Vegan No More

I am fascinated by goals and challenges and programs. I’m enamored by collective efforts to form better habits – the bootcamps, the cleanses, the de-clutter schedules. 6 weeks to a better you? You had me at the glossy typeface.

In a way, it’s kind of like my inner Carrie Bradshaw. I bounce from eating plan to fitness reset to organize-your-life philosophy in search of the self-actualization version of Mr. Big to which I can commit.

Most recently? Vegan. My New Years resolution for 2017 was to go meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free for up to a year. I made it just over 6 months.

Here’s what I learned:

I gained a deep appreciation for good, plant-based recipes.

Turmeric and Sweet Potato Soup, Borracho Squash and Bean Burritos, Chickpea Bolognese, Tofu Coconut Curry – there’s a significant volume of well-done, vegan recipes. It was exciting to get out of our normal rotation of meals and learn about new ingredients and flavors. I fell in love with Thug Kitchen, and we’re still cooking through the goldmine of vegan recipes included in this brilliant, however irreverent, volume of recipe goodness.

I did not starve.

The most common reactions I received when I shared about my “vegan challenge” were concerns for my health. What if you don’t get enough protein? What if you feel tired and drained all the time? What if you lose too much weight? None of these were issues for me, and I experienced no significant negative health changes. Although I quickly grew tired of soy-based proteins, I never suffered any deficiencies. I was no more tired than the average 30-something working mother. And the weight loss? I gained 8 pounds. (I blame the Trader Joe’s vegan chocolate chip cookies.)

My conversations – all of them – revolved around food.

Social settings often involve shared eating experiences, and naturally, my vegan-ness came up a lot. And by a lot, I mean all the time. I found I was talking about food constantly, and eating out (unless it was just my husband and me) became a nightmare. As soon as I announced my food preferences, out came the server with a pencil to strategize how we could all make it through the meal relatively sated. On one particularly memorable occasion, we had a vegan, a dairy-free, and two Whole 30s – it was our very own “walk into a bar” joke.

I thought my eating habits would get exponentially better. But I’m not sure they did.

My vision of what vegan life would be like included a lot of raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, tofu & brown rice bowls. Healthy. Organic. Simple. And to be fair to myself, it did start out this way. Eventually though, I started seeking “substitutes” for the foods I missed, and I unlocked an entire world of vegan junk food I did not know existed. Turns out there’s a market for processed food in even the most restrictive diet, and I made it more profitable.

What now?

If you’re thinking of going vegan, go for it. It is an interesting experience that will shift your thinking about what you eat, for better or worse, and you’ll learn something new about yourself. For me, it was that boyfriend who looks so good on paper, but after a few months, once the “newness” wears off, you realize you don’t have as much in common as you thought.

The other day I was in my doctor’s office when I noticed Michael Pollan’s Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual poking out defiantly among the celebrity gossip magazines. I tried to look away, but before you could say “pocket guide,” I was engrossed. At this point, I know myself well enough not to count my free-range chickens before they hatch. This is probably not my Mr. Big of eating manifestos. But post-vegan, it sure looks like the boy next door.