It’s amazing to me that I’ve gone a full year without eating (almost any) meat or dairy! Just a couple years ago I thought vegetarians and vegans were slightly crazy and said I’d never cut out whole food groups from my diet. I loved milk, yogurt and eggs too much. But here I am writing to you after a whole year of plant-based eating and I have no regrets whatsoever.
I also like to think that I’m not crazy either.
Before I get into the nitty gritty of the past year, I think it would be good to share what caused me to go vegan in the first place. One of the main, initial factors were stomach aches. I’m not sure when it started, but I know a couple of years ago I started to complain more of stomach pain after eating certain foods: mainly rich, sugar laden foods and dairy such as frozen yogurt. A while later I started to put two and two together and realize that the food I was eating could be causing my stomach pain. Duh Faith. Unfortunately I feared that declining dessert in social settings would cause people to judge me as a goodie-to-shoe-health-nut or, even worse, an anorexic. So I continued to eat the rich desserts and meet friends for frozen yogurt and…I kept complaining.
So, how has my body been affected by a plant-based diet?
- No more stomach pains
- I experience a different kind of full where I’m satisfied instead of stuffed
- I don’t get sore very easily and recover from workouts faster (this is the biggest difference I noticed!)
What are some of the cons that come along with following a plant-based diet?
- It takes planning and prep-work
- You have to speak up about your dietary restrictions
- You sometimes cause people to go out of their way