Thursday, October 4, 2012

Trying out vegan diet for a week. My motives, introduction and Day 1

This post will be a little different from the previous ones. I should rather say that the next 7 posts will be concentrating on a challenge I've decided to take. I have no idea where the idea exactly came from, but I've always been interested in vegetarianism and veganism. Although I'm not a vegan or not even a vegetarian I understand their motives and value their commitment highly. Therefore I hope no-one misinterprets my aim in this challenge and understands that it's all about my personal interest.
So the challenge I've taken is to try out their lifestyle, precisely veganism, for a week. Many may say that this limited time will not give me an good idea of veganism. At this point, I must say that this is not my intention. I know what veganism is and I've done plenty of research on their nutrition, I've even ordered some vegan chocolate, sweets and sausages(!!). My aim is not to get what veganism is, but to understand how determined they must be and to see what obstacles come on the way. I do know that one week is not comparable to actually experiencing it but it will give me a glimpse of the pros and cons of being a vegan, without entirely excluding the moral benefits. During this week, my blog is transformed into a informal diary where I'll note down how it has affected me so far.  I've talked to vegetarians and vegans, who have given me an idea of what I can expect. I also want to thank them for the help and support. I also feel the need to note that I hope my other friends will not judge, tempt or talk about it too much, as you can follow it all here and I appreciate your understanding. 
 I agree that one week may not be enough to affect my social life too much, for example going to eat out with friends and having to say no to basically everything. I also have know that I can not label it as being a full-vegan-for-a-week, as veganism also includes more than just abstaining from animal-based foods. At this point, I'd like to go on to my first day as trying out vegan diet for a week. 

Day 1

I can confidently say that I'm as prepared as I can possibly be, excluding some natural draw backs such as finding out that my chocolate will not arrive until the end of the month..... Which means basically that  I will abstain from chocolate among other things. How awful as it may sound, it's not gonna make a huge difference. I've had a week without any added sugar or sweet products, and the benefits of it were undescribable. To make it short and not to concentrate on my previous weird challenge, I will just say that as my blood sugar was normal without extra sugar, it was quite enjoyable. 
However my preparation for the week didn't consist of only ordering chocolate. I went to a local supermarket just 15 minutes away with my vegetarian friend(you are incredibly precious, Marci!!), who helped me buy food for the next days without any unconscious mistakes. I'm now stocked with vegan bread, various salads, smoothies and fruits, which will help me get through the next days. We are also planning to go to a vegan restaurant this weekend which already sounds to be delicious!
So I'd say there weren't many draw backs today and I coped well. I also discovered that it's even possible to buy some vegan snacks from school. It is indeed limited, but I'm happy that there's any at all. A few smoothies can actually fill you up very quickly after school and you have more free time during lunch as you don't need to queue for any food and can easily prepare it at home. I'm still a bit worried about the limitations I have, as it's not very varied, but I do my best to maintain my determination. The tomato soup I had for lunch was perfect and as you can imagine, I still find it incredibly delicious. I'm glad I discovered it and am able to now keep buying it even after my vegan-week will end. So even though I can't join others at the cookies time(a break time after school, where you can get tea, coffee and biscuits) and have to watch them drink their Latte and eat freely, there's nothing tempting about it. 
So I'll finish it today and provide you with more information tomorrow. One day as a vegan hasn't changed my sleeping habits and I still need my at least 8-hour beauty sleep(figuratively speaking).