Being Vegan: 2 Months In

On March 2nd this year I did something I never thought I could do. I went Vegan. Read all about the start of my journey here

It has been about 2 months or so into my new lifestyle now and I'd like to share how my journey is going with you all.

Was it a struggle initially to tear myself away from meat, eggs and dairy? At first, yes, a little. I started disliking pork and beef many years ago so I mainly ate chicken or fish. I found lots of amazing vegan substitutes for these though. Through educating myself on the cruelty involved in producing these products I was able to miss them a lot less and finally now, not miss them at all.

I'm lactose intolerant so giving up dairy wasn't extremely difficult. Especially considering how many fabulous vegan alternatives there are to milk and cheese. There are so many amazing dairy substitutes (including chocolate, ice cream and cake! In fact, these are my favourite vegan cupcakes to make as a treat. They are so divine it's not even funny) that I simply haven't missed it very much at all. Knowing that, again, I am not contributing to the cruelty of the dairy industry also helped me to keep going if I do find myself missing it.

I keep my diet as healthy as possible and enjoy the 'junk' as a treat now and again. That's just my personal preference. The stereotypes are just that. Being vegan doesn't mean you have to eat 'clean' constantly.

Vegan Sausage Burger

There are as many ways to enjoy vegan food as there are non vegan food. You can enjoy so many delicious foods like pizza, hot dogs/sausages, cakes, cookies, ice cream and burgers if that's the type of food you enjoy.

Yes, that's delicious vegan ice cream in there

Truthfully, when I first started going vegan I thought I wouldn't be able to keep up with it. I had a plethora of health issues. IBS, dermatitis, allergies and I constantly felt sluggish/bloated/tired/depressed (though I would like to note that my depression was more related to my hormonal problems than it was my diet). At first it seemed like those issues were getting worse. But now I know that is because my body was detoxing from the animal products (this happens frequently when people go vegan). Now? Now I have never felt so good in my life. My IBS has gone. My fatigue? GONE!

I have a lot more energy. My dermatitis was painful and itchy and kept me awake at night. My hands are 90% back to normal after only 2 months. My allergies? It's almost summer and my eyes aren't itchy, my sinuses are great and I'm not sneezing like crazy.This lifestyle is so awesome. I used to think I'd never do it because I thought I had to rely on animal products due to my health conditions but now I know those products were the cause of many of my problems.That was an eye opener.

My periods have improved too. Generally I have found my menstrual related conditions haven't been very responsive to dietary/lifestyle changes but since eliminating dairy completely I feel that even after only one month into this lifestyle that my cramps are far more tolerable. I didn't vomit once last month. There is no lifestyle that can fix my conditions but there has been a noticeable improvement and I'm still very happy with that. Find out more about my menstrual conditions here

Overall, I feel fantastic.

I still take medication for my PMT symptoms (related to my pmdd and pcos), I think I will always have to do this but regardless, I still feel more amazing than ever before.

Best lifestyle ever!