10-Day Vegan Diet

You all know how I love trying different styles of eating. In the past I have experimented with the 21 Day Fix, Whole30, and Keto. I always lose some weight while on these diets, but for me it is about so much more than that. I love meal planning and trying new recipes and ways of cooking/eating. I love food and noticing how it affects our bodies. I find it fascinating to see how my body feels and reacts to what I am putting into it. If there was a way to easily obtain lab tests for things like cholesterol, blood sugar, etc, while on these diets, I would absolutely love to study that information! I guess you could call me a nutrition nerd.

All the diets I have tried in the past have been more protein/fat heavy, with a significant reduction in carbs. I have some family members who are currently eating a plant-based, or vegan diet. This seems so different than the others I have tried, so I took that as a challenge. For the last 10 days I have eaten a completely vegan, or plant-based diet. That means nothing from an animal. No meat, dairy, eggs, fish, etc.

I think there are 2 ways to approach this way of eating. The first is to focus on lots of white, refined starchy carbs and processed foods. There is tons of junk food out there that is technically vegan! Alternatively, you can focus more on the words "plant-based", and bump up your intake of plants, and choose whole grains over refined. My mother-in-law shared this quote with me and I think it is excellent. "If it comes from a plant, eat it. If it is made in a plant, leave it.". Now that's a way of eating I think everyone could benefit from!

So what did I eat? I took a few pictures to share on here.

BREAKFASTS

Rye toast topped with avocado, tomato, bagel seasoning

Green smoothies

Chia Seed Pudding with Fruit/Nuts

Oatmeal and peanut butter, fruit

Breakfast was pretty easy. I alternated between avocado toast, green smoothies, and oatmeal. I also made chia pudding once.

LUNCHES

Cold Quinoa and Veggie Salad

Salad with Beans

PB&J, Carrot Sticks. (Larabar was a later snack)

Lunches were always either leftovers, or a big salad. One day I did have a good old peanut butter and jelly sandwich, with a side of carrots. Can't remember the last time I had one of those!

SNACKS

Triscuits and Bean Dip

Split Peas

I tried not to snack too much, especially in the evenings. If I needed an afternoon snack I tended to choose almonds, crackers, or my new favorite thing.....skillet toasted/fried split peas. These were so good! I soaked the split peas for a few hours and then toasted in a skillet for 10 minutes with a little olive oil and spices. They were crunchy and really addictive. (Andrew ate almost half of these!).

DINNERS

Burrito Bowl

TJ's Quinoa/Bean Veggie Burger, Baked Beans, Potato Wedges

Vegan Lentil Tacos w/ Vegan Cheese Sauce

Pesto Pasta, Salad

Baked Beans, Baked Potato, Green Beans

Dinnertime is when I got a bit more creative. I tried to choose meals that I could easily omit the animal protein from my plate, but still include it for Adam and the kids. For example, on burger night I just cooked a veggie burger for myself. On the pasta night the kids also had chicken.

I tried to incorporate healthy forms of protein into every meal, but it was honestly a bit of a struggle. I'm a little wary of soy, so I never cooked any tofu or tempeh. I used MyFitnessPal to track my micros and nutrients for a few days, to see if I was getting enough of everything. 

 I found that I was consistently low in protein, iron, and calcium. Not surprisingly, fiber and carbohydrates were not a problem. This is one reason I think it would be hard to maintain a vegan diet long-term. You would have to be so intentional about getting all the essential nutrients. I'm sure it can be done though. I did feel great during my 10 days of plant-based eating, and I even lost 6 pounds. I loved the amount of greens I was eating, and it was kind of nice to eat all those carbs and not think twice about eating low-carb.

Have you ever tried a plant-based diet? What do you think of it?