Trying the Plant-Based Diet: My First Few Days

I'm posting pretty late, about 5 days later after I decided to try the vegan plant-based diet.

Yes, I understand that "being vegan" is a lifestyle- not a diet. That's fantastic, and I am working towards that. Knowing myself, I can't quit things cold turkey or else it's not sustainable. I've changed quite a lot of my habits over the past 2 years, so I think I'm on the right track.

Before I transitioned into this diet, I no longer purchased meat or milk. I craved cheese a lot, and for protein, I would eat 1-2 non-fat Greek yogurts a day. I rarely ate fish, but I'd eat it when I would go out for sushi on some weekends. Therefore, it was pretty easy for me to just say, "Hey, why not try cutting out animal products?"

I set the following rules for my diet:

1. Eat strictly vegan from Monday through Friday.
2. If I am out with friends on Saturday and Sunday, I can order whatever I'd like if the vegan options are poor.
3. Drink loads of water.
4. Exercise at least 5 times a week.

Day 1: May 4th, 2017

On my first day of trying the vegan plant-based diet after my stomach-bursting binge, I decided to eat raw.

Wow! I'm pleasantly surprised that I actually ate raw. I had loads of carrots, celery, sugar snap peas, raspberries, home-made gazpacho soup, cucumbers, honeydew melon, chia seeds, cashews, brazilian nuts.

I had so much energy! My body felt light, and I did not feel bloated at the end of the day.

I drank about 120 fluid ounces of water.

Day 2: May 5th, 2017

I'm feeling GREAT!

For breakfast, I ate plain almond yogurt (so much tastier than Greek yogurt!), chia seeds, raspberries, and bit of unsweetened coconut flakes for a nice flavor.

For the rest of the day until dinner, I ate loads of vegetables and some hummus before my awesome workout.

So around 5 in the afternoon after school, I made some gazpacho soup in a blender again. Literally, it took me less than 10 minutes total. I'll be posting the recipe in a little bit. It's great for a raw plant-based diet as well!

Here came the ultimate test for me: finding a delicious vegan meal while out with my friends. 

We went to a Lebanese restaurant that I'd never been to before, and there were so many vegan options! I ended up ordering Maghmour with rice. 

Oh my gosh. It was DELICIOUS! It made me even more excited about changing my diet to a vegan one because of all the tasty meals you can come up with. I'm definitely excited to try new things!

Day 3: May 6th, 2017

Ahh, the weekend. The days I give myself permission to slip up. Well, I sure did slip up!

I got lunch with my mom at Veggie Grill (all vegan!), and I told her about my transition to the vegan diet. We later on went to the movie theater, and when I came out of the bathroom, I saw her holding a bag of popcorn with butter on it. I said, "Mom! You never take my life choices seriously!" but then I realized how thoughtful it was of her to buy us popcorn especially since it's so expensive. I changed my attitude and expressed my gratitude (Woah, was that a rhyme?!) for her thoughtfulness. I just let her have the top layer of popcorn with the butter, and I ate the bottom layer. See? It wasn't the end of the world. 

She explained to me that she thought that vegetarian and vegan diets were the same, so dairy products were okay for her. I was happy to explain to her what I know of the vegan diet.

Afterwards, we got gelato. I got the rose-raspberry sorbet with blood orange sorbet. Heaven on earth! I would usually go with the creamy gelato flavors and skip the sorbet ones, so this was new. 

My mom and I went grocery shopping together, and she bought me loads of groceries for my vegan diet. It made me happy that she is so supportive.

In the evening, I hung out with my friend, and we went to a restaurant. After looking at the menu, I honestly did not like the vegan options, so I went with the grilled albacore tuna with vegan sides, including roasted potatoes and other veggies. And that's totally okay with me since I told myself in the beginning that I can order whatever I like when I'm out with friends.


Day 4: May 7th, 2017

I did very well today! I had an amazing workout. I even started running at the gym instead of only sticking to the elliptical.

I had my favorite plain almond yogurt with berries, chia seeds, and coconut flakes.

I was out with my friend Erin in Solana Beach, and I ordered a macchiato with almond milk- so delicious!

Almond Milk Macchiato at Lofty Coffee

I later had Trader Joe's Organic Vegetarian Chili left over from my camping trip with some added roasted vegetables. It was perfect for the rainy day in May in San Diego!

I had loads of water today. Yes, I did not have enough calories today. Honestly, I did not really have an appetite today, but that's okay. I am not trying to starve myself whatsoever. I didn't feel like forcing myself to eat if I wasn't hungry.

As a study snack, I had a bowl of fresh raspberries and blueberries- delicious!