That One Time I Went Vegan

Growing up, a meal without meat, wasn't a meal at all and pretty much unheard of in our household.  My mother tells stories of how my older brother often got caught stealing the meat from my plate, that I'd pushed aside.  I can remember thinking about what poor animal's flesh I was eating and would literally get sick to my stomach.  But again, a meal without meat wasn't a meal, so even into adulthood when making meals for myself, I ate meat because, I was supposed to?  *insert shoulder shrug*

The idea of not eating meat was foreign to me, but not strange.  It only took a few random "Meatless Mondays" before I began to think, 'I can do this.'   But just not eating meat is much different from being vegan.  So, what exactly is a vegan?  It is someone who abstains from ALL animal products in their diet.  Meaning no meat, dairy, or food made by or from an animal.  Yep, that means not even honey, its made by bees! 


The first time I almost went vegan, I did a cleanse where I didn't have meat for the first 10 days but by day 11, when meat was allowed, I really didn't want it.  Being the programed carnivore that I was raised to be, I had fish and my body rejected it.  I felt HORRIBLE, but that didn't stop me.  I slowly reintroduced meat, with occasional meatless meals.  But I missed that lite feeling, the high energy levels, the weight loss and those "easy" bathroom trips (sorry, TMI). 


Mourning of all of those lovely feelings, I decided to give it a go one more time.  This time, I followed the Fresh Start 21-day plant based/vegan cleanse by Simple Green Smoothies.   I don't know about you, but the way my taste buds are set up, I do NOT like to eat the same thing everyday. Boooooring!  This program was a perfect fit.  It offered a variety of food combinations unknown to my palate and I loved every bit of it, and I am not being paid to say that! 

I had no idea where to start, but thankfully the Fresh Start Guide provided weekly shopping lists and recipes to follow.  Daily meals consisted of a green smoothie for breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an evening snack and dinner.  I must admit, I spent a lot of time spent in the kitchen, but it was worth it.  Those 15 pounds that I lost in the process made the kitchen time well worth the effort. 


Surprisingly, I made it all 21 days, without cheating.  Starting out was rough, but by week 2, I was actually reaping the benefits and it made me want to keep going.  I felt great, I slept better and I was learning so much about food and myself.  One thing that I really loved about eating a plant based diet, is that my body used what I put in it for fuel.  I know this because every 3-4 hours I. WAS. HANGRY.  Those snacks were lifesavers and the meals actually tasted good.


TMI ALERT!!!  My potty breaks were so easy and quick that there was little to no time to surf the net or read the paper.  Things "moved" smoothly which was the polar opposite of my "meat with every meal" days.  Okay enough of that!


Since this journey, I’ve gone back to eating meat, but not everyday.  Much to my mother's confusion, I've learned that I don't have to have it.  I've also learned that if you can replace the texture and flavor of meat with other veggies, you may not even miss it.  Try it out and tell me what you think.  Maybe we can be part-time vegans together!