Veganism for a week

Experiential Omnivore to herbivore

Ruby Auckland

Reporter

Iattempted to go vegan for five days, not only to challenge myself, but to encourage myself to make positive changes this upcoming spring.

Since winter is coming to an end and spring is slowly, but surely, approaching us, I wanted to make an effective change for myself that will benefit me in the long run.

I documented and recorded everything I ate and my overall personal experience throughout the whole journey.

Day One:

My first day trying out veganism started Monday, March 14.

The whole idea of veganism was never appealing to me or seemed to be in my interest, so I was rather nervous and stressed about this big change.

For breakfast, I had oatmeal topped with an array of fruits and berries, as well as peanut butter.

It was extremely satisfying, and it kept me full for hours.

Since my breakfast was more on the dense side, by the time lunch rolled around, I wasn’t too hungry.

I decided to go light and got a smoothie from Wildberries, which supplied me with loads of energy.

The smoothie was delicious but failed to keep me fulfilled for long, so by the time I got home from school, I was starving.

For an after school snack, I had cucumbers and carrots with a side of hummus.

By this time, I was feeling amazing.

I had lots of energy and honestly just felt like the best version of myself.

For dinner, I decided to eat something protein packed. I ended up making a tofu and veggie stirfry over brown rice.

I have variations of that dinner very frequently so, as always, it was great.

All in all, my first day going vegan was a success.

Throughout the whole day, my energy was perfectly balanced and well sustained.

I didn’t once feel fatigued or have any sort of craving for animal products.

Day Two:

The next day, I woke up feeling unusually hungry.

I honored my hunger by making two pieces of avocado toast.

Usually when I make avocado toast, I put a thin layer of butter before the avocado.

I’ve now realized that it is extremely unnecessary.

It tasted exactly the same, if not better.

Avocado toast is such an amazing and balanced breakfast as the carbohydrates from the bread provides energy to the body and the high levels of healthy, beneficial fats from the avocado can help you feel fuller between meals.

By lunch time, I still felt fairly content from my breakfast, yet I picked up a premade salad from Wildberries anyways.

It was a Mediterranean salad with romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion and feta cheese, which I had to pick off.

I have to say though, I was extremely tempted to keep the feta remaining on the salad because it’s my favorite part.

If I'm being honest, the salad was very bland and became unappetizing shortly after I began eating it.

After lunch, I felt nauseous and fatigued. As soon as I got home, I had apples with a side of peanut butter.

Right away, I felt more refreshed and lively.

When dinner approached, I didn’t have much of an appetite so I decided to go light and prepare spring rolls.

They are incredibly easy to make and are very gratifying and nourishing.

I just sliced up some cucumber, carrots, red bell pepper, red cabbage, iceberg lettuce and marinated grilled tofu.

I also prepared a Thai peanut dipping sauce that compliments the spring rolls perfectly.

To sum it up, this day was a roller coaster.

I crashed a bit after lunch but revived myself with a snack and ended the day on a good note.

Day Three:

I woke up the third day craving something refreshing, so I made a smoothie bowl.

I make smoothie bowls regularly and they never fail to satisfy me.

They’re rich with natural sugars and fiber so it’s a great way to obtain much needed energy.

They also promote better digestion, improves satiety and allows better absorption of all nutrients.

Thursday, April 7th, 2022 Experiential

I threw in whatever frozen fruits I had, almond milk, vegan protein powder and topped it with granola as well as fresh strawberries.

I felt completely fulfilled and content afterwards which set the tone for the entire day.

For lunch, I got a veggie sandwich from Wildberries which, to my surprise, was very delicious.

It was layered with an assortment of veggies that paired with one another perfectly.

I’ve noticed throughout these past couple days that I’ve been feeling very at ease.

My mind has slowed, leaving me with what seems like more time to live in the moment and enjoy the little things in life.

I’m not certain it’s caused by veganism but I’ve been feeling more blissful lately.

I’ve been feeling more connected with my friends and family, and I’m not certain that it’s caused by veganism but the state of mind that I’ve been experiencing since the first day is putting me at bliss.

By the time dinner came around, I wasn’t too hungry but my mom made my all time favorite, vegetable curry soup over rice, so I couldn’t resist.

Usually she adds chicken to it but she held out in it this time. I had lots of spirit and energy during the whole day, I felt like a whole different person.

I was more mindful and aware of my actions and feelings which completely improved my mood.

Day four:

I started my day on a good note. I rested and woke up with a positive mindset that stuck with me all day.

Another thing that I’ve noticed the past few days is the great sleep that I've been getting.

I’ve woken up every morning well rested with ambitions to have a great day.

I did, however, wake up with a strong craving for yogurt. I was in luck because I bought plant-based yogurt a few days before, knowing that I’d want it soon enough.

So I had that topped with granola and blueberries which created a proportional, delicious breakfast.

After I ate that, I still felt slightly hungry so I also had a plant-based protein bar.

The bar definitely gave me the extra kick I needed to continue my day.

The sandwich that I had yesterday kept lingering in the back of my mind, so I had it again today for lunch.

Just as it was the day before, it was amazing.

After lunch, I felt completely satiated and nourished.

At this point, I was thriving and feeling the best I’ve felt in a while.

Good vibes and thoughts were the only thing on my mind.

When I got home, I was craving something sweet so I had fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and grapes.

Unfortunately, for dinner my parents made my favorite dish for dinner, spaghetti with meat sauce, which I obviously couldn’t have.

Instead, I made up my own variation of it and had the pasta with pesto, tomatoes and fresh basil.

Pesto pasta is usually a go to dinner for me so it was delicious as always.

Throughout the whole day, I had a positive mindset which made the whole experience 10 times easier.

I felt balanced, nourished, satiated and overall happy.

Day Five:

After another night of good sleep, I woke up eager to start my day as it was my last day eating vegan.

I had mixed emotions about ending this experience.

I was of course super excited to go back to my normal eating habits, but I was also a little sad that it was coming to the end because I was enjoying myself and all the positives that came out of it so much.

For breakfast, I wanted something more fulfilling so I had avocado toast again.

I changed it up a little and added a couple slices of tomato on top.

This breakfast gave me loads of energy and left me refreshed and ready to begin my day.

At lunch, I wanted something refreshing and light so I picked up a smoothie from Wildberries.

I added banana, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and a scoop of plant-based protein powder.

This provided me with a boost of much needed energy.

When I got home, I had some baby carrots and hummus, just to have something to hold me over until dinner.

For dinner, I made another tofu vegetable stir-fry.

This dinner is especially easy to make and requires little to no cooking experience.

To say the least, this whole journey has been incredible.

I’ve been feeling more connected with the people around me as well as with myself.

I’ve realized that following a vegan or plant-based diet makes you more aware and mindful of the food choices you're making and the foods you pick to fuel and nourish your body.

This experience has been very beneficial, and I would definitely do it again.

Ruby Auckland/PEPPERBOX A vegan smoothie bowl, which is a combination of frozen fruits, almond milk, vegan protein powder, fresh granola, and fresh strawberries