From the veganning to the end the week I went vegan

By: Ryleigh Olson

         As someone who has had people in their life who practice a vegan lifestyle, I have always been interested in this way of life. So when the opportunity presented itself to go vegan for a week for the lifestyle change I jumped at the chance. As a self-proclaimed foodie and someone who has gone vegetarian before through this journey I'm going to look at how I feel going vegan, see how my viewpoint on animal products changes, and the health risks and benefits of going vegan. So with this in mind, I embarked on a week of no animal or animal byproducts, and this is how it went: 

Day One-

My alarm went off, and I was so excited for a new adventure. Since I was already eating a vegan meal for breakfast which was a bowl of oatmeal I knew that was at least one thing I did not have to worry about changing. So after that, I went on to the rest of my day excited to see what options awaited me at the dining hall. I am sure most college students can relate at around midpoint in the semester the meals at the dining hall are repetitive, so this new lifestyle came at just the right point, allowing me to try something new. I was shocked to find out that they had vegan tacos and brownies and they were excellent, i also had a salad. Following this lunch, I had a plain baked potato for dinner. After my first day, I was excited to see what day two had to offer me.

Day Two-

When I woke up on this day I seemed to feel a little more tired than usual but went on with my routine. For lunch, I had the same salad as I did the day before. I found that they do not have a ton of variety at the salad bar at the dining hall for students which made me think about when I went vegetarian. It is a lot harder to prepare vegan food when you live in a dorm then when you live at home. This is one of the main differences from when I was vegetarian because I was at home opposed to going vegan in the dorms. After lunch all I could seem to find for a snack in my dorm that was vegan was Triscuits and peanut butter--don't worry I did not put them together. Then for dinner, I had cheese-less pizza, which was the saddest pizza of my life. Following this, I went to bed early hoping to feel less tried and cruddy then I did that day.

Day Three-

 I was almost halfway there, and I was so happy about that. I woke up feel once more like I did not get enough sleep once more and went to class. As I ate lunch, I started to eat the joke that they called eggplant parm and a salad and thought about how I viewed meat. As someone who has eaten meat and animal byproducts since I was little, I never gave much thought about it till now. Having a brother who is a chef gave me a love for food but I never really paid much attention to his views on food until now. Now looking back at how he would get mad at me when I wasted food I understand it much better. Because an animal died so you could eat it and if you don’t eat it then that animals life went to waste.  After thinking about this, I was filled with even greater appreciation for animals and what they give us. Along with my mindset changing the day progressed on and I was ready for another.

Day Four-

As I went through my day, I felt like a pile of crap. I started to wonder if going vegan is good for me. When I looked into it, there seemed to be a mixed opinion within the medical community. But for the most part, I found that the Mayo Clinic which is highly regarded in the medical community does say that vegans seemed to have low levels with the following nutrients: B-12, iron, calcium, vitamin D, protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Even though these low levels can cause problems, there is a very simple solution by drawing blood to make sure their levels are stable. With some of the drawbacks of a vegan diet, there are still benefits. As doctor Neil Barnard says, “when you cut fats out of your diet and you put more vegetables and grains into your diet, the fat goes out of your diet and your cholesterol can go down”. So after looking at the pros and cons of this vegan lifestyle I figured I need more grains in my diet because I just felt like the items I was choosing were not the best for me. Because of this, I decided to have a nice big bowl of pasta with lots of veggies and a salad. That night I did not feel as bad after the meal. I was now ready to tackle the long weekend ahead of me with this knowledge.

Day Five-

I tried to wake up with a whole new mindset ready for the weekend knowing I was almost done. That morning I had a beautiful breakfast from the dining hall. I got hash browns and a strawberry muffin which overall really impressed me. As my day went on, I got a bag of chips. There are so many chips that have milk products in them you would be shocked. Then That night I went to Chilis with my family and got a quinoa bowl with avocado. Now let me tell you it took all I had in me not to order my honey chipotle chicken crispers that I get every single time. By the end of the night, I was just ready to be done with being vegan and not was feeling well. 

Day Six-

 As somebody who is an avid Chipotle addict I knew they have pretty good vegan options so I went to get food. I opted for their seasoned tofu which I knew was excellent because I had tried it before. At this point of the week, I could only get through one of my two tacos which is really saying something because I love Chipotle-- I even had it at my graduation party. I had lost my love for food somehow through this process which made me really sad, but I also saw food in a whole new light. Through me not wanting to finish my taco I was now able to see food as fuel to keep me going even when I could not stomach being vegan. With this I dragged on with my day ate another salad and was ready for my last day.

Day Seven-

At this point in my lifestyle journey, I was ready to be done. I had not felt well throughout it at all, so I slept in that day. I tried to eat a salad for lunch, had a bite and just cannot eat a salad anymore. I also found that the vegan food that the dining hall provides has a lot of fake meat and I find that gross. So I finished off the day, had a big salad for dinner and was ready to go to sleep and not have to eat vegan anymore.

What I Learned-

There's a lot more that goes into going vegan than you would ever think. Even with feeling cruddy throughout over half the week I would not trade it for the world. Because it let me see food in a whole new light not only as fuel for bodies. With this new appreciation came me seeing animal and animal byproducts in a completely new light. It allowed me to have a greater and deeper appreciation for what animals give us. Another great thing that going vegan gave me was a better understanding of what going vegan means to my health. Even if you are a college student it is a lot more attainable than you think to go vegan. I would recommend it to anyone because by following a vegan lifestyle it truly does change your life and the way you see the world.

Sourses:

"Vegan vs. Meat-Eater." The Doctors. N.p., 18 Nov. 2016. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.

O'Hara, By Jen, By Deborah Balzer, By Vivien Williams, and By Laurel J. Kelly. "Vegans May Lack Essential Nutrient Intake." Http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org. N.p., 18 Nov. 2016. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.