2 Week Trial of a Vegan Diet  

My decision to go on the 2 week trial of a vegan diet started after I watched the “What the Health” documentary on Netflix.  My decision A lot of case reports, meaning people who gave their experiences, showed that health benefits and physical wellness started within 2 weeks of the diet. If you’ve watched my vlog posts or read part 1 or part 2 of the “what the health” blog posts, you know that I had a small accident while in medical school, and have had neck and back pain ever since.  So I was definitely interested in how this might affect me.I initially thought it was going to be extremely difficult for me to go on this 2-week trial.  I love cheese, and all kinds of animal protein, even more so eggs.  I was nervous, to say the least.  Then the trial started. I was able to eat other foods that I loved in higher quantities.     This included hummus, veggies, and fruits.  I even found dairy/cheese replacements that in my opinion were quite delicious.  Many people I spoke to disliked the vegan cheese options, but I myself loved them Luckily, my diet already included tons of greens, fruits, and complex carbs and grains.   I didn’t eat white rice as much, had been eating more quinoa and black rice than other kinds of carbs.  I definitely think that for those who rarely eat “healthy” foods.. this diet might be and probably will be more difficult to manage because it would have been too many changes all at once. Overall, over the next two weeks, the changes I experienced were pretty great. I used to get the mid-day slump all the time.  I would get sleepy, or tired, and feel like I needed a pick-me-up and huge cup of coffee. I found myself drinking less coffee than usual yet still had more energy than before. I also felt great when I went to the gym.  I would do my full weight training program and then I still had the energy to run or bike or do easy steps for 15 min or more. I felt very energetic. On my previous eating habits, I would wake up a bit tired and didn’t feel like getting out of bed.  Some people might say, “oh maybe you’re depressed”.  Not really. I was just tired.  But after starting the vegan diet, I felt a different mood in the mornings. I also noticed I had a better temper.  Not that I was a super angry person all the time, but certain things would get on my nerves, which is normal.  On the vegan diet, my temper was more tolerant of things that would normally bug me.  It was nice not to be bothered by certain things. to go on the 2 week trial of a vegan diet started after I watched the “What the Health” documentary on Netflix.  I felt overall happier, energetic, and healthier.  My body felt healthier, I looked forward to meals. Didn’t get tired after a few hours of eating, didn’t feel tired half-way through the day.. and guess what? Neck and back pain improved.   Don’t I usually always had neck and back pain maybe around a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10  (1 being no pain, 10 being the worst pain ever).   So my pain was definitely consistent and sometimes really bad.  I did yoga, and swam and ran, lifted weight, etc and stayed active physically.  These things all helped, but it wasn’t until the vegan diet that I actually noticed a lower level of pain. The pain difference was felt almost immediately.  After the 1st day, my back and neck felt better.  I thought it was psychological so I ignored it and kept on with my diet.  Then after the 3-4th day, I noticed that my back and neck hadn’t been bothering me as much. By day 7-8 the pain reached a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10.  Always a 4, which was tolerable.  In those 2 weeks, I felt neck and back pain maybe 3 times, whereas I used to feel it every day.  So this was a big change for me and my way of life.  Don’t forget living with pain is also associated with worse mood.  Could there be a connection between my decreased pain level and my improved mood? Very likely. The last Sunday of my vegan trial, I made a crazy decision.  I would extend the diet, end date TBA (to be announced).  Towards the end of the 3rd week, my nephew turned 8 years old and we had a party for him at a park.  Burgers and hot dogs only, so I broke the vegan streak and had a hot dog and ½ a burger throughout the day.  I was so nervous. Nothing happened The next morning, I had egg and avocado toast for breakfast.  Still nothing happened.  My mind went back into my usual habits.  And that afternoon, my neck and back started hurting.  I assumed it was the usual occurrence of pain while on the vegan diet, but the pain didn’t go away.   That day, for dinner, we had pizza. I ate a slice of Hawaiian. Which is my favorite second to pepperoni? I immediately regretted it. I felt gross, so full, that “ugh” feeling.  I waited to digest and went for a late-night 3-mile run. I felt somewhat better and went to bed. The next day, the pain was back.  Not to mention this vegan diet has made my bathroom visits very regular. All of a sudden, I wasn’t as regular as I had been in those 3 weeks being vegan.  Gross topic I know, but a lot of people will benefit from me discussing this and regular bowel movements are important! It was easier to replace unhealthy snacks with healthy snacks. I felt great, my cravings were gone, I was in a better mood, more endurance in the gym.  I loved it.  Since the end of the third week, I have “broken” the vegan streak a