Why I Went Vegan for January & the Surprising Results

Vegan food, shared meal image Jan 2020 blog.jpg

Red Flag after Christmastime Indulgence

My body soon reminded me of how eating foods that don’t agree with me make me feel when I indulged over the Christmas period in milk chocolates, cheeses such as brie, garlic bread, sausage rolls and red wine, where ordinarily these foods aren’t part of my usual diet.
The following symptoms wasted little time in showing up together, waving a red flag to say something’s changed in my body’s environment and isn’t quite right: headaches, constipation, brain fog/unable to think clearly, spotty skin, achey knees, weight gain, fatigue, came down with a cold, stomach aches and cramping, nausea, strong urges to snack between meals, pink eye, and feeling low mentally. All in all not my idea of fun. The Christmas foods tasted good, but wasn’t really worth all that discomfort!
It was interesting to note all this as because I normally have a good diet and keep processed foods, wheat, dairy products and refined sugar to a minimum or avoid them altogether, therefore I can more easily make the connection between what I’m eating/drinking and any symptoms of discomfort when I do have them.

Inspired & Motivated by Forks over Knives & Rebecca

Having the inspiration, curiosity and willpower already in place to embark on what I saw to be a food adventure and eat as a natural food-based vegan for January helped put me back on track easily. I was curious about it after watching the documentary Game Changers with my friend Rebecca in November, she had already decided to do the same and having that strong resolve together has been even more motivating. I found both Game Changers and Forks over Knives (both can be watched online on Netflix) to be fascinating viewing, with plenty of personal stories of how switching to a whole foods, plant-based diet has transformed serious health conditions for people, and increased physical strength and endurance in sports people. It also challenges the widely-held notion that meat and dairy are essential for protein and calcium, we can get plenty enough from plant foods and whole grains the documentaries say.
There was also evidence to show how the typical American/Western daily high consumption of meats leads to a build-up of toxins in the body that can lead to heart-related diseases and strokes, and how over-consumption of milk products actually weakens bones and cause osteoporosis and a greater risk of hip fractures in our later years.

The Adventure: Food Diary & Encouraging Early Results

I began to feel much better just within a week of stopping meat, fish, all animal products, dairy, refined sugar, processed foods and eating plant-based wholefoods instead, after some initial detox symptoms of cravings and flu/hangover-like achiness and bad moods. I also felt happier and virtuous about my food choices, knowing they were benefiting my health and keeping my body and mind strong, while also benefiting the planet and animals.

Breakfasts for January remained simple, and not really different from what I normally eat – low sugar granola, oat or quinoa porridge with almond, coconut or brown rice milk (my personal favourite plant-based milks), topped with walnuts, seeds, and chopped up prunes or an apple.
Lunches might be leftovers from dinner the night before, soups I’ve made alongside spelt bread, veggie sticks and humus with an avocado, buckwheat pasta with a simple (no added sugar) pasta sauce, bean salad (comprising either raw veg, cooked or a mixture of the two) with a dressing of olive oil and apple cider vinegar, with fruit and a herbal tea for afters.
Dinners are more fun and I’ve been diving into recipe books to make dhal, curries, lots of different soups based on roasted veg and beans, non-wheat noodles with mushrooms and lots of vegetables either lightly steamed or stir fried, sweet potato done in oven as a jacket potato. Dried lentils and beans have been a joy to cook with after soaking overnight. And there are so many more recipes I’d like to try! My aim has been for variety, and to eat 7 portions of different vegetables and 3 of fruit a day.
Going forward I like the idea of eating as a vegan as it encourages me to use more beans and lentils, it’s like a new direction for how I eat and think about food, and because so many processed foods have milk or other animal products in them it provides further incentive to say no to them. It’s also encouraging to know that lots of restaurants and cafes have vegan options now so is easier when eating out.

Further Results that Surprised me

So by the end of January I was feeling clearer minded, comfortable in my body – no aches or pains – no colds or bugs in sight etc, my skin has cleared up, no discomfort in my stomach/gut after eating, no cravings to snack between meals, no constipation or headaches. I’ve enjoyed cooking more with beans and lentils and taking more care to get a good variety of veggies every day. I’m very pleased with these results.
However I did find I was still tired, even on waking in the mornings, wanting to sleep more and craving chicken or salmon towards the end. I listened to that craving and felt more energetic the morning after having chicken with dinner in early February. This goes to show that for me if I crave meat, fish or eggs it’s a good idea to have a portion of something preferably organic, high quality and ideally locally produced. It will be something to look forward to rather than an everyday food, I’ll listen to what my body says about it and so I’m happy to compromise by being vegan 90% of the time.

Take Home Messages

Making changes to cut out or down on meat, dairy, sugar and processed foods and eat more natural plant foods is more enticing if viewed as an adventure, and easier if you have a friend or loved one doing it with you.
Tracking how you feel physically and mentally before, during and after makes the experience more satisfying and valuable.
Eating closer to how our ancestors did, who didn’t have access to the processed factory-made foods we do now, may help you understand your body’s needs more. I have certainly learned valuable lessons from eating as a natural foods-based vegan for a month and confirms what I already suspected – that some meat is good for me.