Well, I did it. I participated in Popsugar 7 day vegan challenge.
Pros:
Saved money – I did the prep work and made each meal at home. No dining out for a week saved me some pennies. Many of the meals were for multiple serving sizes so I had lunch and dinner covered and froze the rest so I will even have some meals ready for outside the 7 day challenge week.
I didn’t really crave meat. My philosophy with eating plant-based foods is that you are providing your body with proper nutrients thus you feel fuller. I was never feeling overstuffed or undernourished.
Cons:
Life happens – I did choose to do this challenge around a difficult time where I had to travel to Burlington, Vermont for a wedding. Here is where I found my biggest challenge: Eating out when traveling. I went to one restaurant and just ordered the unlimited soup and salad bar and I thought, “What could go wrong?” I piled on the veggies and put on their house dressing and grabbed a bowl of the tomato bisque. As I halfway finished with my soup, I came to realize it probably was made with cream. OOPS, I think I just never thought about all the details of recipes and how much butter or eggs or dairy is involved in creating delicious recipes. I find that aspect to be the hardest with remaining committed entirely to the vegan lifestyle.
Finally: I love & miss CHEESE!
Overall, I think it was a great learning experience and proves to me that real foods from the earth are essential for a healthy diet. They are filling and I know what I’m eating! No, “How do you pronounce this ingredient”? guesswork.
Now what? I plan to truly minimize my red meat and dairy intake but I will allow myself forgiveness if I want to eat a slice of pepperoni pizza. I will switch from dairy milk to almond milk. I will continue to make my plate 80% vegetables and whole grains.
Check my Facebook for the recipes.
