⇢ veg update 2
I totally forgot I was going to do these.. so here you go, a little over three months since I took my decision of giving up meat. I know a few of you are interested, so here you go! :)
It has been three months since I decided to cut out meat cold turkey, and as someone who was only slightly obsessed with chicken and did not care about any other type of meat, I have to say that it has been fairly easy. I definitely do not recommend that for someone who eats meat more regularly (I only ate chicken and around 3 times a week) but turning vegetarian was the easiest choice I have ever made and I still stand by that.
I actually planned on being vegetarian for a few months, but less than a month after beginning my journey I had already cut out cow’s milk (another thing I wasn’t too much of a fan of, since it always made my stomach bloat even if it was lactose free) and was only eating egg very occasionally as I still tried to figure out how to eat - where and how to get the nutrients I needed for a healthy lifestyle. it took hours upon hours of research but I am proud to say that I have it somewhat figured it out now.
I went into it too scared, and I shouldn’t have! many people around me and online scared me about deficiencies that, honestly, can easily be taken care of, and you do not need to be a millionaire for that. what I have learned is that as long as you do your research and keep a somewhat regular check-up with your doctor (I was already used to this anyway, as someone who needs regular check-ups) you will be okay. of course, each body reacts differently, but personally speaking, I did not notice any crazy changes, nor I ever felt weak or like my body was lacking something. going into a healthy, fulfilling way of eating was absolutely essential for that.
for the longest time, before I ever considered it seriously, I thought about veganism and how would I eat were I to turn vegan. I only truly liked three foods: chicken, rice and pasta (yes, it was that bad), so that made me wonder: what the hell would I eat? would there be any options for me? would I have no other option but to starve? and since I could never figure it out, I always dropped the idea of veganism even though it has attracted me for more than a year, probably.
but I slowly started changing my eating habits, trained my taste buds and introduced more vegetables into my diet, and the idea of veganism stopped being so far-fetched. still, there was tons of research I needed to do, and months of studying basic nutrition, reading countless meal plans and learning recipes and watching insightful videos have finally led to a huge amount of variety and color in my meals, way more than before, and looking back I can say that it was my very generalized view of veganism (the one portrayed by the media) what made me think in the first place that they only ate salads and expensive, organic foods haha.
just out of curiosity, I actually decided to follow my carbs, proteins and fats for a week (last week, actually) and I find it unbelievable how easily I can reach a healthy amount of each without looking too much into it. all I did was insert what I’d eaten throughout the day in an app and I find it insane how easily I reached past the 60g mark of protein (that’s actually a bit more than I should.. lol) this might be obvious for some, but for me it certainly wasn’t, especially with the countless questions I get about my supposed lack of protein / vitamins / etc, which inevitably made me doubt my choices more than once. no, peeps. I believed the same, but it is possible to eat a balanced diet as long as you are well informed! :) it is all about making sure that you’re eating a good amount of veggies (I like to eat a lot, so it makes me happy that I can make myself giant meals with veggies. I always go for broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and zucchini and I tend to eat them with a nice, spicy homemade sauce), fats (healthy / unsaturated fats are sooo important, please never cut them out. nuts are an amazing snack full of healthy fats!), carbs (even though they’re not really essential, they do help you feel energized and they can easily fill you for the day. besides, they’re yummy haha. basically cereals, rice, bread, homemade pizza, stuff like that), and of course, protein (lentils, beans and tofu. the latter is my weakness to be honest. I love love love tofu and how versatile it is! there are so many amazing recipes out there to make it delicious).
there is no need to splurge into expensive foods, either. if you want to eat a bunch of replacements, then yes, veganism will be an expensive lifestyle, but if you keep your replacements down to a handful (the only replacement I buy is vegan mayonnaise, and vegan cheese very occasionally. to give you an idea, they do not cost me more than 3 euros each) you will spend just as much as you would in a ‘normal’ lifestyle, if not less.
anyway, moving on - the positive changes I have noticed since late march are only a handful, but still very impactful:
I have gotten slimmer, though I would say it’s more like my body is going back to its natural weight. because of medical reasons and a certain pill I have been taking since 2012 for my body to function properly, I started putting on weight very fast, and it was something that was out of my control. ever since I started taking this pill I gained an amount of 10kg (22 pounds) throughout my university journey, and that excess I gained through the pill is what I have been trying to get rid of, which has become significantly easier with a vegan lifestyle. even though it has only been three months, I already lost more than half of it - 7 kilos, 15 pounds!! and I promise you that I have not been starving myself or anything remotely close. sometimes I even have five meals a day. :) it’s such a drastic change to a few crazy diets I tried out a couple years ago, which only consisted of tuna and whole wheat sandwiches. I’m glad I finally figured out how to eat a fuckton (there’s no other way to put it ahaha) while still being healthy and keeping to the amounts my body needs. I mainly owe that to veganism, because it’s what made me start studying nutrition and healthy eating in the first place.
