5 Things I Learned About Myself After a Month of Eating Like a Vegan

In the past month, I have given up animal products and only consumed plant-based foods. So what was it like eating like a vegan?

Let us start by saying that I am already gluten free and dairy free for allergies. Not by choice, just doctor’s orders.

Because of this, I already eat a lot of plant based foods, as to get something to be both gluten free and dairy free, it tends to be vegan as well.

With all of this said, making the transition, if you could even call it that, to being strictly vegan for a month wasn’t difficult. It was probably harder on my mom who was starting to realize what is considered vegan fare and just how many animal products are in things you wouldn’t think of. Like, why is there honey in the Italian dressing? But that aside, here I am to tell you what I’ve learned about myself.

Broccoli.

Firstly, I can eat a lot more broccoli than I thought. I do not love broccoli, but if I need food and it’s a choice between broccoli or something like chips for dinner? Broccoli wins. Mom, if you’re reading this, disregard it all, I will not be eating strictly broccoli when I get home… But in a pinch at school? Desperate times, desperate measures, friends. I’ve never minded broccoli, it just wasn’t my favorite. In the past month it’s probably been in the list of my ten most consumed foods. Always cooked or steamed, never raw.

Tofu…

I can’t say I’ve ever been a real fan of tofu – or that I gave it a fair try. The negative rhetoric surrounding tofu that I was inadvertently exposed to through the numerous novels I read as a child and that is generally used in society made the food seem like a joke, or an undesireable last resort.

However, I decided to give it a try.

I kept trying it plain with different toppings and found a way to make a tofu sandwich that I really, really enjoy. It’s so filling that I have yet to be able to finish a whole sandwich!

So yeah. Tofu. I don’t hate it, I already have it regularly in frozen meals I have at university, but never in blocks on a sandwich before starting this try at veganism. Overall, I will not turn down tofu, and have decided it’s always worth a try as I’ve found it to be so filling!

I already eat enough protein.

My mom had a print out about making sure you get enough protein and how to calculate what you need, including the values of different plant-based protein sources. Turns out, I was already regularly eating more protein than I need on a daily basis. I was even hitting the numbers I needed with plant-based protein sources! This only served to strengthen my confidence that going vegan wasn’t going to be difficult for me when it came to maintaining healthy levels of protein consumption. I had no qualms cutting out the few animal products I did consume.

I’m more adventurous than I thought.

See the tofu sandwich experiment above, but I’ve also been eating things that I would usually turn down or just opt away from, in efforts to broaden my options. It’s been colder too, so I’ve been trying out soups and things that I usually wouldn’t have as a main course. The French onion soup I had the other day from the dining hall was so, so good! When I finished I wished I would’ve gotten a second container for later. I also tried stewed tomatoes and really enjoyed them? There were parsnips on the menu for dinner one night and I decided to give them a go as well. They were so good!

Eating a diet comprised of strictly vegan fare has really encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and I’m really lucky to have a dining hall to take advantage of that can provide such awesome options!

I don’t need meat.

Yes, in the beginning, I wanted meat from time to time, but now, a month in? I can’t say I’m craving any meat. Sometimes, due to my access to a dining hall where all the food is pre-prepared for me, it would be more convenient to eat meat, but I don’t feel I’ve ever really thought I couldn’t stick to eating all vegan meals.

I guess you could say I’ve amended my carnivorous habits.

This isn’t really something I learned about myself but…

There are some things that could so easily be made vegan… and I don’t understand why they aren’t.

Simply taking a potato and letting people choose their toppings or having toppings available to be self served instead of putting a dollop of sour cream on top with garnish? That would make those potatoes accessible to both vegans and people with dairy allergies! Win win!

And more people would probably choose to have the potatoes if they can make it their own. Just saying. I don’t understand why little things like this aren’t done or are only done for special occasions.

So this is one month in.

Will I be continuing with a vegan lifestyle? Perhaps. I plan to at least follow a vegan diet for the rest of the semester. It’s been pretty nice.

I’m excited to try more things this summer, where I’ll have more access to fresh fruit and vegetables! Having access to a full kitchen and all of the appliances we have at home will be really nice too. Hello, smoothies! So excited.

As of right now, I really can’t see myself consuming meat again. Maybe I’ll stick to a dairy free, vegetarian lifestyle? Who knows. All I can say for sure is I have learned a lot over the course of this past month, and am excited to see where this takes me.