My Time as a Vegan
Let me tell you about the time I went vegan.
I was living in Los Angeles (of course) and since I wasn’t eating a lot of meat and enjoyed experimenting with my diet, I decided to join the vegan tribe. And it did not go great…
Now, LA is definitely the place to be if you want to go vegan. There are so many amazing vegan restaurants and many of them are actually cool places that even your biggest meat-eating friends will want to go to. And no one bats an eye when you order something and then proceed to ask for five different changes to make the dish conform to your desired way of eating.
After about a year of being a pretty strict vegan and another year of being “vegan,” I finally realized that it was not agreeing with my body. I was tired, lost muscle tone, having weird skin issues, and was getting really sick of quinoa bowls.
Now I am not going to totally blame the vegan diet. It was also a time when I was going out and drinking more than usual. And all those great vegan restaurants in LA make it very easy to eat things that are vegan, but not necessarily very healthy (hello delicious vegan mac & cheese).
But after learning more about nutrition and experimenting with a few different ways of eating, I now know that personally, I feel much better when I incorporate some animal products into my diet and generally eat a higher protein, lower carb diet.
This is not an anti-vegan post. If you choose not to eat animal products for whatever reason, and you feel good, then please continue to eat that way. There are plenty of people for whom being vegan works really well. As you have heard me say a thousand times (and will continue to hear me say), it is all about what works for your individual body and lifestyle.
And whether you are vegan, paleo, gluten free, whatever – there are some general guidelines and basics that apply to most everyone:
Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits
Eat high-quality fats
Eat enough protein (in whatever form works for you)
Minimize sugars
Minimize processed foods
But the single most important thing is to listen to your body and what it needs. And to not get so caught up in the dogma of any diet that you end up ignoring what actually works for you and your body.
If you are struggling with any of this, first of all, know that you are definitely not alone, and also, I am here to help you. Together we can determine what makes you feel your best and discover an easy and sustainable way to eat!