(quick disclaimer: I need to address that weight loss does not equal happiness / is not the only right way to live. besides becoming vegan, losing weight was also a personal goal of mine because of external factors I already explained - how more than losing a few pounds, I am just trying to go back to the natural weight I had before. and hey, even if you only want to lose a few pounds, that is also okay as long as you are doing it the healthy way. the choices I make are purely meant to look out for my body, not to damage it, and I would never ever encourage starving or restricting yourself too harshly (sometimes, a few moderate restrictions are needed, like I did with the crazy unhealthy snacking I had going on a few months ago). keeping your weight, wanting to lose some, striving to gain a few pounds - all of that is okay as long as you do it right and take care of yourself. the only thing that matters is that you are looking out for your body, whatever shape it is ^^)
another change - headaches, or should I say, the lack of. it is crazy to think that a few months ago I used to take two / three painkillers a week because my head was always killing me, with the occasional migraine that forced me to close all of the blinds and stay in the dark for a few hours, with no possibility of even checking my phone because all lights bothered me. I am so, so happy to say that that has changed, and it has probably been my favorite change of them all. so far I have only taken two painkillers in these three months. which, for me, is absolutely insane!! to know that those headaches that have been bothering me since I was 14 stemmed from an unhealthy diet is simply baffling. I had to go through so many brain scans trying to figure out why my head hurt so much all the time, when the solution was right in my face. I am just beyond relieved that I managed to figure it out. besides ethics, this is another big reason for me continuing with this lifestyle. I cannot go back to the crazy headaches, not now that I found the root of the problem, and especially not now that I figured out a way to eat that I enjoy and that helps me avoid migraines.
and lastly, I noticed I have way more energy than before. getting up early is not so much of a problem anymore. I have always been a night owl, but I am quickly becoming a morning person, which I never thought would ever happen ahaha. I do have my lazy days, and sometimes I go to the gym and I am unable to do more than twenty minutes of cardio, but for someone who is somewhat sedentary, I have to say that this change is huge, and I am really happy with it. I look forward to using this crazy energy I have much more, and hopefully develop more physical endurance, since I still have a bit of a hard time keeping up with exercise in general.
I am very proud of my choice overall, even though I’m still learning and adapting to this lifestyle (there are still many changes to be done, but that will come with time, no rush), and I still stand by the reasons I started doing this in the first place (basically all of them: ethics, the industry, the environment, and of course, health). as someone who has a hard time being consistent in general, the fact that I have kept this up taught me that I can be strong willed if I really want to be.
I also feel very passionate about showing people that veganism doesn’t have to be scary, and that not all vegans are like the ones that represent the lifestyle, who are sadly more toxic than anything. loud, obnoxious vegans will always be the ones heard above us quieter ones, and I just want people to know that not every vegan is self-entitled or arrogant or thinks they’re better than everyone else. at least in my case, I am just proud of my own journey and the choice I made for myself and for the animals. it has nothing to do with how I feel about other people or how they eat. hell, none of my friends are vegan and absolutely nothing has changed between us (well, except the places we go to eat haha). not gonna lie, I am always afraid of saying I’m into veganism because I fear it will make people see me in a bad light, when I have never had ill intentions. but I just hope this can change someday and that veganism stops being portrayed as extreme, as a ridiculous fad, as a cult - you get the point. I see it as something beautiful you’re doing for the Earth and for your body, nothing else. ^^
and if you are interested in the way I eat, I suggest checking out my instagram! I post the meals I make there (mainly to keep myself motivated to keep learning new recipes and such)
(^^^^ the fact that I actually made that is still unbelievable to me. last year I almost burnt the kitchen while making coffee)
to finish up, if anyone is interested in veganism in general, besides famous documentaries like cowspiracy and forks over knives, there were two videos that really turned around my mindset. of course, there are small details I don’t really agree on, but the overall message of these videos is very impactful and they did push me towards doing more research on how to start transitioning to veganism. those videos are why I’m a vegan and reasons to go vegan. what I loved the most about these two videos is how unbiased both are - they present facts, not opinions, and they are not painfully blunt or offensive in any way. it’s your choice what to do with these facts, and I think that’s the main core of veganism - it all depends on how you feel and react towards these facts presented to you. I simply reacted by wanting to become vegan, and no one pressured me or brainwashed me in any way. I was presented with facts, I researched on them, found myself convinced by some things more than others, and when I had all the information compiled I decided what to do about it myself - no one did it for me. :)
this got way too long, sorry guys. but I hope that whoever read until this point found it somewhat insightful, my aim is always to help and to clarify myths of healthy eating and veganism. to conclude, I still stand by this decision being the best one I have taken in a long, long time, probably all my life. <3