A year ago today, I went from a card-carrying omnivore with a passion for the paleo diet, to a vegan. I remember exactly what I ate on 12/14/17: a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast with a skim latte, a holiday lunch at the office complete with honey roasted ham, and chorizo jambalaya out with coworkers that night. I went back to my hotel room and was perusing Netflix on my phone. At that point, I had already started to explore ways to live my life in a more eco friendly way. I had seen people on social media taut their vegan meals and was trying to avoid learning more. I wanted to be eco friendly, but still eat the way I wanted. Nevertheless, I decided to watch Cowspiracy to better understand the connection between the way we eat and the environment. This documentary shook me to my core. As the movie went on, I kept bargaining with myself. First it was “Ok, I’ll just avoid red meat since cows are the most destructive on the environment.” Then it was, “Ok, all meat is out, I’ll just eat fish.” Then I learned that the number one cause of ocean pollution is fishing nets. “Well fish is out, but please tell me I can still have cheese!”
How could I ignore these problems just to keep eating the way I wanted? I decided right then and there that I could no longer eat meat, fish, or dairy and quite frankly, I had lost my appetite for it. For more information on the factors that led to this decision, check out this post.
So – what turned into a spur of the moment decision has gone on for a whole year. And while it has been wonderful and I’m confident this will be a lifelong way of living, it’s also been pretty hard. Here is what I have learned:
There are actually a lot of foods vegans can eat.
Years ago, I pictured vegans as eating nuts and berries, and maybe some tofu. It seemed boring, restrictive and not at all appealing. After following this diet for a year, I can confidently say that vegan food is delicious. But it took me awhile to figure out what in the world I could now eat. I had been so used to a certain format for meals, particularly lunch and dinner. For lunch, you get a sandwich with deli meat or a salad topped with chicken. For dinner, it’s a meat, a vegetable and a starch. I had adhered to these formats for basically my whole life, and it was really hard to know what to make without centering a meal around meat. There’s been a lot of trial and error, some delicious dishes and some duds. Truthfully, we’re still trying to figure it all out. My favorite resources for vegan recipes have been:
I am continually looking for new recipes, but I also have a few easy ones in my back pocket:
Vegan tacos– sauté sliced red bell pepper and sliced red onion on high heat so they get slightly charred. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. For some more oomph, sauté a Portobello mushroom in oil or vegan butter and serve alongside the veggies. Feel free to throw whatever else you want in there – corn, sliced lettuce, beans, salsa, guac, sliced avocado, roasted sweet potato, etc. Serve in a wheat tortilla (or corn tortilla if you are gluten free) or over lettuce for a salad bowl.
Asian Noodles– Buy some ramen noodles from the grocery store (my favorites are from Lotus Foodsfound at Whole Foods). Cook according to directions and serve with chopped bell peppers, edemame, scallions, red cabbage and peanuts. Top with a peanut sauce – you can find these premade in the ethnic foods section of your grocery store or you can make your own. I use peanut butter, miso, rice vinegar, tamari and sesame oil. Much to my husband’s shagrin, I don’t always follow recipes so I don’t have exact amounts – but the bulk of the mixture should be peanut butter and tamari, you may want to use some water if you want to thin it out. Either serve the dish hot, or put the noddles in the fridge and serve cold over lettuce.
“WTF” Pasta– Chill out, WTF in his case stands for “whatever’s in the fridge.” On lazy (or crazy) nights when you need something easy and delicious, WTF pasta is for you. We have put in sautéed peppers and onion, peas, broccoli, brussel sprouts, sautéed spinach – literally whatever vegetables are in your house will taste great buried in a bowl of pasta. We’ll top with homemade pesto sauce that we keep in the fridge, or jarred tomato sauce (bonus – then you can keep and upcycle the jar). Top with dried oregano, crushed red pepper, nutritional yeast or vegan parm. And to punch up the protein, check out Banza pastamade from chickpeas.
Vegan food doesn’t have to be expensive.
Anything from a fancy supermarket labeled as vegan is going to be expensive. In the beginning, I totally fell into this trap and we were spending a ton of money. Now we’re focusing on whole food, plant-based meals – so lots of veggies, beans and grains. All of these foods, especially when local or purchased in bulk, are super cheap! We do have our go-to vegan items, which we try to use sparingly as they are expensive and are fairly processed. We buy “chickenless nuggets” from the frozen food section at Whole Foods for my toddler, as well as Annie’s vegan mac and cheese. We try to have him eat what we are eating, but its great having these in a pinch. We also love Beyond Meat burgers – when you cook them on a grill pan they mimic a real burger and get nice and juicy with a little pink on the inside and a nice crisp on the outside.
