I’ll admit I don’t have the best diet. Since having 3 kids it’s been more about convenience rather than being healthy. Yeah I’d sneak some veg in there but breastfeeding made me really crave sugar.
Baby is getting older and his feeds are going down but that’s not the reason why I wanted to try a vegan diet.
I’ve heard so many good things about it, read articles, seen documentaries etc. Now I didn’t set out my vegan week with the intentions of converting into a vegan, never eating meat or dairy products again but I wanted to understand first hand what the diet was all about, feel the benefits for myself and see if it’s something I felt can be achieved on a day to day basis.
Before I did start, although it was only for a week I did go to my doctor who said it was perfectly fine. Aslong as my diet was varied and I was eating enough protein, zinc, calcium etc than there shouldn’t be a problem at all.
Before beginning, I actually spoke to a few people. I spoke to people who weren’t vegan and for the time being wouldn’t start a vegan diet. I spoke to people who have been vegan in the past, people who have just started their vegan journeys and some who had been doing it for a very long time.
I wanted to get the whole picture before starting. I wanted to know what others thought about it. Here is what I found out.
There are some misconceptions about being vegan. Especially when it comes to consuming protein and calcium. Most people believe milk and cheese is off the menu so calcium is taken more of a supplement than food. Wrong.
Take a look at some of the items that do contain calcium:
There is even a whole variety of things that contain protein.
I’ll admit before learning about all these different foods from research and people I spoke to, I thought my protein would be limited especially coming from a ‘nut free’ household, but I was pleasantly surprised.
I looked at the different vegan foods and created a meal plan for the week before going shopping. This was one thing that I was advised to do, as I was told especially as a new vegan it can be quite challenging going to the supermarket and going through ingredients etc. I guess it did make it easier. I knew what I was going to buy and what I was going to eat. It also helped me budget.
I was ready. Research done. Shopping done. Recipes gathered! Off I went.
Below I’ve shared what my weekly menu looked like
Day 1
Breakfast
Oatmeal with fruit
Lunch
Chickpea salad roll
Dinner
Lentil curry with rice
Snacks
Fruit
Hummus with pitta
Chickpea salad roll
Day 2
Breakfast
Oatmeal with fruit
Lunch
Left over dinner (lentils and rice)
Dinner
Vegan pizza
Snacks
Popcorn
Fruit
Chocolate
Lentil curry and rice
Day 3
Breakfast
Cereal
Lunch
Quorn with pasta
Dinner
Mexican rice and beans with avocado
Snacks
Popcorn
Chocolate
Mini hot cross buns
Mexican rice
Day 4
Breakfast
Cereal
Lunch
Vegetable and quorn wraps with a bit of rice
Dinner
Rainbow curry bowl
Snacks
Chocolate
Crackers and vegan cheese
Fruit
Vegetable and quorn wraps with rice
Day 5
Breakfast
Fruit and oatmeal
Lunch
Mexican wraps
Dinner
Indian style pakoras
Aubergine and potato curry with rice
Snacks
Popcorn
Hummus and pitta
Aubergine and potato curry
Day 6
Breakfast
Cereal
Lunch
Left over Aubergine curry with rice
Dinner
Chips, beans and quorn nuggets
Snacks
Popcorn
Fruit
Chips, beans and quorn nuggets
Day 7
Breakfast
Banana and avocado on toast
Lunch
Pasta salad with mixed beans
Dinner
Lasagne with garlic bread
Snacks
Chocolate mousse
Biscuits
Crisps
Lasagne and garlic bread
I was pleasantly surprised that I could still have ‘junk food’ it wasn’t just salads everyday. It was a varied week. Yes I ate lots more vegetables and I think I ate more healthy but I still got to eat treats like pizza, chocolate, popcorn and crisps.
Have I been converted? Yes and no. I will definitely be eating more vegan friendly foods, as they are clearly delicious. Price wise I didn’t spend more than I would have if I had eaten meat etc I would love to eat vegan but I think at this point in my life I can’t commit to it 100%, I’ve got so much going on right now, it would be such a challenge to be 100% vegan. Especially when it’s challenging getting the kids to eat their food. Yes they tried some vegan dishes but refused to touch other things. (Typical) but I won’t give up. I think slowly over time it’s a good way for children to include vegan foods as part of a varied diet and understand that we don’t need to always consume meat and dairy to have a fulfilling and varied diet.
I felt less sluggish, less bloated and I had more energy too. I felt really good.
One big thing was, as a family we tend to try and eat out from time to time but we really struggled. Without the added vegan diet we only eat from a very limited number of places due to allergies. There were some vegan places but it was limited. And even then we couldn’t eat from there as we need to make sure our food is 100% nut free.
If you want to try it I would say give it a go. You won’t know until you do. Whether it’s for health reasons, lifestyle choices or beliefs. It really isn’t as ‘tough’ as I thought it would be. I didn’t really miss eating chicken or meat.
Are you a vegan? Or have you been a vegan in the fast or are you planning on eating vegan? Or are you completely against it? What are your thoughts?
Simply Benish 