There are actually two reasons. The first: I saw people who’d been vegan for years and loved it. I saw the way their skin glowed, how they always have energy and how they are able to be vegan without much hassle. The second: I’d been learning about carbon footprint and living more sustainably. Agriculture (meat and dairy, specifically) is one of the top polluting industries in the world. Some lists have it as the most polluting, many have it as #2, but every list I’ve seen has it within the top 5 most polluting industries in the world. How to combat it? Don’t participate. Limit the demand and they’ll eventually shrink the supply. Or, if we demand cleaner agriculture and farming, eventually the industry would have to change! (But this is a whole other topic.) So, yeah. I went vegan.
When Did I Go Vegan?
I didn’t actually write it down, but I’m pretty sure I was eating a fully vegan diet by mid-May 2020. I just say June to be on the safe side.
How Did I Transition to a Plant-Based Diet?
It’s important to note I didn’t go vegan overnight. I had transitioned to plant milk in 2018, so it started as more of a slow process. Once I decided I would go vegan, I began testing it out. I started by removing meat from my diet. I finished everything I had in the fridge and stopped buying it. Then, I stopped buying cheese. It was about three weeks before I stopped buying eggs because we were in a pandemic, eggs are my comfort food, and I was worried about my protein intake. Plus, I’d never prepared tofu or tempeh and was really unsure of how that would all go moving forward. But essentially, I started by going vegetarian, and then eventually fully vegan, over the course of about two months.
What Do I Eat?
A lot of people – especially hardcore meat lovers – simply cannot fathom this lifestyle. The first question is always, “So then what do you eat?” I eat so much variety! When I first decided I’d try a vegan diet, I devoured YouTube videos like it was my job. Again, we were in a pandemic. I found vegan chefs and cooks I liked on YouTube and began saving their recipes, slowly trying basic things like tofu scramble, vegan spring rolls, and special pasta sauces. Eventually, I found people on Pinterest and Instagram and saved recipes there. After watching so much, I was able to pick up on different flavor and texture combinations and started adding them into my repertoire.
Nowadays, I have a few staples, things that I always have handy because they’re quick, healthy, and easy to meal prep. I love tofu scramble with whatever veggies I have on hand, chickpea salad in a wrap or on lettuce, and burrito bowls with tofu or just beans. Weekday lunches have to be quick and efficient, so anything I can pretty much just throw together is best. I also love vegan spring rolls, Thai curries, and this one amazing vegan mac and cheese recipe.
Where Am I Now on This Journey?
So, I want to be very transparent here. I stopped being 100% vegan around February 2021. I went on a trip where a fully vegan diet wasn’t an option, so I ate vegetarian. Then I went on another, longer trip, where I had less access to plant-based proteins, so I added some fish into my diet on that trip. My family has also been visiting and often when going to dinner, there isn’t always a restaurant with vegan options (that aren’t just sides). So while I’d say I’m still 95% vegan, I will also eat eggs, fish, and cheese occasionally. (And yes, my body still hates cheese.)
Quick FAQs: (for anyone with lingering questions)
- How do I feel now that I’m vegan? I feel great! My taste buds are changing and I’m discovering new foods all the time.
- Is this a permanent change? Yes, unless I eventually move to a co-op or begin growing and raising my own livestock.
- Has being vegan been difficult? Not really, no. I had to retrain my brain when it came to quick and easy recipes and grocery shopping, but it’s been a learning curve I’ve enjoyed!
- But what about meat and steak and chicken and fish? The only things I actually miss are smoked salmon/lox and sushi. Those are much more difficult to imitate or replicate. I occasionally have some if I’m at a brunch place and I’m craving it, but I don’t miss anything else. I will say I do eat sushi every so often.
- What about being vegan and traveling? This is definitely more difficult, especially when I was in Spain. When I’m traveling alone, I go out of the way to stick to vegan foods. When I’m with others, I make sure restaurants at least have vegetarian options and consider myself a bit more “flexitarian” on trips. (Still no meat though.)
- Are you still able to eat out? Absolutely! You wouldn’t believe the amount of food that is naturally vegan but isn’t necessarily advertised as such. Plus, now that it’s become trendier, more restaurants are offering more options.
Resources For Getting Started
Here are some of the resources I used to get started:
- Eamon & Bec‘s YouTube Channel. When I started this journey, they were living vanlife, eating vegan and sharing recipes. They don’t do that as much anymore but you can search their YouTube for videos. They also have a cookbook (which I LOVE) that is incredibly easy to follow!
- The second Youtube channel I found and started following was Sadia’s channel, Pick Up Limes. Between her warm personality, simple and easy-to-follow recipes, and helpful nutrition advice, following her is a no-brainer.
- I found Gaz Oakley of Avant Garde Vegan through Youtube, and would binge-watch his videos. I’ve mostly used them for inspiration and taken tips and tricks I’ve seen him do, but he’s a great follow.
- One of my first finds on IG (through some hashtags) was Jessica in the Kitchen. I actually go straight to her site mostly now, because it’s clean and easy to navigate. The best thing? She’s got plenty of delicious, traditional American comfort foods she’s vegan-ified!
- I also watched lots of videos about going vegan, from people who found success and people who didn’t. It was helpful to get different perspectives and advice, occassionally even from nutritionists. I don’t have a particular video to recommend, as I watched so many!
Ultimately I’ve reached a point where this is normal, so I don’t “feel different” anymore. The only time I’ve noticed anything has been when, on occasion, I have dairy products. I feel it almost immediately. Otherwise, life is great and I couldn’t recommend this lifestyle more!
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