You don’t have to be 100% vegan.
While there are plenty of jokes about the vegan police, they don’t actually exist (except maybe in the comments section on social media). I myself am about 95% vegan – I never eat meat or fish, but I will occasionally have dairy. One example was a few months ago when I was traveling for work for a two-day training. One of the days they ordered pizza for everyone. They had asked ahead for dietary restrictions and I told them I was vegan. They ordered me a salad, which was basically some wilted lettuce, croutons, shredded cheese and ranch dressing. So not only was it not vegan, but it probably had no nutritional value or taste! So that day I went ahead and had pizza and didn’t feel bad about it. I have also probably ordered pizza once or twice from a place we love near our house. After not having dairy for so long, I now notice that I don’t feel great after eating it. I was a very strict vegan for the first three months and it was really difficult. Now I am happy to have found some balance that allows me to eat the way I want the majority of the time and not stress about that 5% of the time when I just need a buttery croissant.
Vegan diet ≠weight loss.
I was convinced that I would immediately drop 10 lbs and was honestly pretty disappointed that didn’t happen. I did lots of research on it and was concerned for a while that I just wasn’t cut out for this. But there were a few reasons why I didn’t lose weight:
- Portion control – just because you’re eating vegan doesn’t mean you get the green light to eat however much you want. The same rules apply for vegans as omnivores – make sure that half your plate is taken up with veggies. And you can have too much of a good thing. I was making green smoothies in the morning loaded with veggies, fruits, seeds and nuts and drinking the whole thing. Which this had a lot of nutritional value, there was also a lot of sugar and fat. Now when I make one, I immediately put half in a mason jar in the fridge for the next day. Which comes in super handy when you are running out the door or don’t feel like cleaning the blender AGAIN.
- Vegan junk food – Vegan versions of burgers, fries, pizza, ice cream – it all exists and is delicious. But just like non-vegan versions, it should be eaten in moderation. I think I was allowing myself to indulge way more than I normally would have because I just assumed vegan food was always healthy.
- Food sensitivities – I ended up going to a nutritionist just to check in. I wasn’t losing weight and was feeling like I had even gained weight. She recommended that I try cutting out gluten. I have a long history with heartburn and while it had decreased significantly since going vegan, I still had it from time to time. Being gluten free AND vegan can be really restrictive, so it’s not always possible. But whenever I adhere to that diet, I get zero heartburn, no headaches, my skin is better and I feel slimmer. Not bad motivation for sticking to that diet!
And even though I didn’t lose weight, I feel much healthier and happier. And my son does too. He has struggled with eczema and food allergies since he was an infant. He and I both went vegan and we saw a significant increase in his overall health with fewer illnesses and skin issues. Now he still brings home lots of fun germs from daycare, but he’s in a much better state than before. As a mom, I also feel much better about what I’m feeding him.
Vegans can brunch with the best of ’em.
Dining out and ordering takeout has been surprisingly easy for me. Granted, I live in a major city and there are lots of food options. Still, I see more and more restaurants these days offering vegetarian and vegan meals. Even some of the tiny, authentic Italian restaurants in Boston’s North End now have vegan options. As a new vegan, this makes me so happy not just because I have lots of delicious options to choose from, but because it’s also a sign that more and more people are switching to this lifestyle.
There have definitely been plenty of times where there are no vegan options so I’ll get creative and not be afraid to request something different. I recently went to an Irish Pub and ordered a side of mashed potatoes (not vegan) and a veggie item that was a part of another dish. I also ordered a Guinness to ensure it was a complete meal.
Brunch probably is the most difficult meal to dine out. I used to love getting eggs and bacon, or chicken and waffles. Now I’m more apt to look on the lunch side of the menu. And if all else fails, don’t be afraid to be basic and order avocado toast and a mimosa.
For takeout, our go-to’s are:
- Mexican– I’ll do a platter of rice, beans, veggies, salsa and guac. Some places will have additional options such as chipotle tofu tacos or plantain burritos. ¡Me gustan!
- Japanese– I gotta admit, sushi was maybe the hardest item to give up. But luckily, I’ve still been able to enjoy it as a vegan. I love a good avocado roll, as well as sweet potato. Some places will offer some fancy vegetarian items such as mango, avocado and tofu skin – yes please! I’ve also started using tamari instead of soy sauce to make it gluten free.
