Veganism - the post mortem
February 01, 2006
So, January is over and so is my veganism. Here's what I thought:
Health: Felt outrageously good all month. Being vegan, you really can't avoid eating healthily. Within a few days I felt great and it carried on all month.
Interest: It started off OK, but went downhill after a few weeks. Whilst I tried to be creative and did find a few really nice vegan recipes (Pasta with vegan pesto, Brazil nut and Ratatouille Bake, Vegetable tagine with harissa, Vegan Teabread), there is a limit to how creative you can be. Some things, like toad-in-the-hole and omelette and cheesecake just can't be replicated successfully. Eating out is difficult. Sandwiches get really boring when all you can have is herb pate, houmous or jam.
Practicality: It's a lot easier than it used to be to be vegan. There's more choice and more foods available in supermarkets. However, you still have to be super-organised. You can't just pop down the Spar for a snacky treat at lunchtime. I couldn't drink tea at work because I didn't have any soya milk and couldn't be bothered to bring it in every day. It's frustrating turning down things you really want (like the office Christmas cake) because you know/suspect it contains something you can't have. And it's bloody difficult to eat out.
Downsides: The OUTRAGEOUS and DISGUSTING farting. Un-fucking-believable. My husband threatened to divorce me if I turned vegan for life. All day, every day, the noxious fumes burst forth. Embarrassing in the office and the gym, I'm not sure I would ever get used to it.
Any slip-ups? A few:- a bowl of Special K without reading the packet (contains skimmed milk powder), vegetable stock powder (contains lactose), Lee-Anne's birthday curry (probably had egg in it somewhere) and a couple of Quality Street I scoffed in secret at the office. Oops.
Weight loss: I lost 2kg this month without any effort whatsoever, whilst still eating loads of nice food including lots of stuff that would be banned on conventional diets: nuts, avocados and tons of dark chocolate.
Conclusion: Successful for weight loss purposes, great for health, but not practical as a lifestyle due to the farting and farting around. Would be much easier if the whole family were vegan.
For February, I'm giving up alcohol. I'll let you know if that's easier or harder than being vegan. At least it's a short month, right?
Health: Felt outrageously good all month. Being vegan, you really can't avoid eating healthily. Within a few days I felt great and it carried on all month.
Interest: It started off OK, but went downhill after a few weeks. Whilst I tried to be creative and did find a few really nice vegan recipes (Pasta with vegan pesto, Brazil nut and Ratatouille Bake, Vegetable tagine with harissa, Vegan Teabread), there is a limit to how creative you can be. Some things, like toad-in-the-hole and omelette and cheesecake just can't be replicated successfully. Eating out is difficult. Sandwiches get really boring when all you can have is herb pate, houmous or jam.
Practicality: It's a lot easier than it used to be to be vegan. There's more choice and more foods available in supermarkets. However, you still have to be super-organised. You can't just pop down the Spar for a snacky treat at lunchtime. I couldn't drink tea at work because I didn't have any soya milk and couldn't be bothered to bring it in every day. It's frustrating turning down things you really want (like the office Christmas cake) because you know/suspect it contains something you can't have. And it's bloody difficult to eat out.
Downsides: The OUTRAGEOUS and DISGUSTING farting. Un-fucking-believable. My husband threatened to divorce me if I turned vegan for life. All day, every day, the noxious fumes burst forth. Embarrassing in the office and the gym, I'm not sure I would ever get used to it.
Any slip-ups? A few:- a bowl of Special K without reading the packet (contains skimmed milk powder), vegetable stock powder (contains lactose), Lee-Anne's birthday curry (probably had egg in it somewhere) and a couple of Quality Street I scoffed in secret at the office. Oops.
Weight loss: I lost 2kg this month without any effort whatsoever, whilst still eating loads of nice food including lots of stuff that would be banned on conventional diets: nuts, avocados and tons of dark chocolate.
Conclusion: Successful for weight loss purposes, great for health, but not practical as a lifestyle due to the farting and farting around. Would be much easier if the whole family were vegan.
For February, I'm giving up alcohol. I'll let you know if that's easier or harder than being vegan. At least it's a short month, right?
