Vegan crash diet this month? So many people are choosing to attempt the conscious living approach to food. I think it’s wonderful and we all need to do our part to eat more mindfully not only for our health but for our planet too. However, most are plunging into these vegan diets without knowing why they’re doing it, how it will affect their bodies, and what it truly involves. Remember, with any drastic change in diet there will be a significant after effect.
It makes sense why the vegan crash diet was done over a period of 21-days. According to rehab experts, it takes 21 days to either create or break a habit. What we forget to consider are the consequences that a significant change could have on the way we feel. Your body functions on a very intricately connected bunch of systems. More importantly, these systems are accustomed to a particular way of living. This means whatever you have been eating and fuelling your body with for most of your life is what it has been using to run smoothly.
Therefore, if you remove major elements of your diet it could send your body into a state of shock. This issue was brought to my awareness whilst talking to a girl I met at a meeting the other day. She mentioned that she’d just started a 21-day vegan crash diet. When I asked her why she was doing it, and what she knew about macronutrients, she couldn’t answer me.
That’s when I realized that there are thousands of other people out there who are just as clueless and need some informed guidance on their nutrition choices.
Vegan Crash Diet Or Not?
The biggest factor we need to consider is that we’re all unique snowflakes. Our bodies will react differently. This means that just because your friend started her vegan crash diet and it’s going really well, does not mean you’ll have the same experience. This is because food is not just-food. There are hormones, physicalities, and emotions at stake here. And usually, when you take away one kind of food group that you’ve been eating for most of your life and replace it with another, there will be significant changes. These may be good but they may be harmful as well.
It’s best to research as much as you can before diving into a lifestyle change you know nothing about. That’s right! Going vegan is not a ‘crash diet’ or a quick fix. It also doesn’t automatically mean you’re healthy either. It’s an informed lifestyle choice.
What Happens When You Go Vegan?
A variety of things will happen and it’s hard to say how your body will react. First, you need to understand what your body needs to function optimally and work from there. Does it function better with a high-fat diet? Or perhaps you’re someone who needs more protein and higher carbohydrates?
It’s good to cut out meat and dairy for ethical and environmental reasons. I respect your choice and it’s amazing! As a pescatarian, I, too, highly recommend the benefits of eating predominantly plant-based. But if you have no idea that your hormones run smoothly because you’ve been eating a high-fat, protein diet. So you can only imagine the hormonal disaster you’ll face if you go plant-based and cut these nutrients out. Most people don’t do this deliberately either. They just don’t know about it and forget to incorporate alternative, plant-based foods that would compensate for the missing fats and protein.
In addition, many people mess up the process even more because they don’t realise you can’t go vegan for just 21-days. If you choose to go vegan, then that’s what you need to stick to. Otherwise, you’re in for a bumpy hormonal ride. Just a heads up…Going entirely vegan, giving up chicken, cheese and eggs is difficult. It won’t be easy especially if you’ve been eating these your whole life. Per Shira Eytan, MD. who is a board-certified endocrinologist explains that vegan diets are restrictive and difficult to follow for people who grew up eating animal products.
You need to decide if you really want to dedicate yourself to the change and ensure you do as much research as you can. Know what’s in store for you when you start going vegan. Expect it to be challenging. Luckily, I’ve put together some of the things you can expect when you go on a vegan crash diet.
Vegan Crash Diet Means Some Crazy Changes
I think that most people join the vegan hype because of the desire to lose weight. It’s not only for ethical reasons. However, it’s true that you’ll most likely lose weight whilst transitioning to a plant-based diet because many plant sources of protein are lower in calories than meat. Whilst this might sound intriguing, especially if your goal is to lose weight, you might not stick to it because the diet can be quite restrictive.
Despite the fact that there are more vegan takeaway joints popping up worldwide, it can sometimes be tricky to find on-the-go vegan-friendly meals. Therefore, your snacking choices become limited. So mindless snacking gets eliminated from the equation. There again another issue lies. Some people lose weight, but too much weight loss, too quickly is not good either and if you’re active regularly you might need those calories you’re cutting. Therefore, you need to be cautious about what you’re eating and whether or not you’re getting enough energy for your body to operate efficiently.
Remember, if your body is out of energy, it runs in survival mode and this is especially detrimental to females. We need our hormones to be regular and need proper nutrition for menstruation to occur.
The flip side of this is people assume that vegan means healthy and feel that they can eat whatever they like, so long as it’s vegan. Just because junk food has a vegan label on it, doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Some people might even gain weight because they overdo it on vegan junk food.
Be sure to make balanced, healthy choices on your vegan crash diet. Especially if your past diet was full of saturated fats and processed foods.
Vegan Crash Diet, Cravings, Bloat, And Cooking
These are all elements of your life that will change significantly. Don’t get me wrong, some of the benefits will make you never want to look back. But if you’re used to your old ways, transitioning will be difficult and especially so if you don’t know the facts.
Some of the changes seem minor, but they affect everything. Apparently, some say that their tastebuds even change. Vegans explain that their entire sense of taste is heightened, and food becomes more enjoyable. You might find that your sweet tooth disappears as well. There is some science to prove this though. If you go a few weeks without junk foods and animal products high in salt, fat, and sugar, your tastes start to change. And this happens after just a few weeks.
The way you metabolize food will also change. A lot of converters complain about gas, bloating, and stomach discomfort whilst going on a vegan crash diet. Nutrition experts state that this is normal because you’re probably not used to the high fiber content. That’s why you should slowly introduce the change and not plunge into a vegan crash diet.
In addition, higher fiber consumption and gut microbiome will change. Therefore, you may notice a change in your bowel movements. This is not a bad thing. Perhaps you were slightly lactose intolerant (many people are) which explains the improvement in bloating.
Cooking On A Vegan Crash Diet
Basically, you’ll need to tap into your creative cooking mind again. This might be a fun task but it might also be a mission for those who don’t enjoy cooking. If you’re going vegan, you need to be prepared to change things up. Once again, I highly recommend researching balanced recipes and sticking with those for a while until you fully understand how to prepare meals that meet your nutritional requirements. Otherwise, you’ll end up malnutrition.
The best thing to do is to collect about 7 of your favorite vegan recipes and then work around those with vegetables as the focus. Just remember you can’t survive off of eating only vegetables. It also helps to get the rest of your family involved, as it might offer more support and inspiration to create a lifestyle change.
Watch Out For Abnormal Hunger
Whilst the benefits of going vegan sound incredible. We’re constantly told about how people’s skin became glowing and radiant and their energy levels skyrocketed. However, what about the fact that you start feeling really hungry all day?
This hunger might be unstoppable and you don’t know how to handle it. There’s a simple explanation for this though, so don’t quit if it happens. All you need to do is make minor adjustments. No matter how much research you do, you will still need to figure it all out along the way. That’s why there’s no such thing as a vegan crash diet. It’s a journey. You will need to create a very balanced meal plan and ensure you’re getting in enough calories to compensate for all the ones you cut out that came from eggs, cheese and meat. Otherwise, you will feel very tired and weak at the end of the day and feel constantly hungry.
If you’re going to try a vegan crash diet, then be aware that you need to replace certain vitamins and minerals you may have received from dairy or meat options. Otherwise, you’ll create a vitamin deficiency and that’s not good for your health. The most common deficiency in vitamin D. Doctors state that omega-3 fatty acids may also be deficient in a vegan diet. However, they can be found in flax seeds and walnuts.
Therefore, you must chat with an expert first, who can help determine whether or not you should consider taking supplements to replace these missing nutrients. This might include others like iron, zinc, and calcium.
A Healthy Gut
Going on a vegan cash diet is not a good option unless you’re going to make it a lifestyle. However, experts highly recommend it for creating a healthy gut microbiome makeover. After just a month you will notice the changes in your gut. This is due to the increase in fiber and disease-fighting gut bacteria development.
The most important thing is that you know what your body can do and what it needs. Don’t get bogged down with all these vegan diets. If you simply want to cut back on dairy and meat products then do that. It doesn’t mean you have to cut them out entirely unless that’s what you truly want and you’ve done your research. You don’t want to restrict or deprive yourself and never enjoy your favorite foods.
But if you’d like to give vegan a try then slowly introduce it rather than going on a vegan crash diet. Just don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t work for you. We are all different.
Feature image credits to Veganliftz.