- Indian – This could be the easiest of them all. Many people in India are vegan, and you’ll notice so many menu options are as well. My favorite dishes are my old favorites without the meat, such as Korma or Tikka Masala. I also love any dish with eggplant such as Bainghan Bharta.
- Sweetgreen– I started going to Sweetgreen long before I went vegan, but always ordered my salad with meat and cheese. I truly believed that without that it would leave me feeling hungry. And it probably would have, which is why I now make sure that it is loaded up with other hearty items such as chickpeas, tofu and sweet potatoes.
No, we don’t NEED meat.
For 32 years of my life, I thought that meat and dairy were essential in order to be healthy. And I believed this because it was told to me over and over again. In school, by the food pyramid, by diet programs and health magazines. I completed the Whole30 and was completely indoctrinated in the theory that we need to eat like our cavemen ancestors and eat lots of meat. But now I know that is all garbage. However, I did a lot of research and pay close attention to what I eat to make sure that I’m healthy. Check out How Not to Die for a great overview of how to have a healthy diet, citing hundreds of peer reviewed studies linking animal protein intake to many common diseases. Here are a few ways I make sure to get essential vitamins and minerals:
- Protein– Beans, nuts, tofu, quinoa, hummus and my all time favorite, pumpkin seeds.
- Iron– Legumes, quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal, nuts, seeds and spinach. And a sneaky way to get additional iron is to cook with a cast iron skillet (also adds a nice sear to whatever you’re cooking).
- Omega 3’s– flax, chia and hemp seeds. Add to baked goods, on top of salads or yogurt, or in smoothies.
- Vitamin B12– nutritional yeast (sounds gross, but adds a nice cheesy taste to food), spirulina and a B12 supplement – highly recommended for all people, but especially vegans and vegatarians.
- Calcium– kale and plant based milk.
Kitchen cleanup is a breeze
While this alone might not be a reason to go vegan, it has been a surprising perk for me. I used to be a germaphobe when we were cooking meat and eggs. I would make sure that whatever items touched the eggs or raw meat were washed separately, and then we immediately sanitized the dish brush and scrubbed down the counters with bleach. It was stressful! Especially since I always had a few baby bottles that needed to be washed at the same time. Now in retrospect, I realize how gross it is that we accept that some of the foods we eat might be contaminated and we have to cook it to a certain degree to kill the bacteria. Ew! After all, there is no such thing as Mad Cauliflower Disease.
(Note – you may have heard reports a few months ago that there was an e. coli outbreak on romaine lettuce. E. coli lives in our gut, but a dangerous strain that causes people to be sick lives in the gut of cows and can be spread to produce in a number of ways. Contamination from cow feces can get into the soil or water supply, or contamination can exist in packaging plants or on the hands of workers. To lessen your risk – buy local, unpackaged produce, make sure to wash it and pay attention to any recalls that might exist. To me, the fact that bacteria from animals is contaminating our broader food supply and the food industry doesn’t always have control of it is just another reason to consider eating less meat.)
I’m interested. How in the world do I start?
While I pretty much started cold turkey (ahem, tofurkey), it might not be the best for everyone. And going fully vegan might not be everyone’s goal. There are lots of easy was to start – try making a new dish for Meatless Monday, test out different plant based milks and creamers (we do soy milk and pea protein creamer), try the Impossible Burger if you see it on a menu or go to a vegetarian restaurant. I have dragged so many coworkers to Eat by Chloe and they have all been amazed that you can still eat super satisfying burgers and fries and have it be vegan.
In conclusion: a vegan-ish diet makes me happy and healthy.
Although it’s been a journey to figure out how to construct meals, how to balance our diet and get the right nutrients, I am so happy with this lifestyle. It’s been a whole way to rediscover food, and to think more deeply about how food affects me and the world around me. I realize now how often I felt terrible after eating and how much medication I was taking as a result. And now every time I sit down to eat, I feel good about my decision. Each meal is a vote about how I’d like the world to be. It is one small action, but I believe it’s powerful. If everyone starting making similar changes, how big of a change could we make? How many animals’ lives would be saved? How many acres of forest could be kept intact? How much ocean pollution would be reduced? How much could we all slow climate change, just by changing what is on our plates?
eco chick 
Excellent informative article. What a great read!
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