1 Year Vegan – 8 Things I have Noticed!

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog! I have gotten so many new followers recently and I am so grateful for every single one of you that read my blog and follows along with my crazy life. If you don’t know me, I’m Mairi and very pleased to have you here. I hope you have had an amazing start to 2022, and the first couple weeks have been amazing.

This is a very special blog post and one I have been waiting to write for a while now. If you prefer to listen to podcasts or you just fancy listening instead of reading (maybe when you’re cooking or driving- driving is definitely my favourite time to listen to podcasts) I have uploaded a podcast on this very topic. Reaching one year vegan I think is pretty special and it will be the first of many years’ vegan. I will link the podcast at the end If you fancy listening.

Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, a carnivore or whatever your diet may be like this blog is for you. I want to share with you eight things that happened within this year as a vegan for the very first time. I hope I can convince you to eat a little less meat, eggs and dairy and some more plants :).

Here are 8 things I’ve found from changing my diet from a healthy carnivorous diet to a healthy plant-based whole food vegan diet!

1. You Eat a Much Wider Variety of Foods and This Means more Flavour, Tastes and Textures.

I never knew food could taste so good. Instead of just a few foods on your plate or in your diet there are multiple, and it revolutionised my diet and meals. Food surprisingly tastes better than it ever did. There is so much misinformation around vegan food, people think it tastes bad or not as good as a ‘normal’ diet. We couldn’t be more wrong. I hate those jokes about vegan food being rubbish. It is easy to make food taste good when using butter, cream, cheese etc. Without those naturally high in saturated fat foods I will admit, it’s harder to make food taste good. When you know HOW to cook vegan food in a way that is amazing and healthy – it will change your life. This involves herbs, spices, vegetables, fruits and so much more.

2. You Are Forced to Learn More about Food, where it Comes From, What’s in it and How to Cook it.

Touching on the point above, you learn about food and how to make food taste amazing. You learn an invaluable skill – to cook amazing tasting food that fuels and nourishes your body. It makes you feel grounded and healthier. It is a radical act of self-love.

3. You Literally Never Eat Anything that isn’t Healthy.

I don’t like to say foods and good or bad. Food has no moral compass. There are foods that are healthier than others and that promote vitality. These foods are the majority of what you eat on a healthy vegan diet. Most of the time, you know what you’re eating and you’re healthier and more grounded for it.

4. You Start to Wonder Why You Ever Ate Meat, Eggs or Dairy in The First Place.

The way animals are treated, and the way dairy is processed really isn’t great for us or the environment. You start to be repulsed by the thought of eating meat and dairy again (at least this is what I think now). You feel amazing, food makes you feel amazing. I don’t ever want to go back.

5. You are Contributing to the Welfare of Animals and Creating a Sustainable Future.

This isn’t the reason I became vegan but one of the reasons I stay vegan. You start to realise the importance of supporting this movement and you don’t want to contribute to the killing of animals.

6. Food Poisoning is No Longer an Issue.

If you’re like me, food poisoning really stressed me out. You don’t have to worry about what knife was used for what anymore. It is a relief!

7. I Feel Healthier, Lighter and Happier than Ever.

Believe me when I say I want to be vegan for life. I never feel bloated, heavy or uncomfortably full. My skin, hair and nails are healthier than ever. No headaches, pains, illnesses of any kind. I always feel great and energised. I feel it important to note here that you can have a very unhealthy diet and be vegan. A healthy vegan diet is incredibly important to feel the incredible health benefits. I have so many podcasts on this very topic.

Everything you need to know about going vegan:

8. It is Hard to Put on Weight.

Eating plants is what the body is made for. I’ve lost weight eating a vegan diet as its difficult to gain weight. It feels as though I can eat and eat and never put any weight on (of course this is due to the high fibre content of this diet and lower calorie foods – a vegan diet isn’t magic). I love this way of eating. Roughly two years ago I was two stone heavier than I am now and that’s largely down to a vegan diet and healthy weight loss.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT GOING VEGAN IS NOT A GOOD IDEA IF YOU HAVE AN EATING DISORDER, SUFFERED PREVIOUSLY OR HAVE AN ISSUE WITH RESTRICTIVE EATING OF ANY KIND.

Your health is most important over weight loss or being the ‘right’ weight and is not a sole reason to go vegan. I have this point in here because it is a tell-tale sign that veganism is right for my body – my body has found an ideal weight and keeps me at it. I want you to stay clear of restrictive eating of any kind if you suffer from this type of thing. If you really want to try a vegan or vegetarian diet and have a problem with restrictive eating please speak to your doctor and phase it in slowly. Even if you have no previous history of this, phasing it in is essential.

I don’t want this to be the reason you jump on the vegan waggon. Going vegan takes time and effort and education. You need to phase it in. It is dangerous just jumping in and not being properly educated on how to be vegan healthfully. Please don’t take this blog post as gospel. There are incredible benefits of going vegan and I am by no means deterring you, quite the opposite. I want you to be cautious and do your research and speak to a doctor or health professional if necessary.

That being said. We can all benefit from eating more plants and less animals. Have some more vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains and less animal products. Your body will thank you and you will see benefits from small changes too.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post!

As always, thank you for reading.

Mairi

Last week’s podcast: