THE BIGGEST CHANGES WE’VE NOTICED AFTER GOING VEGAN FOR 31 DAYS
Our veggies spread~Cutting them up in advance makes a world of difference!
If you happened to catch my last post, “We’ve Been Vegan For 2 Weeks. Here’s What I’ve Learned,” you may have read that my guy and I decided to go vegan for the month of October to celebrate my birthday. As someone who had been adding more plant-based meals to my diet for a while, the process actually felt quite seamless. It gave me a solid incentive to commit to going vegan, after giving myself a few outs in the past. My outs included telling myself that it was too difficult to think outside of the standard meat-veggies-carb meal, when cooking time is tight during the week. I’d also convinced myself that it wasn’t really sustainable, due to my kids’ nut and wheat allergies. But the great thing about the challenge is that it forced me to create work arounds and thrive. Plus, I must acknowledge my privilege. I live in L.A. and there are tons of vegan options, which makes the lifestyle change a lot more accessible). Although it’s still a process, I’ve found and experimented with more kid-friendly meat and nut-free meals and snacks. My kids are not 100% vegan just yet, but we’re incorporating a lot more plant-based meals into their daily routine.
So, what’s up with my guy and I? After not having any cravings for meat or dairy during the final few weeks of the challenge, I’ve decided to go vegan, yay! Ira has decided to continue eating meat, but reduced his consumption to a few times a week. Double yay! This is a HUGE change for him. Before the challenge he was a true meat lover to the core, eating mostly standard, meat-based meals. Helping each other through the 31-day challenge helped. I also tried to scare the crap outta him with a few scary (yet real and informative) vegan films which initially hooked me— like What The Health, Forks Over Knives, and Game Changers. 100% vegan life may not be for everyone, and that’s cool. It was a gradual process for me that took a few years. So, I’m really proud of my man! He went from once joking with me about my love for plant-based foods to supporting it— in a way that works for him.
Ira and I on my birthday—6 days into our vegan journey
Here are the biggest changes that we’ve seen since going vegan:
For Me:
-An increase in energy
-Happier! An overall mood improvement
-Clearer skin
-Weight loss
-Maybe TMI; but A HUGE change in my menstrual cycle. Less cramps, less intense.
-Lower grocery bill: Organic produce and packaged meat substitutes can add up, but meat can be super pricey! When it comes to selecting which organic produce to buy, the annual “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” lists are super helpful! Do you use them?
For Ira:
-Less body fat/leaner
-Felt a need to drink more water and hydrate more
-Ultimately decided to scale back meat intake to 2-3 times a week.
Our loves
The Kids: (They’re about 70% meatless and mostly dairy-free)
-I’ve noticed less congestion for sure!
-Less eczema flare-ups
-Less fevers and sick-days (knock on wood :))
With the holidays coming up, it will be interesting to see how we all fare! My next health related goals include upping my water intake and carbing down. (I must admit, the carbs got a bit outta control once I cut out meat—aiming for a healthy balance). One thing that I forgot to do before starting our vegan challenge was to check our blood pressure and measurements. I feel like that may have also helped to gauge change.
Our latest obsession—Persimmons!
I’m excited to experiment more with recipes and food tasting. Going vegan has pushed me to be a lot more adventurous in the kitchen and I’m having a lot more fun cooking than I have in the past. (Used to hate it :)) Some of my recent go-to recipe spots include: 22-Day Nutrition, Oprah’s 30-Day Plant-Based Challenge, Forks Over Knives, and Nutritious Vida (her Instagram is filled with helpful kid-friendly vegan inspo).
I’m happy to be on this journey, and grateful to have my family’s support. It took us some time, but I’m thankful that we’re here.