Last summer, my family and I did something that none of us ever thought we could do: we went vegan.

We decided to do this mostly for health reasons, but also because it was something that I had been contemplating doing for a while, but never got around to strictly following the diet. Flash forward to the present, and I can proudly say that I am still going strong on the vegan diet, and don't see myself stopping anytime soon.

I'm not going to lie, being a vegan is difficult.

You really have to know so much about foods and their ingredients, and certain things that you need to avoid or look out for when you go shopping at the grocery store. When you dine out with friends, you might have to end up doing some research beforehand on the restaurant to make sure that you're able to find something on the menu that is vegan-friendly.

And sometimes this can be the biggest challenge of them all, because not every restaurant or food place is vegan-friendly, so sometimes you're left sitting out on certain occasions.

Another thing I have often dealt with as a vegan is being asked endless amounts of questions. Whenever someone finds out that I follow a vegan diet, it immediately becomes a game of 21 questions, where they ask anything from, "What do you eat for meals?" to "Do you actually like being a vegan?"

While these questions can be very repetitive and become tiring to answer all the time, I've gotten more used to expecting them to pop up in a conversation, because I know that the people asking are only curious about the diet and want to know more.

But while all of these challenges are prevalent in the life of a vegan, I still don't regret my decision to stay committed to following the diet.

From going vegan, I've found myself discovering new foods and meals that I had never been willing to try beforehand (if you had asked me a year ago if I would try Brussel sprouts, I'd most likely laugh in your face).

Although being a vegan doesn't leave you with many options for what to eat, you eventually learn to not become picky with the stuff that you can eat, since there isn't a lot to begin with, and you definitely need to eat something.

I've also had many health benefits during the past year from cutting out meat and dairy. My face doesn't break out as often as it used to, I feel more energized throughout the day, and I've slimmed down a tiny bit.

Each person's body reacts differently to a vegan diet, but these have been some of the effects I have gone through and am still currently experiencing, and I still feel great.

It's hard to believe that it's already been one year of being a vegan, and I'm honestly proud of myself for making it this far. In summer 2017, I thought the longest I could possibly follow the diet without cheating would be at most one month, but I never would've expected a full year.

Looking forward, I hope I can continue this lifestyle, as it has helped me so much in so many different ways.

I'm not trying to convince you or persuade you to go vegan or make you think it's the only way to be healthy, because that's simply not true. You can still be healthy regardless of the diet that you follow, as long as it makes you and your body feel good at the end of the day.

But for me, I never would've guessed that going vegan would help me feel this way, and I have no regrets.