I know…who am I? Why would I ever choose to be a vegan? How could I possibly enjoy all life has to offer if I choose to not eat animal products? Well. It was and it was not possible. Granted, I really only stuck with it for three days but I do feel like I learned from and have changed the way I eat because of it.
As a little bit of a back story I have always been interested in different eating habits. Last summer I went vegetarian (no meat) for about a month and before that I tried going paleo (cave man style—grains, meat, veggies, fruit) for a while so in some sense I was prepared and did not think it would be that much of a challenge which to some degree ended up being true. I decided to go vegan (no animal products) because I had been having some digestion issues and I really didn't know what was causing it. I knew it had to be something I was eating and had recently watched a documentary, Forks Over Knives, that was pro veganism. The documentary basically talked about how our bodies don’t really “need” anything that comes from an animal. It talks about how eating animals and animal products have been shown to increase different health issues and by eating a mostly plant and grain based diet one can actually reverse the symptoms of some health diseases. I have always been interested in this way of eating for many reasons—I am a really curious person, I have not always had the best diet, and also I am a foodie. Now I know that last one might be confusing. If I am a foodie, why would I ever want to limit myself from trying so many delicious cuisines? Well, I think that question kind of answers it for itself. I am a foodie. I want to explore food and see what different kinds of food taste like, but I also want to see how food can taste in different lights such as in a plant and grain based diet. I want to explore foods in different ways and this is just another way.
By going vegan, even for such a short amount of time, I have learned that my body actually feels better without meat—particularly beef—and without dairy products. Ever since I cut all animal products out at once, I have been more conscious and picky about how much of my diet is coming from an animal. I now choose to stay away from meat as much as possible, but I have also come to the realization that maybe this doesn't need to be done in an extreme. I have learned that I don’t “need” to cut out all animal products 100% but I also am now more sure than ever that I don’t “need” animal products all the time with every meal or even every day.
Though I may not be a complete, full-pledged vegan now I cannot say that I will never be in the future. Despite that, I know I am now a more conscious person when it comes to what I am feeding my body and am more aware when it comes to knowing what does not make my body feel good. Who knew three days of veganism could change someone so much?
